Director, Project Management

Job Title: Director, Project Management

Job Number: 36054

Location: Cambridge, MA

Job Description

Our client is at the forefront of pioneering mRNA-based therapeutics, leading the charge in developing next-generation medicines to address unmet medical needs. Their innovative approach harnesses the power of messenger RNA to revolutionize the treatment landscape across various disease areas. As they continue to advance groundbreaking research, they are seeking a Director to join their dynamic team. This position will partner with the Research Team Leader(s) to co-lead in the planning and execution of corporate development goals.

Responsibilities

● Lead and manage assigned drug discovery and/or development projects.
● Create and maintain project development plans and will ensure continuous alignment of development and business strategies between executive management, Research Leadership, and line function participants.
● Work with the Senior Director, Program Team Leader to develop and optimize overall research and development timelines including resource planning (FTE, externals costs, outsourcing etc.).
● Apply project management and technical expertise to monitor critical path timelines and resources.
● Inform key stakeholders of status, issues, problems, and proposed solutions and execute effective and timely communication to line functions and senior management, and proactively communicate issues and concerns providing transparency with key stakeholders.
● Maintain research project documents on SharePoint/MS Teams, for access by the team; defining key project activities, generating and keeping timelines, setting meeting agendas and generating minutes, following up on action items, forming sub-teams, as needed to resolve issues, and working with finance/functional leads on the overall program budget, managing research outsourcing.Facilitate team development and management of Risk Mitigation Plan.
● Ensure functions are tracking to key deliverable and milestone.
● Advocate and drive for overall project execution quality – Propose, facilitate and implement plans to resolve issues and execute corrective actions.
● Facilitate team meetings in collaboration with the Research Team Leader(s) develop meeting agendas, issue meeting minutes, and track action items to completion with cross-functional leads.
● Collaborate with the Team Leader(s) to ensure all team members read, understand and execute their roles according to the Research Governance.
● Collaborate with Finance to assure that the team’s financial needs are accounted for in the overall budget and are tracking against spend projections.
● Assist with the development of Scientific Advisory Board, Corporate and Investor slide decks. Checking that the team’s activities, progress and risks are accurately presented to the BOD and outside.
● Demonstrate excellent leadership skills to tactfully influence individuals at all levels of the organization.

Required Skills

● Minimum of BS/BA in the Sciences required with MS or PhD preferred
● 8+ years of relevant experience in biotech or pharma industries, with prior exposure to gene-therapy or gene-editing preferred
● 6+ years of direct experience managing projects within the continuum of Discovery to IND submission
● Working knowledge of drug development process with experience in regulatory submissions a plus
● Proven ability to manage timelines, budget and forecasts
● Excellent communication and presentation skills, ability to influence decisions outside of direct reporting structure, agility to manage and access change in a fast-paced environment
● Experience in standard project management tools (Word, PowerPoint, Project, Excel)
● Ability to navigate and build strong working relationships across various functions and personality types
● Must be able to work on-site Monday – Friday