Director, Organizational Development

DIRECTOR, ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

At Day One, we are focused on advancing first- or best-in-class medicines for childhood and adult diseases with equal intensity. We were founded to address the lack of new therapies resulting from the traditional drug development model, that has left children with cancer and their families waiting too long for new, life-changing treatments. Our aim is to accelerate better, targeted treatments so patients of any age can look forward from ‘day one’ to the future they’ve envisioned.

POSITION SUMMARY:   

Reporting to the VP, People Business Partners, you will work across all levels of the organization, from executives, functional leaders, product teams, to intact teams, helping leaders move from functional excellence to enterprise effectiveness. You are a builder, a facilitator, and a quiet force for clarity.

Strong preference for candidates in San Francisco Bay Area or Greater Boston area who can work a hybrid schedule with regular in-office days.

The Opportunity

The Director of Organizational Development is an enterprise capability builder. This role designs and enables the systems, frameworks, and leadership behaviors that allow Day One to operate as a cohesive, decision-capable organization, especially as complexity increases across functions, product teams, and stages of development.

This is not a traditional training role. There are no standard curricula to manage and no classrooms to run. Instead, this role focuses on:

• Strengthening enterprise mindset
• Improving decision quality and speed
• Enabling effective cross-functional leadership
• Supporting the evolution of product team–centric ways of working

We are building a company designed for decisions that matter: scientific, clinical, and commercial choices made with rigor, speed, and shared accountability. As we scale, success depends not just on what we decide—but how we decide, together. This role exists to help make that “how” intentional.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

How This Role Fits

This role is intentionally complementary to the HR Business Partner role.

• The HRBP partners deeply with leaders on people strategy, talent, rewards, and leadership decisions.
• The Director of Organizational Development builds the operating system that helps those leaders and teams think, decide, and work together effectively.

You will collaborate closely, frequently, and with mutual respect, with each role distinct, synergistic, and essential.

What You Will Do

Enterprise Capability & Decision-Making

• Design and implement decision-making frameworks that improve clarity, accountability, and speed across the enterprise.
• Help leaders navigate complex trade-offs by introducing shared language, decision rights, and escalation paths.
• Enable enterprise-level thinking to help leaders optimize for Day One, not just their function or team.

Organizational Effectiveness & Ways of Working

• Build and evolve operating models that support cross-functional collaboration (e.g Product teams, sub-teams, MLR, etc).
• Partner with teams to clarify roles, interfaces, and expectations as the organization scales.
• Diagnose organizational friction points and facilitate practical, human-centered interventions.

Leadership & Culture Enablement

• Translate Day One’s values and leadership expectations into observable behaviors and practices.
• Design leadership tools, playbooks, and forums that reinforce enterprise mindset and accountability.
• Support leaders through moments of growth, change, and ambiguity with grounded, thoughtful guidance.

Product Team Enablement (Supportive, Not Owning)

• Serve as a strategic resource to product teams and leaders operating within the product team primacy model.
• Support the development of team charters, decision forums, and collaboration norms.
• Help leaders reflect on and enhance how product teams function without taking ownership of or policing execution.

Facilitation & Strategic Intervention

• Facilitate leadership sessions, team resets, and cross-functional working sessions when alignment or clarity is needed.
• Use data, observation, and listening to inform recommendations and next steps.
• Balance structure with flexibility, knowing when to guide, when to challenge, and when to get out of the way!

What Success Looks Like

Within the first 12–18 months:

• Leaders make faster, clearer decisions with less rework and less organizational swirl.
• Teams operate with stronger enterprise mindset, prioritizing shared outcomes over local optimization.
• Cross-functional collaboration feels more intentional, less heroic.
• Product teams and leaders have practical tools to support how they work, not just more processes for the sake of process.
• The organization feels more aligned as it scales, without losing momentum or humanity.

QUALIFICATIONS  

Who You Are

You are thoughtful, grounded, and pragmatic.

You bring:

• 10+ years of experience in organizational development, organizational effectiveness, or enterprise leadership enablement—ideally within biotech, pharma, healthcare, or complex matrixed environments.
• Demonstrated success building enterprise capabilities, not just programs.
• Strong facilitation skills and comfort working with senior leaders and intact teams.
• Systems thinking: you see patterns, incentives, and unintended consequences.
• Sound judgment and emotional intelligence; you know when to push and when to pause.
• Comfort operating through influence in a matrix, flexing style based on context and audience.

What you are not:

• A traditional trainer
• A policy enforcer
• An empire builder

You are here to make the organization better at doing the work that matters most.

How We Work at Day One

At Day One, how we show up matters.

• Patients first: decisions grounded in purpose and impact.
• Candor with care: honest conversations delivered with respect.
• Collaboration over hierarchy: progress through partnership.
• Inclusion and belonging: where diverse perspectives strengthen outcomes.
• Ownership: we do what we say we will do.

You don’t need to be perfect. You do need to be thoughtful, accountable, and human.

We take the mission seriously—and ourselves lightly. A well-placed metaphor is welcome if it helps people see more clearly.

Why This Role Matters

This is a rare opportunity to help shape how a growing biotech thinks, decides, and works—at a moment when those capabilities will determine long-term success.

If you are energized by complexity, partnership, and building something durable (without needing the spotlight), this role may feel like home.

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. 

INTERVIEW INTEGRITY 

At Day One, we expect each candidate to engage authentically, representing their true qualifications and experiences. As part of our screening process, we will conduct several interviews and background verification. This ensures candidates have the skills they claim and align with our values. We are excited to learn more about you and to create a genuine experience for everyone. 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS 

The salary range for this position is $215,000 - $230,000. Day One considers a range of factors when determining base compensation. These considerations mean actual compensation will vary. 

Please visit https://www.dayonebio.com/benefits to see our competitive benefits. 

DISCLAIMER 

Day One Biopharmaceuticals is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. 

We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of any applicant work visas at this time. 

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Day One Biopharmaceuticals does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Day One Biopharmaceuticals or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Day One Biopharmaceutical’s internal HR team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Day One Biopharmaceuticals, and Day One Biopharmaceuticals will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.