Senior Pharmaceutical Project Manager

Description

The company works on smart, healthy and sustainable buildings for clients across many industries and countries.

This senior role leads validated environment and laboratory construction programs, such as cleanrooms, biosafety cabinets, containment suites, biocontainment labs and related utilities, across a campus or several sites.

You report to the Project Executive and work as a strategic partner to Engineering, QA/Validation, Delivery, sponsors and regional leadership, running complex, high-value work within a validated-state framework.

The role carries program-level responsibility for compliance, financial performance, risk and mentoring junior project staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, high-value validated environment projects and programs across sites from planning to closure, making sure IQ/OQ/PQ, equipment qualification, data integrity and regulatory expectations are met.
• Act as the senior day-to-day project lead, directing owners, architects, engineers, QA/validation staff, contractors and vendors toward program goals within validated-state limits, often across concurrent projects.
• With the Project Executive, set and own scope, schedule and budget baselines, catch deviations early, and drive corrective actions while keeping schedule pace and protecting quality and compliance.
• Own validation strategy and documents, including validation plans, commissioning and qualification activities and related records, in line with corporate validation policy, and keep improving validation practice.
• Identify, assess and reduce program-level risks to deliverables, schedule, budget, data integrity and compliance; lead escalation and resolution and propose fixes.
• Give the Project Executive and senior leadership executive-level reporting on schedule, budget, risk, QA/validation progress and regulatory readiness.
• Manage change orders, delays, procurement and contract administration against validated baselines and contract terms. Keep logs and documents updated at least weekly under the company's documentation standards, and audit junior PMs' documentation as needed.
• Set and enforce documentation controls that meet contract, QA and regulatory standards, covering validation protocols, IQ/OQ/PQ records, SOP alignment and QA approvals, and act as the main contact for regulatory inspections.
• Lead continuous improvement in validation workflows, data integrity and delivery quality across projects and teams to raise client satisfaction.
• Build senior relationships with sponsors and stakeholders and advise them on validated-environment delivery, compliance and risk.
• Manage vendor and subcontractor performance, including selection, negotiation and performance management, to keep work on schedule and aligned with strategy.
• Own financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, progress billings and payables, against baselines and profit targets.
• Lead preparation for regulatory inspections and audits, ensuring documentation, traceability and inspection readiness.
• Build a safe, compliant and collaborative environment, and mentor, train and guide project managers, coordinators and junior staff.

Requirements

• Required: bachelor's degree in construction, civil, mechanical or electrical engineering, construction management, business management, architecture or a related field.
• Required: 10-15+ years of direct project management on large capital projects, including significant regulated or validated work, typically $20-50M+ in size, with portfolio or program responsibility expected.
• Required: proven independent delivery of complex multi-site programs in validated environments (GMP, GLP, ISO 17025) in labs, biopharma, pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical devices, healthcare or related sectors.
• Required: strong grasp of contract language, project accounting, and portfolio and program management in validated environments.
• Required: excellent communication and influence skills, with a record of presenting to senior leaders, executive sponsors and varied stakeholders and handling complex organizational dynamics.
• Required: experience leading cross-functional teams in regulated settings, including mentoring junior project managers.
• Required: advanced skill with Primavera P6, MS Project and reporting platforms, plus advanced MS Office skills to build executive dashboards and presentations.
• Required: deep working knowledge of validation concepts, commissioning and qualification, data integrity practice and regulatory expectations for validated facilities.
• Required: a track record of building and keeping strategic relationships with stakeholders, sponsors and subcontractors in validated environments.
• Required: willingness to travel and work across several sites as needed, balancing competing priorities across a program.
• Preferred: master's degree.
• Preferred: PMP or equivalent; advanced certification such as PgMP or similar is a plus.
• Preferred: CQV certification or extensive hands-on CQV experience; strong CSV expertise; deep familiarity with FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11 and related regulatory frameworks.
• Preferred: extensive experience delivering validated environments such as GMP/GLP labs, ISO 14644 cleanrooms and ISO 17025 laboratories across multiple project types.
• Preferred: experience on programs in datacenter-adjacent facilities with stringent validation requirements.
• Preferred: a track record of leading continuous improvement for validation processes and data integrity across a portfolio, with measurable impact.
• Preferred: experience mentoring or formally supervising project managers or project leads.

Conditions

Reports to the Project Executive and supervises and mentors project managers, coordinators and junior team members, with possible indirect oversight of project staff across a multi-project portfolio.

Salary range is $130,000 to $165,000, set by education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, internal equity, location and market data.

Bonus plan that reflects individual, group and corporate performance.

Competitive benefits package; full details are on the About Us tab of the company's careers site.

Travel and work across multiple sites as needed.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and a comprehensive bonus program.
• Three weeks paid vacation per calendar year, plus holidays, sick time and three PTO days per calendar year.
• 401K, medical, dental and vision care, available from day one.
• Product and on-the-job and cross-training opportunities.
• Encouraging, collaborative team environment.
• Commitment to safety under the company's Zero Harm policy.
• Scheduling and management support.
• Employee discount programs through a perks platform.