Senior Program Manager

Description

The company is a plant breeding business founded in 2019 that builds new breeding systems and improved crop varieties, aiming to help farmers grow more food using fewer natural resources.

The senior program manager leads strategic programs that cut across R&D, engineering and operations, and takes them from first idea to delivery.

The role is full-accountability: you act as general manager for a set of high-impact programs, setting strategy, owning outcomes and directing technical and business teams.

The company is moving fast and expects its program leads to bring AI into how the work is run.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of program success for one or more strategic programs that span several functions.
• Design and put in place scalable processes and methods for planning, running and tracking work.
• Align stakeholders and executive leadership, and own the decisions, escalations and accountability that come with them.
• Own budgeting, forecasting and analytics for the programs you manage.
• Build and maintain integrated program plans that link workstreams across teams. Identify dependencies and critical paths, make them visible and manage them.
• Define how each program fits together, covering workstreams, interfaces, handoffs and validation, so every team works to one integrated schedule.
• Decide trade-offs and escalations, and align scientists, operators and executive leadership without waiting for full consensus.
• Spot bottlenecks early and clear them through clear priorities and quick follow-up.
• Turn technical complexity into clear material for audiences from scientists to the company's board.
• Use AI to run program work on an ongoing basis, including tracking, reporting and follow-ups, rather than for one-off analyses or reports. Keep accuracy and traceability to a high standard.
• Set the same standard for the team and help each member build AI into their own work.

Requirements

• You have 8+ years of experience leading cross-functional programs in R&D, engineering, technology, operations or a related field.
• You have strong engineering fundamentals and have taken technical work from design through to deployment.
• You use AI tools in your daily work and want to build apps and agents that keep work running continuously, not only produce one-off analyses or reports.
• You are a strong systems thinker, comfortable across disciplines and able to turn ambiguity into executable plans.
• You have a track record of leading cross-functional teams and delivering against timelines and commitments.
• You can influence without formal authority and build alignment between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• You take high ownership, are driven by mission-led work and follow through.
• You think from first principles, question how things have always been done and are willing to redesign a process.
• A Bachelor's degree is required, ideally in a technical discipline. An advanced degree is preferred.
• Experience in a scientific, technical or engineering environment is required.
• Optional: you have an advanced degree.

Conditions

Full-time, on-site role in South San Francisco.

The anticipated base pay range is $180,000 - $220,000 per year. Final pay depends on the scope and responsibilities of the role, the selected candidate's qualifications, budget, internal equity, geographic location and market pay for comparable jobs.

No visa sponsorship is available for this position at this time.

If you applied for a job at the company Genetics before, you are welcome to apply again to restate your interest.

Recruiters should not contact the company about this role.

The company welcomes applications from all qualified candidates.