Director - client project management - united kingdom, saffron walden, essex

for 70 years, charles river employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. when you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. whether your background is in life sciences, finance, it, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. in return, we'll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.

**job summary**

charles river is seeking an experienced director - client project managementfrom within the life sciences industry to support our integrated drug discovery and development portfolio. the successful applicant will lead the build of a dynamic, client facing project management team within our discovery division, focussed on ensuring operational excellence in the delivery of fully integrated pre-clinical projects across charles river sites and with strategic partners, especially to support the client journey from candidate to early clinical development.

this is a leadership role and a key point of contact for clients and internal stakeholders. working in partnership with experienced scientific project leaders and developing project managers the director will provide expertise and strategic guidance on the drug development process, to enable the efficient scheduling, integration and delivery of project activities to achieve important milestones. the role will offer hands on project management in complex or high-impact projects, as well as an opportunity to influence and shape the future project management strategy across the integrated pre-clinical project portfolio, working globally alongside peers within the wider organisation. this is also an opportunity to build a growing team and as such, mentoring and line management of junior project management associates will be a key component of the role.

the ideal candidate will be a well-motivated self-starter, a good communicator, established mentor and a respected expert in their field. someone who is willing to challenge the status quo and influence future directions, by drawing upon existing experience across a diverse range of projects, therapy areas and phases of drug discovery and development, especially in the candidate to ind filing space.

**main responsibilities**

• to provide hands on project management support to complex or high-impact client projects, across the integrated pre-clinical drug discovery and development space

• oversight of the scheduling, integration and delivery of cross discipline project activities in order to meet agreed timelines, resources and budget, working alongside experienced scientific leads.

• streamlining of key activities across charles river business units and sites to ensure a seamless interface for clients

• to proactively flag project risks and establish mitigation plans with project teams as appropriate

• build effective relationships with clients, external partners and internal project team members, working across geographies and business units to ensure client expectations are met in terms of delivery, communication and planning.

• act as an expert source of knowledge in project management and a role model for others, proactively influencing the development and implementation of new practices and standards

• line management and recruitment for a growing team, working to ensure high performance through effective objective setting, coaching, motivating, engaging and empowering staff at all levels. a passion for personal development of self and others will be required.

• strategic input to influence the scale and build of an effective client project management function supporting integrated pre-clinical drug discovery and development projects.

• support crl strategies, best practices and methodologies related to project management and the client journey.

**profile and requirements**

• bachelor's degree or equivalent in a scientific discipline

• minimum of 10 years industry experience in project management within a drug development setting and a strong track record of managing successful delivery of multi-disciplinary projects to industry recognised milestones.

• knowledgeable about the drug development process from late lead optimisation through to the clinic and beyond, with an awareness of the contributions made by relevant scientific disciplines at each phase, brought about by direct involvement with integrated project teams.

• specifically experienced in working with representatives from biology, dmpk, in vivo pharmacology, cmc, safety assessment and regulatory functions to build and operationalise integrated project plans to support candidate selection and first time in human clinical study starts.

• expertise in risk management and resolution of non-scientific issues within projects.

• experience of planning and managing resources and finances within an acceptable budget.

• respected mentor for junior staff with relevant examples of developing others

• a skilled specialist in complex project management tools and techniques, with advanced understanding of relevant principles, theories and concepts.

• a proactive self-starter, calm under pressure, with proven ability to build relationships and work effectively to meet deadlines.

• organizational skills and attention to detail, along with an ability to handle multiple tasks and effectively prioritize.

• proficient in word processing, spreadsheet, database software and scheduling tools.

• excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills with the proven ability to manage stakeholders and influence others.

• fluent in written and verbal english.

*additional desirable attributes*

• portfolio management experience

• line management experience

• professional project management certification

*about discovery*

discovery from charles river is industry-proven in the successful development of novel therapies, with over 350patents and 80preclinical drug candidates delivered to our sponsors in the past 17 years. backed by more than 650 scientists, our comprehensive, integrated portfolio employs the latest technology and platforms to provide chemistry, biology, and pharmacology services that support clients from the earliest stages of hit identification all the way through to ind. our client-focused, collaborative approach creates true partnerships that anticipate challenges, overcome obstacles, and move us forward together on the journey of getting new drugs to market.

*about charles river*

charles river is an early-stage contract research organization (cro). we have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both good laboratory practice (glp) and non-glp, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. charles river also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients' clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.

with over 17,000 employees within 90 facilities in 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client's unique challenges. our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world. and in 2019, revenue increasedto $2.62billion.

at charles river, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people's lives. our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. we have proudly supported the development of ~85% of the drugs approved by the fda in 2019.

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