Associate Director, Project Management

Lucid Group; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Lucid Group is seeking an Associate Director, Project Management to join our US team. You will oversee day-to-day planning and delivery across multiple workstreams, coordinating with account, strategy, creative, medical, regulatory, production and finance teams to keep work moving.

You will own project plans, timelines and budgets, identify risks early, and mentor a team of Project Managers to elevate practices across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Project Management or a related field.
• 7-10 years of project management experience within a healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotech, medical communications, advertising or creative agency environment.
• Experience supporting commercial communications for pharmaceutical or biotech brands.
• Strong working knowledge of Medical/Legal/Regulatory review processes and the regulatory considerations associated with US promotional communications.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, integrated projects across multiple functions, channels and stakeholders.
• Proven experience with project financials, including estimates, scopes of work, budgets, forecasting, burn tracking and reconciliation.
• Experience leading, mentoring or developing project management talent.
• Strong understanding of agency workflow, resource planning and cross-functional team operations.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, negotiation and problem solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, influence without direct authority and confidently escalation risks when needed.
• Proficiency with project management tools such as Smartsheet, Workfront, Asana or comparable platforms, in addition to Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and delivery of multiple, complex projects and integrated workstreams across life sciences accounts, translating client objectives and strategic direction into clear, achievable project plans.
• Own integrated timelines, milestones, dependencies, approval pathways, risk plans and delivery standards across the full project lifecycle.
• Establish the appropriate operating rhythm for each project, including kickoffs, internal reviews, status meetings, client updates and post-project assessments.
• Ensure teams understand priorities, accountabilities, decision points and next steps, and act as a senior escalation point for project risks, workflow challenges and competing priorities.
• Lead project planning for materials requiring Medical/Legal/Regulatory review, ensuring review requirements, submission dates and approval milestones are reflected accurately in project plans.
• Coordinate effectively with medical, legal, regulatory and client stakeholders, identifying potential compliance, claims, fair balance, labeling or approval risks early and engaging the appropriate subject-matter experts.
• Maintain a working knowledge of FDA promotional requirements and the expectations associated with pharmaceutical and biotech brand communications.
• Partner with account leadership to develop scopes of work, estimates, timelines and resource plans that accurately reflect project requirements.
• Monitor budgets, burn, hours, forecasts and project profitability; track scope changes and support change orders, revised estimates, forecasting, reconciliation, invoicing and financial reporting.
• Partner with department leads and Resource Management to anticipate staffing needs, resolve resource constraints and support appropriate team utilization across internal and external resources.
• Provide guidance, coaching and mentorship to Project Managers and Senior Project Managers, and support the development of project management best practices, tools, templates and training.
• Build trusted client relationships and serve as a confident partner on project planning, delivery, budgets, timelines and risk management.
• Represent project management in client meetings and planning discussions, support new business through operational planning and resource modeling, and contribute to broader agency initiatives that improve how Lucid plans and delivers its work.

Skills

Excellent communication

Facilitation

Negotiation

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Project Management or related field

Tools

Smartsheet

Workfront

Asana

Microsoft Office

Job description

About Lucid Group

We are a global healthcare communications agency with deep therapeutic expertise that traverses the asset lifecycle, delivering transformative outcomes for healthcare brands for over 20 years.

About Lucid Group

We are a global healthcare communications agency with deep therapeutic expertise that traverses the asset lifecycle, delivering transformative outcomes for healthcare brands for over 20 years.

Our more than 500 highly trained professionals work with speed and agility to craft and execute breakthrough strategies that maximise performance and unlock a brand's full potential.

This position is aligned to one of our three capabilities:

• Commercial Communications: Accelerating a brand's trajectory with data-driven strategies and creativity that moves markets.

Our other capabilities include:

• Scientific and Medical Communications: Translating scientific insight into impactful strategies and compelling narratives that inspire change.
• Consulting: Specialised life-sciences consulting - empowering clients to optimise operating models, maximise asset potential and drive sustainable transformation.

Job Summary

We're looking for an Associate Director, Project Management to join our US team and help bring complex healthcare work to life for life sciences clients. This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys turning moving parts into a clear plan, keeping teams connected and making sure good work keeps moving.

You’ll lead day-to-day planning and delivery across multiple workstreams, working closely with account, strategy, creative, medical, regulatory, production and finance teams. You’ll be trusted to take ownership of your projects, spot risks before they become roadblocks and give teams the clarity, timing and support they need to deliver high-quality work.

You’ll bring strong healthcare agency experience, sound commercial judgement and a practical understanding of how pharmaceutical and biotech communications move through regulated review environments. Just as importantly, you’ll be someone who is comfortable working independently, knows when to bring others in and enjoys being the person who helps a team stay focused and moving forward.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and delivery of multiple, complex projects and integrated workstreams across life sciences accounts, translating client objectives and strategic direction into clear, achievable project plans.
• Own integrated timelines, milestones, dependencies, approval pathways, risk plans and delivery standards across the full project lifecycle.
• Establish the appropriate operating rhythm for each project, including kickoffs, internal reviews, status meetings, client updates and post-project assessments.
• Ensure teams understand priorities, accountabilities, decision points and next steps, and act as a senior escalation point for project risks, workflow challenges and competing priorities.
• Lead project planning for materials requiring Medical/Legal/Regulatory review, ensuring review requirements, submission dates and approval milestones are reflected accurately in project plans.
• Coordinate effectively with medical, legal, regulatory and client stakeholders, identifying potential compliance, claims, fair balance, labeling or approval risks early and engaging the appropriate subject-matter experts.
• Maintain a working knowledge of FDA promotional requirements and the expectations associated with pharmaceutical and biotech brand communications.
• Partner with account leadership to develop scopes of work, estimates, timelines and resource plans that accurately reflect project requirements.
• Monitor budgets, burn, hours, forecasts and project profitability; track scope changes and support change orders, revised estimates, forecasting, reconciliation, invoicing and financial reporting.
• Partner with department leads and Resource Management to anticipate staffing needs, resolve resource constraints and support appropriate team utilization across internal and external resources.
• Provide guidance, coaching and mentorship to Project Managers and Senior Project Managers, and support the development of project management best practices, tools, templates and training.
• Build trusted client relationships and serve as a confident partner on project planning, delivery, budgets, timelines and risk management.
• Represent project management in client meetings and planning discussions, support new business through operational planning and resource modeling, and contribute to broader agency initiatives that improve how Lucid plans and delivers its work.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Project Management or a related field.
• 7-10 years of project management experience within a healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotech, medical communications, advertising or creative agency environment.
• Experience supporting commercial communications for pharmaceutical or biotech brands.
• Strong working knowledge of Medical/Legal/Regulatory review processes and the regulatory considerations associated with US promotional communications.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, integrated projects across multiple functions, channels and stakeholders.
• Proven experience with project financials, including estimates, scopes of work, budgets, forecasting, burn tracking and reconciliation.
• Experience leading, mentoring or developing project management talent.
• Strong understanding of agency workflow, resource planning and cross-functional team operations.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, negotiation and problem solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, influence without direct authority and confidently escalation risks when needed.
• Proficiency with project management tools such as Smartsheet, Workfront, Asana or comparable platforms, in addition to Microsoft Office.

Preferred

• Experience supporting new business pitches, launch planning or large-scale integrated campaigns in a regulated healthcare environment.
• Willingness to travel occasionally for client meetings, team sessions or agency events.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US TO BE LUCID?

At Lucid Group, we transform lives. Always. We believe in providing a culture of authenticity where we can all be ourselves, make real connections, and enjoy the work that we do. Together.

We empower our people to embark on a journey of growth and advancement by offering meaningful learning and development opportunities.

Central to our ethos is our commitment to cultivating an environment that embraces and respects people of all backgrounds and identities, underpinned by a culture of conscious inclusion and support.

The Lucid values are not just mere words; they are the culmination of our collective efforts. Co-created by our people for our people, these values serve as our guiding principles, ensuring that every decision we make positively impacts the lives of the clients, patients, healthcare professionals, and colleagues we serve.

• Compassionately Human: We think about the human impact of our actions
• Accountable Allies: We are the go-to strategic partners for our clients
• Invent with Intent: We create meaningful solutions to solve real problems
• Courageously Curious: We challenge ourselves to think disruptively

Equal Opportunity Employer:

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds, regardless of race, color, sex, age, pregnancy, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or expression or disability.

We are dedicated to offering an inclusive and accommodating recruitment process. If you require any accommodations during the interview, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Lucid was started with a core ideology rooted in a legacy of innovation and dedication. For the past 20 years we have successfully transformed healthcare communications for the better.

From our ambitious agency beginnings we have grown organically and through strategically aligned acquisition. We are currently based in 4 global locations, and our 500 worldwide colleagues are the trusted partners for 100s of top brands and client teams, big and small.