Associate Director, R&D Project Management - Resource and Schedule Lead

CSL; Maidenhead; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

CSL in Maidenhead is seeking an experienced leader to build and run the R&D resource and schedule management capabilities, defining its mission, governance structure, and operating model to ensure alignment with organizational goals.

You will define capacity strategy, drive standard definitions, produce dashboards, and collaborate with PMO, Finance, HR to integrate insights into portfolio decisions, while leading training for PMs and managers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, Business, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in R&D operations, capacity/resource management, or strategic planning
• Proven experience leading enterprise-wide or global Centers of Excellence (CoEs) or transformation initiatives
• Strong analytical and systems thinking skills, with familiarity using tools like Planisware, Anaplan, Clarity or similar resource management and scheduling platforms
• Proven excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to drive alignment and influence across global teams

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the R&D Resource and Schedule Management capabilities, defining its mission, governance structure, and operating model to ensure alignment with organizational goals
• Define and evolve the resource capacity and schedule management strategy for R&D, aligned to portfolio governance and delivery priorities
• Establish and maintain an operating model for capacity, demand & scheduling, including roles and processes
• Drive adoption of standard definitions (e.g., FTE, capacity, demand, baseline vs. forecast schedule, critical path) and reporting conventions
• Proactively flag gaps and quantify impact (timelines, cost, risk, quality, compliance) and develop options and scenarios and recommend paths forward
• Produce actionable dashboards and insights (monthly/quarterly) for R&D leadership including capacity vs. demand by function/program/stage; schedule health and milestone predictability; resource-driven critical path risks; scenario comparisons and trade-offs
• Escalate issues constructively with clear evidence and proposed solutions
• Partner with PMO, Portfolio Oversight, Finance, HR, and functional leadership to integrate capacity and schedule insights into portfolio and execution decisions
• Develop and deliver training for PMs and people managers on resource planning and demand entry; schedule building and maintenance (baseline/forecast); best practices for dependencies, critical path, and scenario planning; tool usage and reporting expectations, and reinforce consistent ways of working
• Facilitate alignment workshops to resolve resourcing conflicts and schedule trade-offs

Skills

Planisware

Anaplan

Clarity

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, Business

Tools

Planisware

Anaplan

Clarity

Job description

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy & Continuous Improvement

• Build and lead the R&D Resource and Schedule Management capabilities, defining its mission, governance structure, and operating model to ensure alignment with organizational goals
• Define and evolve the resource capacity and schedule management strategy for R&D, aligned to portfolio governance and delivery priorities
• Establish and maintain an operating model for capacity, demand & scheduling, including roles and processes
• Drive adoption of standard definitions (e.g., FTE, capacity, demand, baseline vs. forecast schedule, critical path) and reporting conventions
• Proactively flag gaps and quantify impact (timelines, cost, risk, quality, compliance) and develop options and scenarios (e.g., reallocation, sequencing, scope adjustments, externalization, hiring, temporary augmentation) and recommend paths forward
• Produce actionable dashboards and insights (monthly/quarterly) for R&D leadership including capacity vs. demand by function/program/stage; schedule health and milestone predictability; resource-driven critical path risks; scenario comparisons and trade-offs
• Escalate issues constructively with clear evidence and proposed solutions
• Partner with PMO, Portfolio Oversight, Finance, HR, and functional leadership to integrate capacity and schedule insights into portfolio and execution decisions
• Develop and deliver training for PMs and people managers on resource planning and demand entry; schedule building and maintenance (baseline/forecast); best practices for dependencies, critical path, and scenario planning; tool usage and reporting expectations, and reinforce consistent ways of working
• Facilitate alignment workshops to resolve resourcing conflicts and schedule trade-offs

Resource Capacity Management

• Develop, implement maintain standardized frameworks for capacity forecasting, scenario planning, and resource allocation, ensuring that resources are aligned with portfolio priorities and timelines
• Review and analyze resource data to identify capacity shortfalls, over-allocations, and bottlenecks; misalignment between portfolio priorities and staffing; key roles/skills constraints and upcoming capacity constraints leveraging data analytics and digital tools to generate insights that inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement in resource management
• Partner with functional leaders and people managers across R&D to align capacity planning efforts with portfolio priorities, ensuring optimal resource utilization
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to enhance visibility into resource utilization, identify bottlenecks, and drive process improvements across R&D functions
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and dashboards to monitor capacity health and resource performance across R&D functions
• Collaborate with enterprise functions (e.g. HR, Finance) to provide thought leadership on workforce planning, talent strategy, and operational scalability, helping R&D teams optimize resource allocation and meet evolving demands

Work Environment:

*** This is a hybrid position based onsite at any of the posted locations with a minimum of 3 days onsite weekly. Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship are not provided.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, Business, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in R&D operations, capacity/resource management, or strategic planning
• Proven experience in leading enterprise-wide or global Centers of Excellence (CoEs) or transformation initiatives
• Strong analytical and systems thinking skills, with familiarity using tools like Planisware, Anaplan, Clarity or similar resource management and scheduling platforms
• Proven excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to drive alignment and influence across global teams