Director, Pipeline Project Management - Vaccines

Pipeline Project Management drives decisions and enables teams to choose the best path and deliver medicines to patients faster than ever.

In GSK, the Pipeline Project Manager (PPM) will act as the ‘COO’ of the asset and will partner with project leads to help teams plot the best course, then accelerate through complexity and uncertainty with no compromise to quality or safety.

Pipeline Project Managers compose a community of drug/vaccine development and commercialization experts applying industry-leading project management practices to plan and deliver pipeline projects with industry-leading performance:

• Apply a holistic perspective and broad knowledge of drug/vaccine development to help Research and Development teams test ideas and optimize the strategy.
• Empower teams to challenge convention, manage uncertainty, and accelerate delivery of critical milestones.
• Continuously assess progress and clear the way for uninterrupted focus on the critical path.
• Build high-performing teams by cultivating trust and outcomes-focused ways of working.
• Share learnings and proven practices across PPM so that we learn and grow as an organization.

The PPM can also operate at program level, as when (for example) a franchise or disease-area team oversees multiple projects under the umbrella of a single program strategy.

The Director brings significant experience and demonstrates success managing R&D pipeline projects within a complex life sciences organization. The Director can independently manage multiple projects and is considered a strategic thought partner to the project team leader in defining and delivering project goals by applying expertise in varying PM methodologies. 

The Director PPM leads the creation, optimization, and execution of ambitious plans with accountability for all asset/workstream PPM deliverables.  The Director leads the application of established project management approaches and resources and influences the development of new capabilities.  The Director may lead Associate Director PPMs and/or flexible service providers, with or without a formal reporting relationship.

Key Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

• Oversee projects deliverables and guide strategy and governance preparation for direct reports (if appropriate) to ensure outcomes consistent with PPM expectations.
• Facilitate and/or contribute to asset strategy and evidence strategy, and lead development of the integrated project plan to ensure feasibility and alignment with TA strategy, prioritization, and pipeline performance objectives.
• Own the single integrated plan that builds team commitment to shared goals with schedules and budgets based on clear dependencies and assumptions.
• Lead options planning, generate recommendations, alternatives, and trade-offs to strengthen decision-making and optimize the project strategy.
• Leads team preparation for governance decisions and owns schedule, risk, and budget inputs.
• Identify opportunities to accelerate by challenging constraints that impact critical path and near-critical path activities.
• Orchestrate seamless handoffs with focus on the critical path through proactive project plan monitoring, risk management, and cross-functional management of project issues with timely escalation to leadership as required.
• Ensure rigor, consistency, and compliance in established systems to drive timely, high-quality data and reporting in and across projects.
• Build trusting relationships with the team and stakeholders to encourage transparency and collaboration.
• Use strong facilitation skills to lead regular project team meetings and apply consistent best practice for meeting agendas, actions, minutes, and other meeting documentation.
• Establish and sustain agreed-upon ways of working for effective team communication, decisions, and conflict resolution.
• Actively promote GSK’s Code and values.  Seek diverse perspectives, cultivate psychological safety, and ensure that all relevant voices are heard to strengthen outcomes and foster broad commitment.  Work on any assignment as directed.

Why you? 

Basic Qualifications:  

We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:

• Bachelor’s degree (equivalent) in life science or business management or related.
• Considerable experience of project management experience in a matrix team environment in pharmaceutical R&D or related industry.
• Deep drug development and organizational knowledge/experience to validate the operational feasibility, challenge project team assumptions, and prompt subject matter experts to consider the impact of portfolio strategy and external landscape (regulatory, commercial, and competitive).
• Extensive experience building and maintaining high-quality project plans, budget and resource forecasts, and project management documentation (key assumptions, risks, etc.).   
• Extensive experience guiding teams to develop recommendations and options inclusive of benefit, cost, and risk trade-offs to realize the project strategy.
• Extensive experience preparing for governance interactions to enable funding, resourcing, and strategic and operational project decisions.
• Extensive experience facilitating and documenting effective project team meetings. Experience leading or contributing to organizational project management capabilities and PM-related improvement initiatives as needed.
• Demonstrated experience proactively collaborating with a wide variety of project, functional, and leadership stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and strengthen collaborative relationships with matrixed team members across teams, sub-teams, and functions.
• Background in multi-disciplinary pharmaceutical vaccine development and infectious disease.

Preferred Qualifications:  

If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus: 

• Project or Program Management Professional (PMP) Qualification.
• Experience with Planisware, MS Projects, and/or other recognized Project Management tools.
• Experience of leading or partnering with project leaders to establish and sustain a high-performance team environment.

Closing Date for Applications: 9th October 2024 (EOB)

Please take a copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available post closure of the advert. When applying for this role, please use the ‘cover letter’ of the online application or your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role, as outlined in the job requirements above. The information that you have provided in your cover letter and CV will be used to assess your application.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. We prevent and treat disease with vaccines, specialty and general medicines. We focus on the science of the immune system and the use of new platform and data technologies, investing in four core therapeutic areas (infectious diseases, HIV, respiratory/ immunology and oncology).

Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves – feeling welcome, valued, and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are open to all talent. In the US, we also adhere to Affirmative Action principles. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to neurodiversity, race/ethnicity, colour, national origin, religion, gender, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, disability, genetic information, military service, covered/protected veteran status or any other federal, state or local protected class*(*US only).

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on [email protected] or 0808 234 4391. 

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