Senior Manager Project Management

We are looking for a Senior Manager, Project Management to lead a client portfolio delivery function for our CDMO client. Reporting to the Senior Director of Project Management, you will own the end-to-end health of a major client portfolio, lead and develop a team of project managers at varying career stages, and serve as the primary point of accountability at both working and executive level.

The role exists because the team has grown rapidly and the organisation is now building a leadership layer for accounts of of atypical scale and complexity.

Please note this role will require someone to be in the office around 4 days a week.

Job Responsibilities

• Take accountability for a complex, multi-programme client portfolio.
• Setting clear direction for the PM team, defining what success looks like across each workstream, and ensuring delivery commitments are tracked and met.
• Build, lead, and develop a project management team at varying levels of seniority, from early-career PMs through to experienced senior practitioners with a genuine focus on capability growth, honest feedback, and high performance.
• Own the governance infrastructure for the account: prepare and chair client steering forums, maintain a consolidated view of programme status, risks, and decisions, and ensure executive stakeholders on both sides have what they need to act.
• Get ahead of problems rather than react to them - identifying risks early, working through mitigation options with the right people, and making sure every issue has a clear owner and a timeline attached.
• Work across functions - manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Technical Services - to keep programmes moving, resolve blockers, and make things happen in an organisation where initiative matters more than hierarchy.
• Keep a close eye on PM team capacity relative to portfolio demand, flag resourcing constraints before they become delivery risks, and feed into hiring decisions when the workload requires it.
• Raise the standard of how project management is practised across the team — refining tools, embedding consistent ways of working, and making delivery more predictable over time

Key Requirements

Essential:

• Minimum eight years of biotech or pharmaceutical industry experience with progressive project management responsibility. Ideally this will be within a pharma services environment.
• Hands-on familiarity with aseptic manufacturing, technology transfer, and GMP regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated experience leading and formally developing project management professionals, including performance management.
• Advanced proficiency in project management tools and Gantt-based planning, with the ability to build, critique, and coach others.
• Proven ownership of senior-level client relationships, including escalation management and executive-level communication as an individual accountability.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including presentation to senior leadership and external customers.

Preferred:

• PMP or PgMP certification, or a clear commitment to obtaining it
• Familiarity with FDA, EMA, and regulatory requirements for sterile injectable products
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field

Please note: if you are not contacted within 14 days of applying, you have not been successful in your application. We appreciate your time taken to apply and wish you the best of luck in your job search