Associate Director, Business Operations

What if… you could join an organization that creates, resources, and builds life sciences companies that invent breakthrough technologies to transform health care and sustainability? At Flagship Labs 107 (FL107), a Flagship Pioneering-backed stealth biotechnology company, we’re pioneering the mastery of protein control: tuning the stability, degradation, and localization, of any protein. By systematically rewriting the rules of protein homeostasis, we’re on a mission to target the “undruggable” and treat the “impossible.” Our innovative approach combines novel biology, medicinal chemistry, and AI/ML-powered molecular design, all driven by our unwavering commitment to dramatically improve patient lives.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a highly creative, resourceful, and motivated Associate Director, Business Operations to join us at the intersection of science and execution. This role is a foundational enabler of our scientific mission. The ideal candidate will drive project planning, operational excellence, and support strategic planning across our R&D efforts. You’ll work directly with project leads, executive leadership, and external parties to translate our scientific ambitions into structured execution. You will establish the infrastructure that supports our needs today, while ensuring FL107 scales with agility and discipline.

This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves fast with precision, and is passionate about applying modern tools - including AI/ML-driven platforms, operational analytics, and KPI frameworks - to accelerate innovation. You will be at the heart of where science meets execution, ensuring that great ideas don’t just stay on the whiteboard, but get delivered.

Key Responsibilities:

Program & Project Execution

• Develop and maintain integrated, cross-functional project plans (timelines, roadmaps, dashboards) to align scientific teams and leadership.
• Own project tracking for internal projects/programs and external collaborations (e.g., CROs, consultants), including milestone tracking, budgets, and KPIs.
• Establish OKR or similar frameworks and goal-tracking systems to drive team alignment, focus, and performance visibility.
• Prepare widely distributable progress reports, dashboards, status updates, and executive communication materials to support transparency and rapid decision-making.

Business Operations & Scientific Enablement

• Partner with scientific leads to design and scale operational workflows using modern tools (e.g., Notion, Airtable, AI dashboards).
• Leverage AI/ML and workflow automation platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Asana AI, Zapier, Tableau, LLM copilots) to enhance productivity, reporting, and cross-functional efficiency.
• Develop lightweight reporting systems and operational analytics to support scientific execution and leadership decision-making.
• Establish smooth purchasing, budget tracking, vendor onboarding, and contract workflows by supporting core business functions with finance (e.g., purchase orders, budget tracking), legal (e.g., CDAs, MSAs) and operational (e.g., onboarding workflows, space planning) activities.
• Partner with scientists to ensure project readiness — whether for experiments, presentations, or decision-making discussions.
• Build operational infrastructure (scorecards, analytics pipelines, dashboards) that allow for real-time business and scientific decision-making.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical field (life sciences, engineering)
• 8+ years of relevant experience in business operations, project/program management, or technical product/project management - ideally in biotech, or other deep tech startup.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex cross-functional projects and lead execution in dynamic, ambiguous environments.
• Operational fluency with tools such as Airtable, Asana, Smartsheet, Notion, or Monday.com; exceptional utilization of dashboards and visualizations expected.
• Familiarity with AI-augmented productivity tools (e.g., ChatGPT, CoPilot, Notion AI, automation APIs) and comfort exploring and applying them to operations.

• Excellent communication and synthesis skills, with the ability to present structured updates on complex scientific concepts to technical, non-technical, and executive audiences.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex datasets and derive meaningful insights.

• Proven ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Resourceful problem solver and self-starter.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's (MBA or MS) or PhD degree.
• Experience establishing OKRs/KPIs in early-stage organizations.
• Familiarity with scientific R&D environments, including preclinical workflows and CRO management.
• Prior experience developing dashboards or reporting frameworks using business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, PatSnap).
• Exposure to finance or legal workflows in a biotech or startup context (budgets, PO systems, MSAs, NDAs).
• Familiarity and experience with FDA regulatory approval processes.
• Exposure to companies developing therapies in targeted protein degradation, with an understanding of their scientific and operational dynamics.

What We Offer:

• Opportunity to lay the scientific foundation of a transformative platform company as an early employee, and to serve as a key contributor to the development of new technologies in the protein degradation field.

• Custom-tailored role to maximize impactful contributions, professional growth, and scientific interests.
• Weekly lunches, monthly social events, and community lunchroom with free snacks, cold brew coffee tap, and a vibrant community with scientists and entrepreneurs.
• A collaborative and inclusive work environment that values diversity and innovation.
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technologies.

Values and Behaviors:

Flagship is an experiment in institutional, entrepreneurial, and innovation practiced in the context of a small company with an insurgent mindset. We are seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong communication skills, and comfort in working in and contributing to a dynamic and cross-functional team environment.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, we encourage you to apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background. The level of the role will be commensurate with the education and years of experience of the identified candidates.

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.