Candidate Program Manager (UK)

UCB; Slough; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

UCB is seeking a strategic Candidate Program Manager to lead drug development programs from late research through PoC. You will coordinate timelines, budgets, and resources, and work with cross-functional teams to drive value for patients.

You will partner with senior leaders in a hybrid work setup, with exposure to governance forums and portfolio decision-making across global programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Five+ years in program or project management, or related function.
• Ideal experience in pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical industry.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional work across R&D and commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Drive delivery of candidate programs from late research through PoC, aligning with portfolio goals.
• Translate strategy into an integrated operational roadmap with scope and timelines.
• Lead program planning and execution focusing on critical paths and milestones.
• Proactively manage risks, issues, assumptions, and performance metrics.
• Serve as the single integration point across scientific, clinical, regulatory, and finance stakeholders.
• Enable governance and make clear recommendations for decisions.
• Collaborate with Project Coordinators and teams to ensure accountable execution.

Skills

Planning

Scheduling

Budgeting

Resource coordination

Performance reporting

Collaborative communication

Change management

Conflict resolution

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Postgraduate qualification preferred

Job description

Make your mark for patients

We are looking for a Candidate Program Manager who is strategic, collaborative and delivery-focused to join our Integrated Program Management team in our UK office based in Slough or in our HQ in Belgium, Brussels.

About The Role

You will lead drug development programs from late research through proof-of-concept results, turning strategy into clear, executable plans. You will coordinate timelines, resources, budgets and decision points, anticipate risks, develop scenarios and help teams deliver agreed outcomes. Working in partnership with the program lead and a cross-functional team, you will provide transparent program information and support timely, objective decisions. You will also contribute to the wider program management community by sharing effective practices and supporting colleagues.

Who You'll Work With

The Candidate Program Management team sits at the heart of UCB's innovation engine, leading the programs that transform promising science into future medicines for patients. Candidate PMs operate at the intersection of strategy, science, and execution, partnering with senior leaders and cross-functional experts to shape critical decisions and accelerate the progression of assets through the development pipeline.

This is a unique opportunity for someone who enjoys connecting people, solving complex challenges, and turning ambitious scientific strategies into executable plans. The role offers exposure to senior governance forums, cross-functional leadership teams, portfolio decision-making, and some of UCB's most strategically important programs.

What You'll Do

• Drive the successful delivery of one or more candidate programs from late research through Proof of Concept, ensuring alignment with portfolio objectives and patient value.
• Translate candidate strategy into an integrated operational roadmap, including scope, timelines, resources, costs, and scenario planning.
• Lead program planning and execution, maintaining focus on critical path activities, key decisions, dependencies, and milestones.
• Proactively manage risks, issues, assumptions, and performance metrics, ensuring timely escalation and resolution of barriers.
• Act as the single point of integration across scientific, clinical, regulatory, CMC, finance, and operational stakeholders.
• Enable effective governance and decision-making by providing clear program insights, options, and recommendations.
• Partner with Project Coordinators and functional teams to ensure efficient execution while maintaining accountability for overall program outcomes.

Interested? For this role we're looking for the following education, experience and skills

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience; a postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline is preferred.
• At least five years of experience in program or project management, or a closely related function.
• Extensive industry experience, ideally within the pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical sector.
• Experience supporting cross-functional work across research, development and commercialization of a product.
• Proven ability to work with global, multicultural and diverse teams managing complex deliverables and demanding timelines.
• Strong planning, scheduling, budgeting, resource coordination and performance reporting skills.
• Ability to facilitate collaboration, communicate clearly, manage change and support constructive conflict resolution.
• A recognized program or project management qualification, or practical experience applying structured and agile delivery methods, is preferred.

About Us

UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are over 9.000 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science.

Why work with us?

At UCB, we don’t just complete tasks, we create value. We aren’t afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected, and has equal opportunities to do their best work. We ‘go beyond’ to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that’s on our patients, our employees, or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential.

At UCB, we’ve embraced a hybrid-first approach to work, bringing teams together in local hubs to foster collaborative curiosity. Unless expressly stated in the description or precluded by the nature of the position, roles are hybrid with 40% of your time spent in the office.

UCB is an equal opportunity employer

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on [e-mail]. Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments; we will not be able to support you through this channel.