Senior Director, Project Management & Operational Excellence

Summary

We are seeking a Senior Director, Project Management & Operational Excellence to lead the Project Management function and strengthen execution across development programs and other key strategic initiatives. You will establish a fit-for-purpose Project Management Office, integrate priorities, plans, risks, decisions and resources, and provide clear enterprise visibility that supports timely decision-making and reliable delivery.

Reporting to the SVP, Clinical Development Operations, you will lead four experienced project managers. Each project manager will support a development program or other key strategic projects, working closely with functional leaders and cross-functional teams. To be successful in this role you must be a strategic leader who is comfortable with hands-on program management, operational excellence, change leadership and pragmatic execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Project Management and Operational Excellence function and define its vision, strategy, operating model and roadmap.

• Lead, coach and develop four project managers supporting development programs and other key strategic projects.

• Allocate project-management resources based on portfolio priorities, project complexity, critical milestones and organisational needs.

• Establish clear objectives, responsibilities and performance expectations for the team.

• Build a strong project-management community across company with consistent standards, tools and ways of working.

• Establish and continuously improve fit-for-purpose governance, planning, reporting, risk-management and decision-support practices.

• Ensure project managers develop and maintain integrated plans linking functional deliverables, milestones, dependencies, assumptions, resources and decision points.

• Provide oversight and guidance across programs and strategic projects while maintaining clear accountability for delivery within each cross-functional team.

• Monitor critical-path and near-critical activities, cross-functional dependencies, capacity constraints and emerging risks.

• Ensure material changes in assumptions, scope, timelines or resources are assessed promptly for downstream impact.

• Provide portfolio-level visibility into priorities, commitments, trade-offs, risks and resource requirements.

• Drive alignment across functions on deliverables, timelines, responsibilities and escalation needs.

• Ensure risks and issues are identified, assessed, owned, mitigated and escalated appropriately.

• Lead operational coordination and readiness planning for major development and regulatory milestones.

• Design and facilitate effective programme, project and governance forums with clear decision rights, accountabilities and outputs.

• Prepare concise executive updates, scenarios and recommendations to support timely, informed decisions.

• Maintain traceability of key decisions and actions and ensure timely follow-through.

• Develop forward-looking dashboards and performance indicators that provide actionable insights.

• Lead targeted operational-excellence and process-improvement initiatives across development and other functions.

• Drive adoption of new processes, systems, governance models and ways of working while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.

• Promote learning across programs and strategic projects by systematically capturing and applying lessons learned.

• Contribute as a senior member of the Development leadership team and foster accountability, collaboration, constructive challenge and execution excellence.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business or a related discipline. PMP or comparable qualification preferred.

• Typically 12+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology experience, including substantial leadership in development program management, portfolio management, PMO or development operations.

• Demonstrated experience leading a project-management function and managing experienced project-management professionals.

• Proven ability to oversee multiple complex, global and cross-functional development programs or strategic projects.

• Experience supporting major regulatory submissions, late-stage development activities or other critical organisational milestones.

• Strong capabilities in integrated planning, governance, critical-path management, risk management, scenario planning and resource prioritisation.

• Excellent executive communication, facilitation, influencing and decision-support skills.

• Ability to operate effectively at both strategic and hands-on levels in a dynamic matrix organisation.

• Experience establishing or advancing a Development PMO or operational-excellence capability preferred.

• Experience in a biotechnology company undergoing development, regulatory or organisational growth preferred.

Immunic Therapeutics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all individuals are valued and respected. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status.

Please note, Immunic does not accept unsolicited resumes from external agencies or recruiters. Submission of a resume without a prior written agreement does not create any express or implied contract between Immunic and the agency. Immunic will not pay any fees related to unsolicited resumes.