(Senior) Director, Portfolio Strategy, Life Sciences

About the role

Lila Sciences is seeking a Director / Senior Director, New Product Planning to join the Corporate Development function and help shape Lila Origins, the company and asset creation arm which partners to translate scientific vision into molecules, materials, and real-world ventures. In this role, you will operate at the intersection of science, market dynamics, and deal economics, owning the commercial assessment of early-stage life sciences opportunities for Origins. You will translate platform capabilities into differentiated asset hypotheses, define target product profiles, and determine where Lila can generate meaningful strategic and financial returns. The position requires close collaboration with the VP, Head of Lila Origins, as well as Science, Product, and Corporate Development teams to convert ambiguous ideas into structured recommendations. You will be responsible for screening opportunities, conducting primary and secondary research, and delivering data-driven recommendations on go or no-go decisions. This is a high-ambiguity, high-leverage role designed for someone who thrives when building structures and narratives from limited information. Your work will directly influence which ventures, partnerships, and programs Lila pursues, shaping the long-term portfolio strategy of the company.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Source and evaluate novel life sciences opportunities for Lila Origins, applying rigorous filters for scientific differentiation, commercial viability, and platform fit.
• Track therapeutic area trends, modality breakthroughs, pipeline movements, and deal activity across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology landscapes to identify emerging opportunities.
• Match therapeutic modalities to disease areas using biological rationale, competitive positioning, and unmet medical need to recommend where Origins should concentrate effort.
• Build and own quantitative models for market sizing, patient population estimation, and deal economics to inform go or no-go decisions on candidate ventures and partnerships.
• Develop target product profiles and early commercial theses for assets under consideration, collaborating closely with Science, Product, and Corporate Development teams.
• Conduct primary and secondary research, including KOL interviews, competitor tracking, and payer and clinician landscape analysis to stress-test key assumptions.
• Shape and evaluate partnership structures and deal terms alongside Corporate Development, translating commercial logic into terms that protect and create value for Lila.
• Synthesize insights from across opportunities to contribute to Origins' strategic thesis, providing recommendations on therapeutic area focus, modality bets, and partnership models.
• Translate complex scientific and commercial data into clear, actionable narratives for senior leadership and external stakeholders.
• Continuously challenge assumptions, refine hypotheses, and iterate on portfolio strategy as new data and market feedback emerge.

Requirements

• 6-8+ years of experience in new product planning, asset strategy, or commercial assessment within a pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences investor environment, with a track record of influencing go or no-go decisions on early assets.
• Strong scientific literacy in life sciences, including comfort with therapeutic modalities and disease biology, enabling substantive engagement with internal scientists and external key opinion leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to assess biological fit, competitive landscape, and unmet need, and to articulate where these factors align with strategic opportunity.
• Hands-on experience with market sizing, patient population modeling, forecasting, and deal economics, including building models from scratch and defending underlying assumptions.
• Active awareness of industry trends, pipeline developments, and deal activity across pharma and biotech, maintained through direct market monitoring rather than reliance on third-party briefings.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex analyses into concise, decision-ready recommendations for senior leadership.
• Comfort operating in high-ambiguity environments with limited direct oversight, and a bias toward constructing clarity and structure when none exists.
• Willingness to engage with external operators, investors, and partners in a due diligence capacity, using primary research to validate strategic assumptions.

Nice to have

• Advanced degree in life sciences (PhD, MS in biology, chemistry, bioengineering) or an MBA with a deep focus on life sciences.
• Network of biotech operators, venture capitalists, key opinion leaders, and pharmaceutical business development leaders that can be leveraged for diligence and insight.

Practical notes

This role is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and requires physical presence in the office. The engagement is full-time, and the position reports into the Corporate Development function. Travel may be required to meet with external partners, KOLs, and investors, and occasional travel outside the region may be necessary. The candidate must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship for this position.