Associate Director, Project Management Business Operations

Role Summary

Associate Director, Project Management Business Operations located in Raritan, NJ; Titusville, NJ; or Spring House, PA. Hybrid position and requires onsite 3 days a week. This role leads optimization projects within global R&D to transform operations, drive down development costs, and improve efficiency through strong project management and strategic leadership.

Responsibilities

• Project management: You will work closely with SBO directors and Sr directors to oversee various initiatives within R&D, ensuring they are executed successfully and within timelines. This includes coordinating with cross-functional teams, tracking progress, and managing risks or issues.
• Operations Strategy: Develop and implement strategic plans to optimize business operations, identify areas for improvement, streamline processes, and maximize operational efficiency. Support governance for SBO, create standardized portfolio prioritization framework and stage-gate process, and define/monitor/analyze KPIs with regular reporting.
• Stakeholder Management: Interact with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment, build relationships, manage expectations, and communicate project updates effectively.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify bottlenecks, implement best practices, and drive a culture of continuous improvement to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in R&D operations.
• Communication: Foster open communication and collaboration, creating an environment where ideas can be shared freely to support continuous improvement.
• People Leadership: Inspire, guide, and develop individuals and teams, fostering a positive work culture and collaboration, growth, and engagement.

Qualifications

• Required: A bachelor’s degree, preferably in Life Sciences or Engineering
• Required: 8-15 years in project management/leadership in a pharmaceutical environment (preferred R&D)
• Required: Highly organized and able to work independently
• Required: Strong influencing skills and ability to build relationships across functional areas
• Required: Ability to negotiate through complex and difficult decision-making processes
• Required: Goal-oriented and strategic thinker
• Required: Problem-solving skills
• Required: Ability to cope with tight timelines
• Required: People management in a matrix organization
• Required: Travel up to 10%, domestic and possibly international

• Preferred: PMP Project Management, Process Excellence, or equivalent training/certification

Skills

• Business Planning
• Competitive Landscape Analysis
• Corporate Management
• Customer Intelligence
• Design Mindset
• Developing Others
• Inclusive Leadership
• Industry Analysis
• Interdisciplinary Work
• Leadership
• Market Savvy
• Operational Excellence
• Product Development
• Product Development Lifecycle
• Qualitative Research
• Research and Development
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Team Management