Director, Project Management

A brief overview

The Director, Project Management provides strategic leadership and direction for the Project Management department at Bachem's Torrance site and represents the broader Bachem Americas Project Management organization with internal and external stakeholders. In a matrix environment, this role collaborates closely with the Project Management team in Vista to promote alignment, consistency, and operational excellence across the organization.

The Director leads Project Management activities and drives the continuous improvement of business processes, systems, and tools to enhance organizational effectiveness. This position is responsible for developing the department, strengthening Project Management capabilities, and optimizing interactions with customers and internal stakeholders. Through effective leadership and cross-functional collaboration, the Director ensures that Project Management activities support Bachem's business objectives while consistently meeting customer needs.

What you will do

• Provide leadership to a project management team at Bachem Americas Torrance
• Act as the voice of customer projects in the Bachem Americas Leadership Team
• Direct the delivery of customer facing projects within cost, time and quality requirements when assigned as CMC lead
• Establish and maintain a high level of departmental services for both internal organization and external customers
• Work with functional leadership of stakeholders to ensure successful execution of contractual commitments
• Represent the department in support of developing and attracting new business in collaboration with Business Development
• Work with direct reports to develop, gain approval, and execute on the project strategy ensuring the customers and internal stakeholder commitments are met
• Plan and control the departmental budget
• Anticipate and identify complex issues which pose a challenge to achieving strategic goals; propose and implement plans to resolve such issues and execute corrective actions
• Develop the organization to meet future business needs for both internal and external customers
• In close collaboration with the Global Project Management team, develop and maintain project management systems, tools and processes fit for a global project management organization
• Develop and implement continuous improvement and optimization initiatives across the department
• Work with team members to develop and achieve short term and long term personal and organizational goals
• Develop employees according to their strengths and the requirements of the organization
• Model Bachem leadership principles in leading and developing the department
• Perform other duties, as required

Qualifications

• BS or MS degree in life sciences, physical sciences, engineering or related scientific discipline (MBA/PhD preferred)
• 10+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or CDMO industry with at least 5 years of experience in leading teams (line and matrix management) in a cross-functional setting
• 3+ years managing a team of project management professionals, or equivalent combination of education and experience in R&D, QC, or manufacturing in a customer-facing setting
• 5-10 years' experience as a project leader
• Experience with PM, CRM and ERP software is a plus
• Strong leadership skills with ability to translate strategy into action
• Demonstrated direct line management responsibilities and leading of cross-functional teams
• Expertise in developing and managing project plans including scope, deliverables, schedules, risks and resource requirements
• Demonstrated ability to take accountability and empower individuals and teams to make effective decisions aligned with organizational and customer objectives
• Experience in negotiating contracts with third parties
• Ability to develop and mentor effective teams
• Demonstrated ability to help teams anticipate, plan and adapt to an evolving environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively interact with all levels within the company and Bachem customers
• Demonstrated ability to effectively organize, multitask, and work in a fast-paced, deadline driven work environment
• Excellent understanding of project management principles and business processes
• Strong time management, planning and organizational skills
• Ability to travel approximately 20% of the time, including international travel
• Advanced knowledge and demonstrated capabilities in Microsoft Project, Word, Excel and other reporting and tracking tools
• In-depth knowledge of peptide or oligonucleotide process development and manufacturing