Executive Director, Portfolio Strategy and Decision ...

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dublin, Ireland, Ionis has been at work for more than three decades discovering medical breakthroughs that have redefined life for people with serious diseases. We’re pioneers in RNA-targeted medicines, and our platform continues to revolutionize drug discovery and transform lives for patients with unmet needs. With multiple marketed medicines and a leading pipeline in neurology, cardiology and select areas of high patient needs, we continue to drive innovation in RNA therapies in addition to advancing new approaches in gene editing to provide greater value to patients and are well positioned financially to deliver on our strategic goals.At Ionis, we pride ourselves on cultivating a challenging, motivating and rewarding environment that fosters innovation and scientific excellence. We know that our success is a direct result of the exceptional talents and dedication of our employees.With an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of human health, we look to add diverse individuals, skill sets and perspectives to our exceptional team. We continue to invest time, money and energy into making our onsite, hybrid and remote work environments a place where solid and lasting relationships are built and where our culture and employees can thrive.We’re building on our rich history, and we believe our greatest achievements are ahead of us. If you’re passionate about the opportunity to have meaningful impact on patients in need, we invite you to apply and join us. Experience and contribute to our unique culture while you develop and expand your career!EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORTFOLIO STRATEGY AND DECISION SCIENCESSUMMARY: Ionis seeks an Executive Director of Portfolio Strategy and Decision Sciences to lead the established Portfolio Planning team. With a rich and growing pipeline of research and development programs, you will play a leading role in the analysis, prioritization, and optimization of the portfolio. You will work with senior leadership across the Research, Development, and Commercial organizations on existing portfolio initiatives and lead new initiatives to drive portfolio and program decisions and further Ionis as a leader in genetically targeted medicines.You will be responsible for delivering strategic and data-driven insights, facilitating cross-functional discussions, developing and introducing toolsets, and incorporating portfolio insights into decision making. Your role ensures Ionis advances its portfolio strategically with the full context of individual projects, external factors, and corporate objectives. This position reports to the Vice President, Insights & Analytics, and ideally be located at our corporate headquarters in Carlsbad, California.RESPONSIBILITIES: The Executive Director, Portfolio Strategy and Decision Sciences will:Lead and provide vision for the continued evolution of the Portfolio Planning team, embracing Ionis’ values and applying an entrepreneurial spirit to drive continuous, fit-for-purpose innovation and value for the organizationPartner with cross-functional colleagues to ensure consistency, objectivity, and rigor in project assessments to allow for data-driven and impactful portfolio analyses and tradeoff decisions at key stage gatesLead monitoring and reporting of portfolio changes, trends, and KPIs and elevate key risks, opportunities, gaps, and recommendations to the leadership teamIntegrate current and future advancements of our scientific platforms into the portfolio strategy to chart the evolution needed to support a sustainable competitive advantageMaintain a strong understanding of our research and development portfolio and external environment to bring a portfolio perspective to project teams and cross-functional decisionsFacilitate meetings, workshops, and key strategic initiatives, establishing guiding frameworks to foster healthy ideation and debate, and drive to conclusionsOversee continued advancement and application of analytical, digital, and AI tools to elucidate project attributes (e.g., risk, value, time, cost) and implications on the portfolioLead portfolio prioritization reviews with cross-functional senior leadership, and support cross-functional partners in pull-through of priorities in decision making and executionSupport development of franchise strategies in partnership with cross-functional colleaguesBuild Decision Sciences capabilities and apply core principles to define and analyze key project and portfolio scenarios, incorporating an understanding of upcoming milestones and impact on portfolio composition and characteristicsPartner with Finance to support long range planningLead ad hoc strategy projects and initiatives (e.g., new indication / product / market evaluations) and assess fit for the portfolioOther duties as requiredREQUIREMENTS: Education: Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, a scientific discipline, or a related technical field required; advanced degree (e.g., PhD, PharmD, or MD) strongly preferredExperience: 10+ years of pharma/biotech experience, including 5+ years of portfolio analytics, management or life sciences consulting, or decision analysisScientific fluency: Familiarity with genetically targeted medicines and drug research and development, comfort in scientific discussions, and ability to incorporate scientific objectives, advances, risk, and opportunitiesFinancial and business fluency: Familiarity with financial modeling and valuations (e.g., NPV, IRR, Monte Carlo simulations), and robust understanding of requirements and drivers for commercial successStrategic orientation: Ability to think big picture, while remaining detail-orientedHighly analytical: Skillful with Excel and other analytical / data management tools, able to apply a thoughtful and quantitative approach to assessing projects and decisions, including expertise on and ability to accurately apply industry data and analogs for performance benchmarkingProblem solving: Ability to create structure in ambiguity and adapt to new and conflicting information; comfortable leveraging complex datasets from multiple internal / external sources (e.g., commercial, scientific, clinical, medical) to assess, synthesize, and derive meaningful insights and drive to recommendationsDecision analysis: Expert understanding of decision analysis and modeling techniquesCommunication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex concepts clearly and persuasively, tailored to relevant audiencesInfluence: Experience leading enterprise scale projects, reconciling dissenting views, and persuading others on complex situations to foster innovation and drive business resultsProject management: Thrives in a fast-paced, innovative environment and evolving organization, with the ability to manage multiple, simultaneous and dynamic projects, prioritize efforts, solve problems, make difficult tradeoffs and decisions, and manage stakeholder expectationsBias to act and solve: Innate curiosity to identify and resolve business challenges, with strong personal drive, self-starter, results oriented, and entrepreneurial spiritCollaboration and interpersonal skills: Adept at partnering with other data-driven cross-functional teams to facilitate internal perspectives and ensure quality information and analysis, often without direct authoritySeasoned Leadership: Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing teams, and to foster effective cross-functional collaborationTravel required approximately 25%Please visit our website, for more information about Ionis and to apply for this position; reference requisition # IONIS003804Ionis offers an excellent benefits package! Follow this link for more details: Ionis BenefitsFull Benefits Link: employee spotlight-,Benefits,-Employees are rewardedThe pay scale for this position is $209,690 to $265,000NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. PRINCIPALS ONLY.Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and all its subsidiaries are proud to be EEO employers.Equal Opportunity EmployerThis employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-17