(Associate) Director, Portfolio Strategy  waltham ma

 is a biotechnology incubator leveraging cutting-edge science and technology to identify and develop best-in-class biologics for a range of human diseases with significant unmet needs. Paragon’s team consists of experts in biology, chemistry, antibody engineering, drug discovery, finance, intellectual property, and other critical functions to create and launch exceptional companies. Once a program or set of programs discovered at Paragon achieves significant progress, we enable their rapid advancement to the clinic through spinouts, such as Apogee Therapeutics, Spyre Therapeutics, Oruka Therapeutics, and Jade Biosciences.

As a critical leader on the Strategy team at Paragon, you will play a pivotal role in shaping Paragon’s pipeline and company creation efforts. This position is unique in the industry as it combines elements of investing and early-stage company building, requiring an understanding of and excitement for drug discovery and development, scientific diligence, company creation, and startup operations.  

Key Responsibilities: 

• Drive Paragon’s process for identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing new targets for drug discovery and company creation. 

• Lead due diligence activities such as analyses on target validation, unmet medical need, competitive positioning, KOL perspectives, clinical datasets, and commercial potential. 

• Attend scientific and medical conferences to review data disclosures, learn about the latest standard-of-care, and identify opportunities for new therapeutic programs. 

• Partner with cross-functional teams to incorporate R&D, operational, legal, and strategic insights into the evaluation and prioritization of current and potential therapeutic programs.   

• Synthesize complex information and contribute to decision-making on new program nomination, pipeline prioritization, and new company formation. 

• Disseminate competitive intelligence and insights on emerging data and trends relevant to Paragon’s internal and external portfolio across the organization. 

• Drive company launch activities such as building pitch decks, compiling scientific, clinical, and commercial data, and responding to diligence requests. 

Requirements: 

• PhD, MD, or BA/BS/MS in biological sciences or related disciplines (e.g., bioengineering, immunology, computational biology, etc.). 

• 5-7 years’ experience in a biotech-focused buy/sell-side role, biotech/pharma consulting, or industry BD / Corp Dev role, with experience in asset-level scientific diligence, cross-trial comparisons, and investment thesis writing / slide making. 

• Familiarity with the drug discovery and development process. 

• Excellent analytical and communication skills. 

• Highly collaborative and able to work with a variety of functional teams across the organization. 

• Able to manage multiple projects and thrive in a fast-paced, remote-first startup environment. 

• Able to travel as needed for conferences and team meetings.