Senior Director, Project Management (Biotech)

Job purpose:

This is an outstanding opportunity to lead an international Project Leadership team, including Project Directors and Project Leaders and enable team members to manage and deliver quality projects on time to its clients and achieve or exceed project margins. It drives process improvement and execution quality across the Project Leadership group, customizes and drives the implementation of corporate initiatives outcomes across the entire PAREXEL business to enable it to operate efficiently and effectively and remain highly competitive.

This position will take on various roles, dependent on account requirements. These roles may include: line management; account management; and/or billable project director responsibilities.

Account management responsibilities may include providing portfolio level oversight of large, complex clinical trials or clinical trial programs for an account or a grouping of accounts. The role will ensure the project teams assigned to relevant account(s) achieve operational excellence and will take accountability for delivering projects/programs on time, to budget, to the highest quality, and in compliance with ICH GCP, ensuring we meet client expectations. This job opportunity is equipped with the responsibility for oversight of profitability of a project(s), program(s) or portfolio, the oversight of quality of project delivery in accordance with the timelines, and the development of the client teams’ relationship, as required, inclusive of client satisfaction. The Senior Director, Project Leadership, may as well contribute actively in proposal development teams, using the knowledge and experience to develop innovative plans and program architecture.This opportunity allows to work independently, requires oversight and solid leadership skills in a complex, international and at times virtual team environment.

Tasks and responsibilities mainly are:

• Departmental process improvement:Drive process improvement and execution quality across Project Leadership group and / or for specific client segmentations.Customize and drive implementation of corporate initiatives outcomes across the entire PAREXEL business to enable it to operate efficiently and effectively and remain highly competitive.
• Provide portfolio level oversight for the account(s) assigned.Independently accountable for oversight of Project Leader tasks and deliverables according to SOPs and Policies on project portfolio of assigned accounts. As required, provide oversight of development and maintenance of a formal project plan with all key milestones, budgets, and resources assigned to specific tasks and outcomes.Provide support to team / account to define metrics for reporting performance against plan.Verify with project team that all standard project systems and tools are set up correctly and functioning appropriately.Provide oversight in implementation of operational strategy as defined in the project plan and recommend changes to the plan to ensure desired results as necessary.May participate in cooperative alliances, with significant influencers at multiple levels within the client organization.
• Resolve issues in collaboration with the client and project teamProvide guidance and serve as a point of escalation for project team members within an account and the client to resolve risks impacting project deliveryIdentify best practices developed during project and share lessons learned across the organization.
• Provide oversight to initial and ongoing risk managementProvide guidance to study team inclusive of client, as necessary, to identify potential project risks and implement contingency plans, mitigate actual risks with team members and keep client informed about risks and contingencies. As needed, be point of escalation with client as risks/mitigations arise and require resolution.
• Oversee and ensure first time quality on the project deliverablesProvide input into Account Quality agreement as required; provide oversight and support to PDs/PLs on quality standards for the project that drive team commitment to quality.Monitor quality of deliverables, key metrics, and support implementation of corrective and preventative action as needed. May develop or contribute to the development of account-specific training curricula and produce associated documentation such as handbook/operating manual/guidance as well as development of the description of services specific to the account.
• Develop and manage the client relationship, as neededOwns the client relationship for the assigned portfolio from a delivery perspective and is responsible for client communication in an oversight role ensuring high client satisfaction.When needed as a point of escalation, support the PD/PL in reinforcing PAREXEL’s processes and contractual scope.Leverage existing client relationship and/or knowledge by providing input into proposals (support new business opportunities).Seeks out opportunities and collaborates with the commercial organization to leverage the relationship for future sales.Establish channels and standards of communication among all key stakeholders that support timely and efficient delivery of the information required for the effective completion of the project.Actively seek support in managing disagreements and communicating concerns.Provide necessary escalation path for issue resolution within PAREXEL at leadership level and with the client as necessary.Pro-active approach to supporting PL/PDs in providing solution set for clients in a timely manner.
• Understand and own the portfolio/account P&LFrom an account management perspective, understand the client and their needs (delivery, reporting, financial). Provide oversight to the team to manage their portfolio / account(s) according to budget with revenue recognition and forecasting, including resource management, timely invoicing and managing Change in Scope (CIS).As needed, negotiate service terms, change in scopes and invoicing requirements with client counterpart and support PL/PDs to develop “what if” scenarios to enable pro­active decisions and solutions at project/program level
• Manage the cross-functional project teamEnable all stakeholders to achieve successful study completion while maintaining high client satisfaction.Provide oversight to team goals, inspire individual ownership, and establish processes to support project result accountability.Collaborate with department directors as needed to resolve project team delivery issues.In overseeing client portfolio or program, the Senior Director, Project Leadership will ensure consistency of the tasks performed by PLs/PDs on the different projects/programs within the account(s).

The ideal set of skills and experience for this opportunity are:

• Ability to create a sense of urgency and take a proactive, solutions-based approach
• Budget management/financial acumen and capitalize on the diverse background and viewpoints to increase the productivity of the CDU.
• Highly Accountable
• Excellent knowledge of all operational and regulatory aspects of clinical research
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills with a deep understanding of communication across cultures and ability to communicate effectively with clients.
• Leverages communication across boundaries and uses multiple communication mechanisms to convey information across functional lines and upward within PAREXEL.
• Understands and uses positional authority to deliver messages effectively.
• Critical thinking & Problem Solving
• Conflict Management
• Client focused and demonstrates an ability to create and maintain trust with the client through account and personal interactions; act as a trusted advisor and become involved in the client’s decision-making process.
• Strategic Thinking
• A flexible attitude with respect to assignments and new learning; leading by example.
• Ability to adopt and work according to 'high performance culture (HPC) principles' and to ensure apparent implementation of these values in project/program team(s)
• Ability to inspire cross-functional teams to collaborate and demonstrate ONE PAREXEL approach
• Ability to manage multiple and varied tasks with enthusiasm and prioritize workload with attention to detail
• Ability to thrive in a matrix environment and to value the importance of teamwork
• Expert understanding of all aspects of project life-cycle and consulting of this expertise
• Contingency Planning & Risk Management
• Ability to work independently, with minimal guidance in only the most complex situations and knows when to call on senior management for involvement in communicating to client executives after assessing the organizational implications.
• Sophisticated analytical thought to define and resolve issues in a variety of complex situations
• People Management and Influential skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Power Point, and Word, and project planning software
• Ability to become proficient with PAREXEL systems
• Familiarity with standard business and eClinical systems used in Clinical Research such as CTMS, EDC, IXRS, TMF and project planning tools
• Expert in ICH GCP regulations in relevant geographies
• Solid clinical knowledge and expert understanding of clinical research and protocol design
• Competencies aligned to Project Leadership Job Models for: Project Planning; Project Execution; Project Fulfillment; Financial Management; Risk Management; Quality Management; Team Leadership; Communication and Relationship Management

The knowledge and professional experience required are:

• Strong command of written and spoken English language, local language proficiency as required
• Proven substantial superior project management experience in healthcare, clinical research, or contract research organization
• Proven track record of developing client relationships at program and account levels
• Proven substantial leadership and line management experience across countries
• Different trial phase experience (including phases I-IV) is desirable.
• Strong command of written and spoken English language, local language proficiency as required
• Proven substantial superior project management experience in healthcare, clinical research, or contract research organization
• Proven track record of developing client relationships at program and account levels
• Proven substantial leadership and line management experience across countries
• Trial phase experience (including phases I-IV) is mandatory.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in a science/medical related field and an advanced degree are highly desirable.
• PMP or equivalent strongly recommended.