Capital Projects Lead, Life Sciences

BD; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 234,000; Full time

Job summary

Waters is seeking a Capital Program Manager to oversee Waters’ Consumable capital projects, ensuring on-time delivery within budget and to specifications. You will coordinate with R&D, manufacturing, engineering, and finance to drive program success and financial stewardship.

The role emphasizes on-site collaboration in a regulated, high-volume environment, with travel to project sites as needed and a strong focus on process improvement and governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business Administration, or related field; PMP preferred.
• 8–10 years of progressive capital project management experience in life sciences, pharma, or biotech.
• Proven track record managing multi-million dollar capital portfolios.
• Solid understanding of project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall) and tools like MS Project.
• Strong financial acumen with budget development, cost control, and reporting for capital projects.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage external vendors.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Familiarity with GMP/FDA regulatory requirements for life sciences.
• Ability to travel ~10% to project sites

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage full lifecycle of capital projects from concept through closeout.
• Develop and maintain project plans: scope, schedule, budget, resources, risk.
• Collaborate with R&D, manufacturing, engineering, finance, QA and external vendors.
• Manage budgets, track expenditures, and provide financial forecasts to executives.
• Ensure compliance with quality standards, regulatory requirements, and company policies.
• Implement reporting mechanisms to monitor progress, metrics, and expenditures.
• Monitor progress, identify deviations and implement corrective actions.
• Prepare and present updates and recommendations to leadership.
• Mentor project teams to foster accountability and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Financial acumen

Risk management

Vendor management

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree or PMP certification

Tools

MS Project

Job description

Waters is seeking a Capital Program Manager to oversee Waters’ Consumable capital projects, ensuring on-time delivery within budget and to specifications. You will coordinate with R&D, manufacturing, engineering, and finance to drive program success and financial stewardship.

The role emphasizes on-site collaboration in a regulated, high-volume environment, with travel to project sites as needed and a strong focus on process improvement and governance.