Associate Director, Research Portfolio Project Manager

Job Description

Position Summary:

The Associate Director, Research Portfolio Project Management will partner with Research Project Director, to develop strategy, build and ensure aligned execution plans and drive the cross-functional execution of the plans.

Research projects include highly visible toxin research projects in the lead optimization to candidate selection stages.

The Associate Director, Research Portfolio Project Management is the operational leader of the assigned research assets and team. The Research PPM is deeply involved in research projects supporting functional team members with project management capabilities and expertise, building on their research experience to support and challenge team members. Ability to guide teams to align operational plans, proactively identify potential hurdles, and lead risk management assessments.

The Research Portfolio Project Manager will manage and drive timelines, proactively identify issues and generate solutions. Ensure prioritization to enable adequate focus and resources to highest priority activities. Manages team meetings, ensures effective meetings through clear agendas, meeting minutes, action items and strong follow up.

The Research Portfolio Project Manager is flexible and adaptable to changing priorities and is an excellent communicator with both research and science partners as well as management stakeholders. The Research Portfolio Project Manager will support interaction with Senior-level R&D Management as well as the Executive R&D Leadership Team when needed.

This position requires a firm foundation of experience in the pharmaceutical research and a thorough understanding and foundation of project management techniques. Superior team skills and ability to communicate to a wide range of stakeholders.

Project Strategy And Planning

The Associate Director, Research Portfolio Project Management is a strategic partner to the Research Project Director

In partnership with Research Project Director develops the team strategy, ensures aligned execution plans and drives the execution of the strategy across multiple research projects.

Develop, monitor, and control the research project cross-functional plans, ensuring cross-functional alignment.

At each research stage transition, partner with Research Project Director to gain approval from the governance bodies.

Evaluate, monitor, and control research project risks.

Identify, actively manage, and resolve project issues, providing scenario analysis and mitigation plans.

Align portfolio and project goals/deliverables across functional areas to manage workload across functions.

Project Execution

Support the cross functional teams to execute the research projects on time per agreed to milestones/timelines and within budget.

Accountable for the assigned research portfolio timelines and project timelines

Act proactively and assertively to ensure team members meet their commitments as planned, and work to the appropriate standards.

Drive overall team effectiveness

Meeting Facilitation

Manage the cross functional project team operational activities to ensure milestones and goals are met.

Schedule cross functional project team and other relevant meetings.

Manage effective and efficient project team meetings, scheduling, clear agendas and meeting minutes capturing action items and decisions.

Communication

Ensure management decisions are shared with cross functional project team in a timely manner.

Monitor and record progress of assigned portfolio and project activities, milestones and forecasts and periodically report status to management.

Foster and maintain open communication with and between project teams and sub-team members.

Issue Resolution

Actively respond to project risks, mitigate, prevent and/or resolve potential risks or issues.

Identify issues with team needing resolution with management or Governance Board.

Decision Analysis

Define with the teams the appropriate key decision points and go/no go criteria.

Provide decision analysis expertise and tools to the project teams in strategic planning and operational execution, ensure timely and well-informed decision making.