Associate Director, Project Management Office (PMO)

Position Summary

The Associate Director, Project Management Office (PMO) will play a key leadership role in advancing the growth and evolution of the Syracuse Bio Campus PMO organization. This role is responsible for ensuring project delivery excellence across client programs and internal initiatives, establishing and embedding project management best practices, and fostering consistent execution across teams.  This role will also drive operational alignment across Manufacturing Operations, Development (MS&T, PD, AS&T), Quality, Supply Chain, and Business Development to enable successful delivery of strategic and operations priorities.

As a key leader within the Global PMO network, this individual will serve as a strategic business partner to site leadership and a trusted liaison for clients, ensuring transparency, accountability, and exceptional execution across the project lifecycle. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in biologics and CDMO operations, strong business acumen, and hands-on leadership in technical transfer, cGMP operations, and stakeholder management.

Duties & Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Provide experience-based mentorship and guidance to a team of project managers responsible for client and internal project execution at the Syracuse Bio Campus.
• Lead strategic/complex client-facing projects, including strategic partnerships to provide CDMO End-to-End services for clients.
• Partner with the VP, Global PMO to align site PMO goals with global project governance, reporting standards, and best practices.
• Establish PMO frameworks, processes, and metrics that ensure consistency, visibility, and predictability of project outcomes.
• Serve as a key PMO liaison for client executives, internal leadership, and cross-functional project sponsors.

Project Oversight & Governance

• Oversee execution of assigned client projects — from initiation through closeout — ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Ensure risk management processes are embedded within project execution and that escalation pathways are well-defined and utilized.
• Lead project governance reviews and portfolio-level reporting to site and global leadership.
• Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned, KPI tracking, and implementation of global PMO initiatives.

Client Relationship Management

• Act as a senior point of contact for strategic or high-priority client accounts.
• Oversee client communication, project scope definition, change order management, and performance reporting.
• Partner with Business Development, Development, and Operations to support seamless technical transfers, change controls, and business growth opportunities.

Financial & Operational Accountability

• Manage PMO budgets and oversee financial performance of client programs, ensuring accurate forecasting, invoicing, and cost control.
• Provide visibility to project financials, risks, and milestones to internal stakeholders and senior management.
• Support strategic capacity and resource planning to optimize workload distribution and ensure timely delivery of commitments.

People & Culture

• Contribute to and influence the development and sustainability of a high-performing PMO team culture centered on accountability, collaboration, and client service excellence.
• Mentor and coach project managers to strengthen leadership, communication, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Promote diversity, inclusion, and continuous professional development within the PMO team.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related technical field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in the CDMO industry, with a strong background leading complex cGMP or technical transfer projects.
• At least 5 years of project management experience, including demonstrated success guiding cross-functional teams and implementing project governance and performance standards.
• Demonstrated success managing complex cGMP manufacturing or technical transfer projects in a contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) environment.
• Proven track record implementing or enhancing PMO frameworks, governance processes, and performance metrics.
• PMP (Project Management Professional), PgMP (Program Management Professional), or equivalent project management certification strongly preferred.
• Experience managing client relationships at a strategic level.
• Proven ability to influence, mentor and align teams in a matrix environment.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Expert knowledge of biopharma project management methodologies, risk management, and stage-gate governance.
• Strong understanding of biologics manufacturing processes, analytical and process technical transfer, and regulatory requirements in a GxP environment.
• Strong understanding of CDMO financials, including purchase order and invoicing processes, estimating costs for changes to project scope, and proper tracking of all development and manufacturing expenditures (e.g,. materials, consumables, labor) to support client invoicing and ensure all expenditures that should be passed through to the client are invoiced appropriately.
• Exceptional leadership, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Power BI, and other project management and visualization tools.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on project oversight.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills for executive-level communication.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and drive results in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Ability to assume supervisory responsibilities as the business continues to evolve.

Physical Demands

• Prolonged periods of sitting or standing at a desk, participating in meetings, and working on a computer.
• Frequent use of standard office equipment (computers, monitors, telephones, printers, projectors).
• Occasional movement throughout the site to attend meetings, observe project activities, or interface with operations teams in manufacturing or laboratory areas.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) when entering controlled manufacturing or lab environments (e.g., safety glasses, lab coats, shoe covers).
• Visual acuity to review project data, timelines, and technical documentation in both electronic and printed formats.
• Occasional lifting or carrying of materials (up to 15 lbs.), such as binders, laptops, or presentation materials.

Work Environment

• Onsite role based at the Syracuse Bio Campus (cGMP manufacturing facility), requiring regular presence and engagement with cross-functional teams.
• Partner closely with global counterparts in Korea and other regions, balancing time zones to maintain clear communication and alignment across projects.
• Work is primarily performed in an open or shared office environment, requiring a high degree of collaboration, communication, and adaptability.
• Frequent interaction with internal departments (Manufacturing, Development, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Business Development) and external clients.
• Occasional entry into GMP manufacturing and laboratory spaces, which requires adherence to gowning and safety procedures.
• May involve extended hours or flexibility during critical project phases, client audits, or leadership meetings.

Travel

• Up to 10–15% travel for client meetings, global PMO forums, training, client site visits or cross-site/corporate meeting collaboration.

Target Bonus

18%

Work Location:

East Syracuse, NY