Associate Director, R&D Project Management - Resource and Schedule Lead

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Continuous Improvement

• Build and lead the R&D Resource and Schedule Management capabilities, defining its mission, governance structure, and operating model to ensure alignment with organizational goals
• Define and evolve the resource capacity and schedule management strategy for R&D, aligned to portfolio governance and delivery priorities
• Establish and maintain an operating model for capacity, demand & scheduling, including roles and processes
• Drive adoption of standard definitions (e.g., FTE, capacity, demand, baseline vs. forecast schedule, critical path) and reporting conventions
• Proactively flag gaps and quantify impact (timelines, cost, risk, quality, compliance) and develop options and scenarios (e.g., reallocation, sequencing, scope adjustments, externalization, hiring, temporary augmentation) and recommend paths forward
• Produce actionable dashboards and insights (monthly/quarterly) for R&D leadership including capacity vs. demand by function/program/stage; schedule health and milestone predictability; resource-driven critical path risks; scenario comparisons and trade-offs
• Escalate issues constructively with clear evidence and proposed solutions
• Partner with PMO, Portfolio Oversight, Finance, HR, and functional leadership to integrate capacity and schedule insights into portfolio and execution decisions
• Develop and deliver training for PMs and people managers on resource planning and demand entry; schedule building and maintenance (baseline/forecast); best practices for dependencies, critical path, and scenario planning; tool usage and reporting expectations, and reinforce consistent ways of working
• Facilitate alignment workshops to resolve resourcing conflicts and schedule trade-offs

Resource Capacity Management

• Develop, implement maintain standardized frameworks for capacity forecasting, scenario planning, and resource allocation, ensuring that resources are aligned with portfolio priorities and timelines
• Review and analyze resource data to identify capacity shortfalls, over-allocations, and bottlenecks; misalignment between portfolio priorities and staffing; key roles/skills constraints and upcoming capacity constraints leveraging data analytics and digital tools to generate insights that inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement in resource management
• Partner with functional leaders and people managers across R&D to align capacity planning efforts with portfolio priorities, ensuring optimal resource utilization
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to enhance visibility into resource utilization, identify bottlenecks, and drive process improvements across R&D functions
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and dashboards to monitor capacity health and resource performance across R&D functions
• Collaborate with enterprise functions (e.g. HR, Finance) to provide thought leadership on workforce planning, talent strategy, and operational scalability, helping R&D teams optimize resource allocation and meet evolving demands

Work Environment

This is a hybrid position based onsite at any of the posted locations with a minimum of 3 days onsite weekly. Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship are not provided.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, Business, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in R&D operations, capacity/resource management, or strategic planning
• Proven experience in leading enterprise-wide or global Centers of Excellence (CoEs) or transformation initiatives
• Strong analytical and systems thinking skills, with familiarity using tools like Planisware, Anaplan, Clarity or similar resource management and scheduling platforms
• Proven excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to drive alignment and influence across global teams