Senior Program Manager

Company Description

Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused on guarding wellness and giving every person more time free from cancer. Founded in 2012, Guardant is transforming patient care and accelerating new cancer therapies by providing critical insights into what drives disease through its advanced blood and tissue tests, real-world data and AI analytics. Guardant tests help improve outcomes across all stages of care, including screening to find cancer early, monitoring for recurrence in early-stage cancer, and treatment selection for patients with advanced cancer. For more information, visit guardanthealth.com and follow the company on LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Facebook.

Job Description:

The Senior Program Manager for New Product Development (CDx and NPI) plays a key leadership role in driving complex, cross-functional programs across the Guardant Health organization. You will lead multiple, large-scale product development initiatives involving research, clinical development, regulatory, finance, operations, and commercial functions to deliver innovative diagnostic solutions for cancer patients.

This role requires a leader who demonstrates expert-level project management knowledge, applies sound financial and regulatory understanding, and exercises independent judgment in managing ambiguity and complexity. You will act as a trusted advisor and "go-to" resource for product development and process excellence, helping to establish best practices that strengthen Guardant Health's quality and innovation framework.

You will also play a vital role in mentoring and developing junior program managers, promoting collaboration, strategic thinking, and professional growth within the team.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Execution

• Develops and leads large and/or multiple complex programs and initiatives that span functional boundaries, ensuring alignment with company objectives and strategies.
• Oversees the end-to-end delivery of RUO, LDT, IVD, and CDx products, ensuring compliance with Guardant Health's Quality System, regulatory standards (FDA, IVDR, CLIA, CAP), and financial objectives.
• Applies expert project management principles and tools to structure work, mitigate risk, and achieve milestones with moderate to high complexity and resource demands.
• Exercises independent judgment in resolving complex issues and determining methods, techniques, and criteria for achieving results with limited supervision.

Strategic and Financial Management

• Partners with Finance to manage program budgets, forecast costs, and evaluate resource allocations to optimize program efficiency and ROI.
• Uses data-driven insights to support executive decision-making, balancing innovation, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory requirements.
• Applies advanced analytical and critical-thinking skills to evaluate trade-offs and recommend solutions in ambiguous or evolving environments.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication

• Communicates complex concepts clearly and concisely to inform decisions and guide cross-functional action.
• Acts as a liaison between internal teams (R&D, Regulatory, Operations, Quality, Medical Affairs, Finance, and Commercial) and external partners to ensure alignment on priorities, deliverables, and milestones.
• Prepares and delivers high-impact updates to functional and executive leadership, including phase-gate reviews and strategic recommendations.

Best Practices & Process Improvement

• Contributes to the development and refinement of company-wide best practices for program management, design controls, and product development governance.
• Uses professional expertise to help shape policies, frameworks, and methodologies that drive quality and efficiency across product teams.
• Applies innovation, leadership, decisiveness, and collaboration to address highly complex, cross-functional challenges.

Mentorship and Leadership Development

• Mentors and supports junior program managers, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Encourages collaboration and shared learning across teams, modeling excellence in communication, prioritization, and execution.
• Acts as a "go-to" resource within the organization for strategic program management and cross-functional coordination.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical or business discipline required; advanced degree (MS, MBA, or PhD) preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of program management experience in IVD, medical device, or life sciences industries (3-5 years with advanced degree).
• Proven success in leading complex, multidisciplinary product development programs with significant regulatory, financial, and technical dimensions.
• Deep understanding of FDA, ISO 13485, and IVDR regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrated financial acumen, including budget management, cost forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Strong track record of exercising independent judgment and decision-making in dynamic, high-stakes environments.
• Recognized expertise in project management methodologies (PMP certification or equivalent preferred).
• Excellent collaboration, communication, and executive presentation skills.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior project or program managers.
• Proficiency with program management tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with NGS assay development highly desirable.
• Experience with both Agile and Waterfall methodologies preferred.

Why Join Guardant Health

At Guardant Health, you'll help advance precision oncology by bringing groundbreaking innovations to patients around the world. You'll work with talented colleagues in a mission-driven culture that values scientific excellence, financial accountability, and personal growth.

Hybrid Work Model:This section is applicable to onsite employees who are eligible for hybrid work location as specified by management and related policies. Guardant has defined days for in-person/onsite collaboration and work-from-home days for individual-focused time. All U.S. employees who live within 50 miles of a Guardant facility will be required to be onsite on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. We have found aligning our scheduled in-office days allows our teams to do the best work and creates the focused thinking time our innovative work requires. At Guardant, our work model has created flexibility for better work-life balance while keeping teams connected to advance our science for our patients.

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. This range does not include benefits or, if applicable, bonus, commission, or equity. Each candidate's compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, education, job-related skills, job duties, and business need.Primary Location: Palo Alto, CAPrimary Location Base Pay Range: $150,400 - $206,750Other US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $127,800 - $175,750If the role is performed in Colorado, the pay range for this job is: $135,400 - $186,100

Employee may be required to lift routine office supplies and use office equipment. Majority of the work is performed in a desk/office environment; however, there may be exposure to high noise levels, fumes, and biohazard material in the laboratory environment. Ability to sit for extended periods of time.

Guardant Health is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our hiring processes for candidates with disabilities, long-term conditions, mental health conditions, or sincerely held religious beliefs. If you need support, please reach out to Peopleteam@guardanthealth.com

A background screening including criminal history is required for this role. GH will consider qualified applicants with criminal arrest or conviction histories in a manner consistent with applicable law including but not limited to the LA County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

Guardant Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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Please visit our career page at: http://www.guardanthealth.com/jobs/

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