Project Lead Jobs in California

The Position

At Maze Therapeutics, we believe precision medicine has the power to transform the lives of patients with both common and rare diseases. As Sr. Project Manager, Clinical Operations, you will play a critical role in driving operational excellence across our growing Clinical Operations organization. This position combines portfolio-level project management with strategic operational initiatives, partnering closely with Clinical Operations Study Leads, Oversight Directors, and cross-functional teams to support the successful execution of multiple clinical pharmacology studies, early-phase studies, Phase 2 studies, and Phase 3 development programs,

In this role, you will facilitate cross-functional planning and communication, coordinate complex study execution activities across the clinical portfolio, and oversee key Clinical Operations initiatives that strengthen organizational capabilities, improve processes, and drive operational excellence. As Maze continues to grow, you will partner with the Head of Clinical Operations to help establish scalable operational infrastructure, implement innovative technologies, and support initiatives that enable efficient, high-quality clinical trial execution across all stages of development.

This role is ideal for a highly organized, collaborative project manager who enjoys bringing structure to complex initiatives, driving accountability, and enabling teams to deliver ambitious clinical development goals.

The Impact You'll Have

• Clinical Operations Project Management
  • Partner with Clinical Operations Study Leads and Oversight Directors to coordinate project management activities across multiple Phase 1, clinical pharmacology, Phase 2, and Phase 3 studies, ensuring alignment of timelines, milestones, dependencies, and cross-functional deliverables.
  • Develop and maintain integrated project plans, timelines, risk registers, and action trackers that support efficient study execution across the clinical portfolio.
  • Monitor portfolio-wide study milestones, cross-study dependencies, operational risks, and key deliverables, proactively escalating issues and facilitating timely resolution.
  • Coordinate cross-functional activities for Clinical Operations collaborating with Clinical Science, Biometrics, Data Management, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Supply, Quality Assurance, and other functional teams.
  • Develop project dashboards, status reports, and operational metrics that provide visibility into study execution, portfolio health, and organizational priorities.
• Cross-functional Leadership & Study Governance
  • Partner with Clinical Operations Study Leads to coordinate, facilitate, and manage Study Execution Team (SET) meetings across multiple development programs.
  • Develop meeting agendas, facilitate productive discussions, document decisions and action items, and drive accountability for follow-up activities.
  • Coordinate governance meetings, operational reviews, leadership updates, and cross-functional planning sessions.
  • Foster effective communication and collaboration across Clinical Operations, Clinical Science, Biometrics, Data Management, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Supply, Quality Assurance, Finance, and other functional teams to ensure alignment on priorities and execution
• Strategic Clinical Operations Initiatives
  • Oversee and coordinate cross-functional initiatives that strengthen Clinical Operations capabilities and improve organizational effectiveness.
  • Manage implementation of strategic projects including:
    • In-house eTMF implementation and governance
    • Artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives
    • Companion Diagnostic (CDx) operational workflows
    • SOP development and revision working groups
    • Inspection readiness initiatives
    • Clinical Operations systems implementations (CTMS, eTMF, dashboards, etc.)
    • Process improvement and organizational change initiatives
  • Develop project plans, implementation strategies, communication plans, and timelines while tracking progress, risks, and dependencies.
  • Support evaluation and implementation of innovative technologies, automation tools, and operational best practices.
  • Operational Excellence
    • Develop standardized project management tools, templates, meeting frameworks, and operational best practices that improve consistency and scalability across Clinical Operations.
    • Identify opportunities to improve business processes, cross-functional collaboration, and operational efficiency.
    • Collaborate with study teams to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure study execution, operational effectiveness, and organizational performance.
    • Support onboarding of new Clinical Operations team members through development of training materials, tools, and operational resources.
    • Champion continuous improvement initiatives that enhance execution, collaboration, and organizational effectiveness.
  • Portfolio Planning & Communication
    • Support Clinical Operations leadership with portfolio planning, and department prioritization.
    • Prepare executive presentations, dashboards, reports, and meeting materials for leadership reviews and governance meetings.
    • Coordinate communication plans for organizational initiatives, ensuring stakeholders remain informed and aligned.
    • Maintain project documentation, lessons learned, and organizational knowledge to support continuous improvement and future planning.
  
  

As a Senior Project Manager, Clinical Operations, we also expect our leaders to demonstrate the following Leadership Competencies:

Leadership Competencies

• Communication and Influence
  • Communicates the reasoning behind decisions to appropriate stakeholders.
  • Promotes open communication with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Fosters healthy and respectful debate.
• Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Creates opportunities for team members to connect with others outside of team.
  • Manages conflict effectively between teams.
  • Openly values thoughts, opinions, and contributions of employees.
• Execution and Results
  • Exercises astute judgment to make decisions with only the necessary amount of data.
  • Supports team members in creating their own resolutions to challenges and problems.
  • Works with others to reinforce process compliance, what good looks like, and risk mitigation.
• Develop Others and Self
  • Articulates what good looks like throughout Maze.
  • Pursues development activities for continuous improvement of self and team.

What We're Looking For

You might be the right fit for this role if you have:

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences or a related field.
• 6-8+ years of experience in Clinical Project Management, 8+ years in Clinical Operations, or related field, with specifically 6+ years of Clinical Project Management within biotech.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex cross-functional projects supporting multiple clinical studies or development programs.
• Strong understanding of clinical trial operations across early-phase, clinical pharmacology, Phase 2, and Phase 3 clinical development.
• Experience facilitating governance meetings, driving action items, managing timelines, and coordinating cross-functional teams.
• Experience overseeing operational improvement initiatives, business process implementation, or organizational change management is strongly preferred.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, competing deadlines, and cross-functional initiatives simultaneously.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Experience developing dashboards, project metrics, and executive-level reporting is preferred.
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Microsoft Project) and Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with GCP-regulated clinical development environments and clinical systems (e.g., CTMS, eTMF, EDC) is preferred.

About Maze Therapeutics

Maze Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company harnessing human genetics to develop precision medicines for patients with kidney and metabolic diseases. Our clinical pipeline is anchored by two small molecule programs: MZE829, an APOL1 inhibitor for patients with APOL1‑mediated kidney disease, and MZE782, which targets genetic drivers of disease in phenylketonuria (PKU) and chronic kidney disease. We are also advancing a preclinical pipeline through our Compass platform, which links human genetic variants to the biological pathways that drive disease.

Our People

Maze is comprised of a team of passionate and creative professionals committed to discovering and delivering transformative medicines to patients suffering from both rare and common genetic diseases. We are fostering a culture that encourages vision, initiative and the development of talent. Our supportive work environment inspires creative thinking and freedom of expression, resulting in a stimulating atmosphere where people enjoy coming to work. While we have a passion for advanced science and pride ourselves on excellence in execution, ultimately, everything we do is about patients.

Our Core Values

Further Together – Our path is paved with challenges, but with resilience and a team-first mentality, we'll achieve our mission.

Impact Obsessed – We embrace the bold, take calculated risks, and learn from our mistakes to improve the lives of others.

Stand True – Our integrity is foundational; it guides us no matter the obstacle.

The expected annual salary range for employees located in the San Francisco Bay Area is $181,000 - $221,000. Additionally, this position is eligible for an annual performance bonus.

Maze performs position-based compensation benchmarking to industry market data to ensure we pay competitive wages. Determination of starting salary will depend upon a variety of job-related factors, which may include professional experience, skills, and job location. The expected salary range for this role may be modified in the future.

Maze offers a robust benefits package to our eligible employees including competitive medical, dental, and vision insurance, mental health offerings, equity incentive plan, 401(k) program with employer match and a generous holiday and PTO policy.

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