Project Director I, Neuroscience Discovery Research

Role Summary

The Project Director leads strategic execution of prioritized Neuroscience Discovery programs in a matrixed environment. The successful candidate will advance programs supporting neurodegeneration, movement disorders, migraine and psychiatric indications. This global role requires collaboration across sites in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Germany, with travel to interface directly with teams. The position serves as the key point of contact at the program level with decision-making authority on project strategies.

Responsibilities

• Primary responsibility is to advance understanding of project/platform through effective leadership of a matrixed, multi-disciplinary team coordinating with Discovery, Precision Medicine, Preclinical Safety, DMPK-BA, CMC, and Clinical Development counterparts.
• Drives and communicates strategy, identifies and justifies resources, solves project or platform issues.
• Represents project team in presentations at governance meetings, and in interactions with functional heads and senior management while operating in a collaborative environment that is unique to the biopharmaceutical industry.
• Accomplishes long and short-term project goals by identifying, justifying, and directing resources needed to deliver the project in coordination with functional leaders. Positions projects for early go or no-go decisions and, if the former, for seamless transition to clinical development.
• Adheres to defined timelines and manages a matrixed, multi-disciplinary team operating within delegated budget.
• Balances project/platform advocacy with responsible resource stewardship and recommends stop or redirection when appropriate. Empowers line function contributors and holds them accountable; recognizes and rewards individual and team excellence.
• Independently identifies and/or engages internal expertise to troubleshoot key issues using appropriate processes; identifies and utilizes appropriate external experts and resources to advise and advance the project. Evaluates opportunities, in partnership with functions and leaders, to expand therapeutic indications of drug candidates.
• Stays current with relevant scientific advances and competitive landscape for project target; identifies, evaluates, and champions external opportunities that may advance the program.
• Mentors matrixed staff directly and through supervisors as appropriate in behaviors, approaches, best practices, and leadership across global sites (Illinois, Massachusetts, Germany), ensuring support and needs are aligned with deliverables. Travels to provide direct mentorship and interface with teams. Holds self-accountable for performance; recognizes and rewards individual and team excellence.
• Scrutinizes platform data in an unbiased manner; ensures appropriate communication of progress across the extended project team.
• Ensure presentations of project/platform data and strategy are provided in a comprehensible and unbiased manner to a variety of audiences.
• Ensures scientific excellence across programs and platforms in a safe environment that remains in compliance with EHS rules. Responsible for compliance with applicable Corporate and Divisional Policies and procedures.
• Drive an enterprise vision with a positive “can do” attitude, hands-on, with strong analytical and organizational skills and a strategic mindset.
• Directly involved with onboarding of new project personnel

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) and 10+ years of experience in drug discovery and development environment.
• Demonstrated success operating in a matrix team environment or participating in a multidisciplinary program
• Recognized as demonstrating sufficient knowledge of all relevant disciplines to identify and facilitate timely execution of critical path activities
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with demonstrated ability to work within a team environment
• Successfully demonstrated ability to manage and influence internal and external stakeholders and resources
• Keen awareness of how programs fit into a portfolio; active in assisting therapeutic area leadership in cross portfolio activities