Senior Project Manager – Drug/Vaccine Development/Project Manager – MRL only - SPMDVDPM

Job Title:  Senior Project Manager – Drug/Vaccine Development/Project Manager – MRL only
Location:  Rahway, NJ 07065
Duration:  06 Months with a possibility of extension.
 
Global Project and Alliance Management is part of the Client Research Laboratories (MRL) organization. This effort will enhance the early and late development activities from discovery through commercialization, lifecycle management, and project closure. The program will directly support closeout activities for both early and late-stage workstreams. The ultimate goal of these closeouts is to consolidate and optimize the GPAM drug development portfolio which will enable support of new technical development projects.

Responsibilities:

• Independently manage development projects of any type, including those that require experience with drug/vaccine/biologics development, the Client organization, and Client processes and procedures related to development teams due to their significant importance to the company or complexity.
• Must be able to support any type of project, irrespective of phase, therapeutic area, priority, or involvement with an alliance partner.
• Develop project milestones and deliverables; prepare reports that summarize key progress and issues on development programs across departments and divisions, including preparation of background documents and presentations to senior management.
• Guide teams through the effective development, management approval, and execution of strategic plans for assigned projects; this includes ensuring risk management plans are fully developed, contracts are agreed upon and adhered to, change control procedures are followed when significant program deviations are encountered, communications within and external to the team are effective, and approved team resources and budgets are appropriately planned and managed.
• Ensure project data are accurately reported in databases and understood by development team members, including information used to derive costs, schedules, resources, and any other data pertinent to the creation and management of project plans.
• Apply learnings from assignments on prior teams/projects to new projects and effectively guide teams in areas of developed expertise.
• Ensure that team meetings have structure and clear purposes and goals; facilitate and drive meetings effectively and communicate decisions and action items to team members and relevant parties outside of the team.
• Monitor team dynamics regularly to ensure optimal team performance.
• Take action to correct problems within a team stemming from miscommunication, differences of opinion, misaligned objectives, inexperience, etc. Resolve conflicts and issues within teams.
• Monitor processes and ensure that those responsible are informed of their effectiveness; advocate for and contribute to the success of change/process improvements when warranted.
• As appropriate, maybe the assigned GPM representative on key management committees / teams.
• May manage and/or administer strategic management or governance committees.

Provide significant input into the evaluation and revision of processes and tools used to support the meetings, as appropriate Business Process Improvements / PM Talent Development:
Ensure that GPM-owned; managed or affiliated processes are evaluated, and feedback is provided to process owners regularly.

• Establish good networks with a wide variety of employees, as appropriate for the given project, to assist with the implementation of change management plans.
• Provide mentoring and technical oversight to Senior Specialists / Specialists working on common projects.
• Take relevant training courses to increase knowledge of the discipline of project management and understanding of product development in the pharmaceutical industry and to improve leadership skills.

Qualifications

Education:

• A bachelor's degree required with a concentration in a scientific-related discipline is strongly preferred.
• Advanced scientific degree (e.g., MS, PharmD, Ph.D.) preferred.
• Project Management certification/training (PMP) and/or coursework & training in Project Management preferred.

Software:

• MS Project
• MS Project server

Experience and Skills:

• Five to ten (5-10) years of experience in PM or related role/expertise in pharma and/or biotech preferred.
• Significant product development experience, preferably in the pharmaceutical/ biotech industry.
• Five to ten (5-10) years of experience managing complex Development programs in early or late-stage development with an ability to drive a product development strategy and execution of program forward partnering with the program lead.
• Specialized depth of expertise in own discipline and knowledge of other disciplines.
• Demonstrated development expertise in at least one therapeutic area.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and accomplish goals in team settings.
• Experience in leading teams, committees, or task forces preferred.
• Ability to quickly gain an understanding of the overall drug/vaccine development process and key functions involved.
• Ability to relate project details to larger divisional/corporate strategies to provide context to teams.
• Effective interpersonal skills; able to establish good working relationships and collaborate with networks of employees of all levels; able to foster cooperation with others; creative problem-solver.

An effective communicator:

• Demonstrated accomplishment and skill in oral and written communication.
• Knows when and how to speak up and appropriately raise issues with the team and management.
• Keeps both team members, departmental colleagues (as appropriate), and management fully apprised of project/initiative status and issues.
• Speaks up and contributes to team forums.
• Demonstrated leadership and credibility: diplomatic, decisive, straightforward, and honest.
• Ability to delegate work effectively and hold others accountable for deliverables.