Drug Development Project Manager

As a Drug Development Project Manager you will be joining the world’s largest & most comprehensive clinical research organisation, powered by healthcare intelligence.

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

In this organization, a distinction is made between project teams that drive asset strategy development and execution and those focused on indication strategy development within the established frameworks. Early Development Strategy Teams concentrate on asset development until a decision is made to enter Clinical Phase 2A, or proof of concept in patients. After this phase, teams are designated as Asset Strategy Teams. Clinical Development Teams (CDTs) focus on specific clinical indications and may share subject matter expert leads across different CDTs within a medical specialty. Once a CDT begins to launch an indication into the market, it is referred to as the Indication Development Team, with a shift in leadership focus from clinical operations to a more commercial orientation.

The Drug Development Project Manager (Senior Drug Development Director) oversees the high-level plans and progress of these teams, managing projects from pre-clinical stages through to commercialization. The DDPM is responsible for incorporating overarching indication activities and milestones, documenting their downstream impact, and justifying changes in project budget and resources. This role involves close collaboration with the Asset Strategy Lead and function leads within the EDST or AST. The DDPM compiles and owns the integrated cross-functional project plan, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy.

What You Will Be Doing:

• When in a managerial role, the DDPM supports the development of team members, enhancing their confidence, skills, and experiences in alignment with corporate strategy while ensuring the team adheres to agreed project scopes.
• Establishes a project lifetime plan with appropriate detail, proactively identifying risks and resolving issues.
• Maintains and communicates project timelines, budgets, and resource allocations, flagging delays and discrepancies while liaising with governance, finance, and function heads.
• Fosters high team performance by proactively engaging stakeholders and partnering with project leadership to ensure effective governance meetings.
• Collaborates with various teams and function leads to translate strategies into integrated project plans, taking ownership of these plans and sharing insights that influence project direction.
• Encourages positive team dynamics, working with HR to organize team-building activities and ensuring secure document sharing among team members and stakeholders.
• Communicates any significant project accelerations or delays to leadership, driving corrective actions as needed.
• Partners with internal and external stakeholders to establish effective project communications and manage changes towards common goals while promoting conflict resolution.
• Develops and implements methods and frameworks for quality decision-making to support operational excellence in drug development projects and process improvement initiatives.
• Collaborates with finance to address budget-related inquiries, conduct baseline comparisons, and perform variance analysis, optimizing internal project templates.
• Co-creates dashboards with business process managers and acts as a liaison to identify reporting needs from business partners

You Are:

• Strong leadership skills, promoting values that enhance team dynamics.
• Excellent communication skills, fostering inclusivity and collaboration.
• Proven interpersonal skills for conflict mediation and management.
• Solid project management skills with broad exposure to the pharmaceutical R&D process; advanced planning experience with MS Project is essential. PMP certification is a plus.
• Adaptability to continuous change.
• Proficient verbal and written English communication skills (full professional proficiency required).
• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in a health-related discipline or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in drug development across various phases and disease areas.
• At least 5 years of program management experience in a pharmaceutical or biotech setting, preferably in cross-cultural environments.
• Genuine interest and some experience in people management.
• Experience in Regulatory Affairs and/or Clinical Development is an advantage.

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