Program Manager

Job Description PopVax is an Indian full-stack biotech building first-in-class and best-in-class vaccines and cancer immunotherapies using machine learning-driven design and relentless empiricism. We design, develop, and manufacture our own RNA medicines end-to-end because we believe great pharmaceutical science can only flourish in tight feedback loops that iterate rapidly. PopVax's experimental work and clinical dose production is based at the RNA Foundry, our integrated R&D and GMP-capable clinical dose production facility in Hyderabad. PopVax's north star is our goal of developing novel vaccines and therapeutics over the next decade with the cumulative ability to save 1 million lives each year the Million Lives Mission. To that end, we are developing first-in-class vaccines against Hepatitis C Virus, Strep A, and adult pulmonary TB, broadly-protective best-in-class vaccines against COVID-19, influenza, and HPV, and precision immunotherapies against hard-to-treat solid tumours such as liver cancer and pancreatic cancer. Our work is funded by Vitalik Buterin's Balvi Fund, the Gates Foundation, the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and Renaissance Philanthropy. Our first vaccine program will begin a Phase I clinical trial in the US in mid-2026 conducted & sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We intend to put 6 novel vaccines and immunotherapies into Phase I clinical trials over the next 3 years. No matter the job title, each person's role at PopVax is ultimately focused on helping take safe & effective new medicines that represent a step-change improvement on the current standard-of-care to the people who need them as fast as possible. If you want to work where the ambition is high, the learning curve is steep, and the work matters to billions, you'll feel at home here. If you're excited by the idea of advancing scientific, clinical, and regulatory frontiers of vaccines and immunotherapies, spending each day developing medicines with the potential to save millions of lives, and building a generational global pharmaceutical company in India along the way join us Position Overview We are looking to hire a highly motivated Program Manager / Associate Program Manager who will play a critical role in driving execution across complex, fast-moving R&D and clinical programs. This role requires someone who is proactive, forward-thinking, comfortable getting into the weeds, and able to anticipate issues before they surface. The ideal candidate is naturally curious, thrives on cross-functional interactions, and can think from first principles to understand problems deeply and propose practical solutions. They will work closely with all teams at PopVax including R&D, manufacturing, QA/QC, procurement, and operations teams to ensure rapid progress of PopVax's programs. This role is highly suited for growth, with opportunities to take on increasing scope, autonomy, and leadership as the organization scales. In general, we have found that smart generalists can dramatically change the trajectory of our programs for the better, radically accelerating the advancement of critical vaccines and therapeutics into the clinic for the benefit of the millions of people across the world who need them. That generalist could be you Key Responsibilities Program Planning & Coordination - Develop and maintain integrated program plans, timelines, risk registers, and resource maps. - Proactively identify dependencies, bottlenecks, and upcoming risksforecast issues before they occur and suggest mitigation strategies. - Coordinate regular cross-functional meetings; prepare agendas, drive discussions, capture action items, and ensure follow-through. Execution & Monitoring - Track day-to-day execution across R&D, analytical, process development, manufacturing, regulatory, and operations teams. - Dive into the detailsunderstand experiments, processes, vendor timelines, and operational steps well enough to challenge assumptions and support problem-solving. - Escalate delays or roadblocks early, backed by clear root-cause reasoning using first-principles thinking. Cross-Functional Collaboration - Act as a central point of contact across teams; build strong relationships by being naturally extroverted, inquisitive, and communicative. - Actively seek information (positive nosiness) to ensure you always have an accurate picture of program status. - Facilitate alignment between technical leads, QA, management, and external stakeholders. Documentation & Reporting - Prepare crisp, insightful updates for leadership including dashboards, milestone summaries, and risk reports. - Maintain rigorous documentation standards across program artifacts, ensuring decisions and data are captured accurately. - Translate complex scientific or operational discussions into structured, actionable formats. Vendor & Partner Management - Support external collaborations with CROs, CMOs, vendors, and consultants. - Track deliverables, negotiate timelines, and ensure alignment between internal teams and external partners. - Help manage SOWs, documentation, and invoicing. Operational & Strategic Support - Contribute to building scalable PM processes, templates, SOPs, and workflows. - Challenge business as usual approaches by applying logical, first-principles reasoning to improve how teams plan, track, and execute. - Step into ambiguity and provide structure where needed, especially in early-stage or rapidly evolving programs. An Ideal Candidate Will Have - Excellent analytical, documentation, and communication skills. - Ability to break down complex problems using first-principles reasoning. - Strong interpersonal skills with ability to talk to anyone at any level, from scientists to leadership to external partners. - Demonstrated ability to be proactive, detail-oriented, structured, and responsive. - Bachelor's or Master's degree in life sciences, engineering, management, or a related field. - 1-3 years of experience in the industry in a scientific role is advantageous.