Contract Project Manager

Cambridge, MA

ABOUT US

Aera Therapeutics was founded by a world-class team of scientists, investors, and company builders with a shared vision to unlock the potential of genetic medicines across a broad range of modalities and therapeutic areas. We strive for excellence and an industry-leading position in our chosen delivery platforms, while hunting for opportunities where enabling delivery technologies can unlock applications of high, unmet medical need.

Leveraging deep expertise in the space, Aera has a leading LNP platform that enables today's applications, while investing in and developing a potentially disruptive PNP platform to enable tomorrow's applications.

How will your role make an impact at Aera Therapeutics? We are looking for an experienced Project Manager to join the Program Management team. You will provide project management support to Aera's programs. You will partner with the CMC team to manage and track CMC-related activities. Additionally, you will provide broad support to Program Management with project planning, regulatory, and clinical operations activities. You will report to the Director of Program Management and require on-site presence five days per week.

You will:

• CMC Project Management (70%)
  • Serve as CMC project manager and assist the CMC lead in executing non-GMP and GMP manufacturing campaigns.
  • Coordinate regular team meeting schedules, draft agendas, and provide meeting minutes, action items, and progress reports according to project management best practices.
  • Collaborate cross functionally to monitor CMC activities and ensure alignment with CMC goals and timeline.
  • Maintain documentation of CMC projects in program Sharepoint.
  • Develop and maintain visual project tools including dashboards, metrics reports and Gantt charts to provide leadership and teams with clear, up-to-date view of study status, risks, and progress.
  • Track and maintain data in Smartsheet/sharepoint: update actions, decisions, and risks in program registers, identify risks or potential bottlenecks in CMC projects, and escalate issues.
  • Support CMC in regulatory activities by facilitating alignment in regulatory documents generation (i.e., IND module 3)
  • Provide regular status reports to leadership and project team members.
• Program Management (30%)
  • In collaboration with PM lead, develop, and maintain integrated program timelines across different teams.
  • Provide PM support in clinical development initiatives (i.e., start up activities, regulatory operations activities).
  • Demonstrate critical thinking to improve PM practices

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in biology, biotechnology, project management or related field (PMP certification preferred)
• 2+ years of experience in CMC project management required
• Experience managing projects in biotech, pharmaceutical, or related R&D environments, with exposure to CMC and clinical development.
• Familiarity with the drug development lifecycle—from preclinical activities through IND-enabling studies—and demonstrated ability to coordinate across teams.
• Advanced proficiency with project management tools such as Smartsheet, including the ability to build and maintain project registers, trackers, and Gantt charts.
• Experience coordinating across cross-organizational teams (internal scientists, external CROs, regulatory/quality, operations).
• Prior experience managing complex projects and ability to drive consensus across multiple teams.
• Commitment to our Core Values: Respect, Integrity, Excellence, Impact

The approximate salary range for this role is $109,300- $121,500.

Our salary ranges are determined by job scope, level, and location. The range displayed on this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position as posted. Within the range, individual pay is determined by a variety of factors, including job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, and business need. In addition to the base salary, eligible employees will have an opportunity to participate in an annual cash bonus, equity incentives, and a robust benefits offering that includes health insurance, 401k retirement plan with company match, paid sick and vacation time, life and disability insurance, and commuting expense reimbursement.

Aera Therapeutics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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