21GRAMS- Director, Project Management

Real Chemistry; Boston, Carmel, Chicago, Lambertville (MA, IN, IL, NJ); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Real Chemistry is seeking an Associate Director, Project Management to oversee delivery for major accounts, shaping delivery strategy and ensuring profitability. The role focuses on developing PM talent across the portfolio and maintaining strong client relationships while guiding cross-functional teams.

You will manage budgets, staffing, and vendor relationships, lead pitches, and supervise PMs to drive high-impact, multi-channel campaigns with a ~$10 million revenue scope.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in project management with healthcare communications experience.
• PMP or Agile certification preferred.
• Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and client-facing abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery strategy and planning for assigned clients and business units.
• Supervise Associate Directors, Senior PMs, and PMs; coach and evaluate performance.
• Own portfolio budgets, scopes, staffing plans and margin health.
• Partner with senior leadership to improve workflows and tools across the portfolio.
• Lead PM participation in pitches and cross-functional initiatives.

Skills

PMP/Agile

Financial management

Operational planning

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Client-facing

Tools

OpenAir

Power BI

Job description

21GRAMS- Associate Director, Project Management

At Real Chemistry, making the world a healthier place isn’t just an aspiration—it’s our everyday reality. Our drive to transform healthcare is informed by our blend of deep scientific expertise, human-centred creativity, and AI-driven insights, fostering a unique environment where innovation thrives and our people are impact-obsessed. As a global agency, we provide a full suite of services across healthcare communications and marketing to our clients, including top players in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Our #LifeatRealChem culture is rooted in our people—we believe we are best together and are committed to excellence for both our clients and colleagues. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your career, if you share our passion for healthcare and connection, we invite you to explore our opportunities.

Discover your purpose. Embrace innovation. Experience #LifeatRealChem.

Job Summary:

Real Chemistry is looking for an Associate Director, Project Management to join our growing team!

The Associate Director provides senior oversight of project delivery for major accounts. This role sets delivery strategy, ensures consistency and profitability, and develops PM talent across the portfolio.

21GRAMS PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT

At 21GRAMS, we set the benchmark for excellence in healthcare project management. As trusted leaders, we build confidence through teamwork, ownership, and proactive risk management. We uphold our processes with accountability, deliver with precision, and communicate with clarity. Creative problem-solving, adaptability, and integrity define our work. Guided by purpose and collaboration, we inspire our teams to achieve best-in-class outcomes for every project.

21GRAMS PROJECT MANAGEMENT CORE VALUES

• Standardizing Operational Excellence: Streamline processes, ensure consistent workflows, and align tools across the agency.
• Strengthening Team Skills and External Relationships: Promote continuous learning, cross-department collaboration, and resilient client partnerships while supporting employee well-being.
• Maximizing Agency Performance and Resource Efficiency: Optimize resourcing, maintain quality control, and deploy resources effectively.
• Safeguarding Agency Health and Future Growth: Define clear scopes, monitor risks, and deliver accurate financial forecasting.
• Enhancing Industry Knowledge, Innovation and Competitive Edge: Stay ahead of compliance, track competitive trends, and drive process innovation.

This role can be remote within the United States or based in any of our U.S. office locations, including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Lambertville, NJ, San Francisco, or Carmel, IN.

What you’ll do:

• Lead delivery strategy and planning for assigned clients and business units
• Supervise Associate Directors, Senior PMs, and PMs. Coach and evaluate performance.
• Own portfolio budgets, scopes, staffing plans, and margin health.
• Partner with senior agency leadership to improve workflows and tools across the portfolio.
• Lead PM participation in pitches and solutioning for complex, cross‑functional initiatives.
• Oversight of approximately 10 million dollars in revenue.
• Lead PM on pitches. Owner of cross‑functional integrated solutions. Resource Management:
• Own resourcing solutions based on provided data. Partner with resourcing team.
• Conduct candidate interviews. Own escalation for Gantt development and issues. Client and Vendor Relationship Management:
• Brand planning leader for PM. Support client solutioning. Manage vendor relationships. Training, Growth, Reporting: Identify growth opportunities for direct reports. Increase exposure for upward mobility

Admin Operations:

• Provide topline oversight across project financials in OpenAir and Power BI.
• Drive adoption of systems. Recommend AI initiatives on project scopes where suitable

Execution:

• Step back from day-to-day. Own higher strategic assets and execute at the portfolio level.
• Implement process improvements across the portfolio.

Finance:

• Develop and review scopes, change orders, and staff plans for the portfolio.
• Lead finance communications and analyze staffing mix.

Culture, Comms and Collaboration:

• Guide cultural investment plans. Address issues proactively with Account and HR partners.

This position is a perfect fit for you if:

• Our Company values, Best Together, Impact Obsessed, Excellence Expected, Evolve Always, and Accountability with an \"I\", genuinely resonate with how you work and lead.
• You demonstrate the Real Chemistry Can mindset by approaching challenges with optimism, accountability, creativity, and a solutions‑oriented attitude, always looking for ways to make a meaningful impact for our clients, colleagues, and communities.
• You are adaptable, resilient, and comfortable adjusting your scope, responsibilities, and priorities in a fast‑paced, evolving environment. As our business grows and changes, so do we.
• You are proactive, driven, and resourceful, with strong prioritization skills, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to leverage data to inform decisions and drive outcomes.
• You are energized by innovation and the transformative potential of AI, actively exploring new technologies, identifying opportunities to work smarter, and championing practical, responsible AI adoption that drives meaningful business impact.

What you should have:

• PMP or Agile certification preferred.
• Expert financial management and operational planning skills. Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and client‑facing abilities.
• 10 or more years in project management with extensive healthcare communications experience.
• Proven record of leading large teams and multichannel campaigns.

Pay Range: $150,000-$160,000
The anticipated salary range for this position is listed above. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on job‑related, non‑discriminatory factors including but not limited to experience, skills, qualifications, geographic location, and internal parity.

In addition to base salary, Real Chemistry offers a comprehensive benefits package and a variety of programs designed to support our employees' well‑being, growth, and success.

Real Chemistry reserves the right to update compensation and benefits programs at any time.

Real Chemistry is proud to be Great Place to Work®certified; check out what our people shared about our culture and workplace on our Great Places to Work Profile here .

We believe we can do our best when feeling our best, which is why we’ve put together a benefits program designed to give you the support you and your family need at every stage of life. Real Chemistry offers a comprehensive benefit program and perks, tailored to your region. Globally, this includes offices in our key markets with free snacks to keep you running all day long, generous holiday and paid time off, options for private medical, dental, and vison plans, and support in saving for the future. Other perks include mental wellness coaching and supportandaccess to more than 13,000 online classes with LinkedIn Learning.Learn more about our great benefits and perks and search specific offerings in your region at: www.realchemistrybenefits.com .

At Real Chemistry, we believe we're at our best when we're connected. Our Real Hybrid and Regional Teams (Real HART) approach is designed to foster collaboration, learning, innovation, and meaningful relationships while providing flexibility where appropriate. Because our workforce spans multiple countries, regions, and client needs, work arrangements may vary by role and location. Some positions offer hybrid or remote flexibility, while others require regular in‑office presence. For example, certain teams and regions, including some of our UK operations, have office‑based requirements. Your recruiter will discuss the specific expectations for the role you're pursuing during the interview process and keep you informed throughout the hiring journey.For employees located within a one‑hour commute of a Real Chemistry office, we require in‑person attendance two days per week, either from a Real Chemistry office or when working onsite with clients. Employees in regions without a nearby office may work remotely and come together throughout the year for collaboration, culture‑building, learning, and team connection opportunities.While these guidelines reflect our current workplace model, we understand that everyone’s circumstances are unique. If you require additional flexibility, we welcome an open conversation with your recruiter and our HR team to discuss your needs and determine what may be possible.

Real Chemistry is an Equal Opportunity employer. We continually strive to build and sustain an inclusive and equitable work environment where our employees feel empowered to leverage all they bring from their personal lived experience and professional expertise, to make our team the best in the industry. We encourage motivated and qualified applicants to apply without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ethnic or national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local employment discrimination laws where Real Chemistry operates. Should you require accommodations throughout the interview process please let your recruiter know.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Real Chemistry’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A \"disabled veteran\" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A \"recently separated veteran\" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An \"active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran\" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An \"Armed forces service medal veteran\" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.