Senior Project Manager - Pharma Process Development

About the Role

We are recruiting on behalf of a prominent life sciences company based in South Dublin for a Senior Project Manager specialized in Process Development. This position is a 12-month contract requiring presence onsite three days a week.

The Senior Project Manager will oversee New Product Introduction (NPI) and Lifecycle Management (LCM) initiatives within a pharmaceutical manufacturing setting, managing projects from inception through to completion. Operating within a cross-functional matrix structure, the role involves creating integrated project plans, exercising governance oversight, and ensuring projects comply with safety, regulatory, timeline, and budgetary requirements.

Collaboration is essential, working closely with technical teams, functional leaders, and global stakeholders to facilitate product launches and support ongoing product lines. This role demands strong leadership capabilities, effective stakeholder management, risk mitigation expertise, and influencing skills without direct authority. A commitment to fostering a culture of quality, compliance, continuous improvement, and error-free execution is vital.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cross-departmental NPI and LCM projects, achieving objectives related to scope, timelines, budgets, quality, and compliance.
• Develop and maintain cohesive project plans, enabling informed decision-making, risk and issue management, and accurate project reporting.
• Collaborate with site-based and global stakeholders to align priorities, allocate resources, and coordinate activities for product launches and sustainability.
• Manage all aspects of project scope, risk, issues, decisions, and GMP change controls with transparent communication and effective mitigation tactics.
• Ensure compliance with cGMP, Environment Health and Safety (EHS), quality standards, and organizational governance protocols.
• Champion continuous improvement by embedding structured project management methodologies and promoting accountability to drive operational excellence.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field; a Master’s degree or equivalent experience is preferred.
• Between 5 to 8 years working in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences industries, including a minimum of 3 years managing projects.
• Proven record of managing cross-functional projects in manufacturing or technical operational settings.
• Expertise in project management encompassing planning, governance, risk assessment, resource management, and stakeholder coordination.
• Strong communicator with excellent influencing and problem-solving abilities, capable of leading multinational and matrix teams.
• Familiarity with project management software such as Smartsheet, MS Project, MS Office suite, PowerPoint, Visio, with preference for TrackWise experience.

Additional Information

Due to the large number of applications, it may not be possible to respond to all candidates. Ascend Project Management ensures candidate CVs are only shared with clients following explicit consent.