Project Management Office Director - IDSD

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Richland (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking a Project Management Office Director (PMOD) to lead the PMO 0060 within the Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate. The PMOD provides strategic leadership and delivery stewardship for a diverse research portfolio, aligning with IDSD strategy and lab missions.

The role involves portfolio oversight from proposal development through closeout, developing executable proposals with credible technical approaches, and managing risks, budgets,

Qualifications

• 13+ years of project management experience in a government or federally funded environment.
• Advanced degree or higher with relevant PM experience in research or DOE-funded programs.

Responsibilities

• Provide portfolio oversight from proposal development through project closeout, establishing clear expectations for planning, risk management, performance, and delivery.
• Partner with Division Directors and the Program Development Office to develop executable proposals with credible technical approaches, complete cost estimates, realistic schedules, and staffing.
• Identify and address project risks during proposal development, planning, and execution, with formal acceptance and mitigation.
• Apply a graded PM approach to support discovery while maintaining accountability for scope, resources, milestones, and deliverables.
• Coach and mentor project managers and principal investigators in project management practices.

Skills

Portfolio management

Risk management

Strategic planning

Stakeholder communication

Budgeting & cost control

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree or higher

Job description

Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.
Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Integrated Discovery Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate (IDSD) leads fundamental research across biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, materials science, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, mathematics, autonomy, and DOE national user facilities. Our vision is to accelerate scientific discovery by observing, understanding, simulating, predicting, and controlling dynamic biotic-abiotic processes and interactions within complex biological, chemical, material, and Earth systems. We intentionally connect disciplines to advance fundamental discovery science, develop transformative scientific capabilities, and address the nation’s most important challenges in energy, environmental resilience, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, health, and national security.

Responsibilities

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) seeks a Project Management Office Director (PMOD) to lead the Physical and Computational Sciences Project Management Office (PMO 0060) within the Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate (IDSD). The PMOD provides strategic leadership and expert delivery stewardship for a diverse research portfolio, helping project teams deliver high-quality scientific results while meeting sponsor expectations and managing project risk.

PMO 0060 supports work sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science programs in Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR), High Energy Physics (HEP), Nuclear Physics (NP), and Fusion Energy Sciences (FES). The portfolio also includes other fundamental research in chemical, materials, and computational sciences, mathematics, and physics for government and industrial sponsors.

The PMOD establishes and continually improves consistent project management practices across PMO 0060, tailoring oversight to the scope, complexity, and risk of each project. Working with principal investigators, project managers, Division Directors serving as Sector Managers, Group Leaders, the Program Development Office, and business and operational partners, the PMOD aligns project delivery with IDSD strategy and Laboratory mission outcomes.

• Provide portfolio oversight from proposal development through project closeout, establishing clear expectations for planning, risk management, performance, and delivery.
• Partner with Division Directors/Sector Managers and the Program Development Office to develop executable proposals with credible technical approaches, complete cost estimates, realistic schedules, and appropriate staffing.
• Ensure project risks are identified during proposal development, addressed in planning, formally accepted by the appropriate authority, and monitored and mitigated during execution.
• Exercise delegated proposal and project approval authorities consistent with institutional requirements. Approve or reject proposals, assign risk levels, direct proposal teams to ensure risks are adequately managed, demonstrate compliance with institutional risk management standards, and obtain required approvals, including Laboratory Director approval for high-risk work, before proposals are released or projects proceed.
• Apply a graded approach to project management that supports scientific discovery and accommodates research uncertainty while maintaining accountability for agreed scope, resources, milestones, and deliverables.
• Engage in preparation and review of project planning and documentation. Ensure plans define deliverables, milestones, budgets, resource needs, and risk mitigations appropriate to sponsor requirements.
• Work with Contracts, Finance, line management, principal investigators, and project managers to establish adequate budgets and resource plans and resolve constraints affecting delivery.
• Monitor portfolio performance against approved plans. Identify emerging technical, cost, schedule, and staffing issues; direct corrective actions within delegated authority and elevate significant issues to directorate leadership.
• Review and approve significant changes within delegated authority, ensuring changes to scope are matched by appropriate budget and schedule adjustments and required sponsor and institutional approvals.
• Partner with the IDSD Chief Operating Officer and Operations Manager to ensure projects are executed safely, securely, and in an environmentally responsible manner, consistent with applicable operational, contractual, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure project planning addresses hazards and operational needs associated with laboratory research, scientific instrumentation, computational resources, and offsite work when applicable. Confirm required reviews and controls are in place before work proceeds.
• Ensure appropriate quality assurance and technical review practices support reliable scientific results and deliverables. Coordinate applicable requirements for research data, software, publications, and intellectual property with cognizant organizations.
• Help project teams understand sponsor expectations and communicate progress, risks, and changes effectively. Participate in sponsor reviews and engagements in coordination with Sector Managers and project leadership.
• Assess portfolio resource needs and provide line management with timely input on staffing gaps, capability needs, and investments required to execute sector plans and project commitments.
• Coach and mentor project managers and principal investigators in project management practices. Provide line managers with actionable performance feedback and input on professional development and succession planning.
• Identify recurring delivery challenges, capture lessons learned and improve proposal and execution processes. Tailor management practices and support arrangements to strengthen delivery across the portfolio.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS/BA and 13+ years of project management experience in a government or federally funded environment -OR-
• MS/MA or higher and 11 years of project management experience in a government or federally funded environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education or experience in chemistry, materials science, computational science, mathematics, physics, or a related scientific or engineering discipline.
• Experience leading or overseeing a portfolio of complex research projects or programs, including fundamental research supported by the DOE Office of Science.
• Demonstrated ability to manage project risk, cost, schedule, resources, and technical quality while accommodating the uncertainty inherent in scientific research.
• Experience developing and reviewing research proposals, cost estimates, Field Work Proposals, and Project Management Plans, and translating sponsor commitments into executable project plans.
• Experience working with principal investigators, project managers, line management, sponsors, and business and operational organizations to resolve delivery issues and align resources with project needs.
• Knowledge of laboratory and facility operations, research hazards, and applicable safety, security, quality, and compliance requirements; experience incorporating these requirements into project planning and execution.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across organizational boundaries, communicate with senior leaders and sponsors, and implement improvements in project management practices.
• Experience mentoring project managers, developing project management capability, and providing constructive staff performance feedback.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or demonstrated equivalent project management knowledge and competency.
• Completion of PNNL’s Project Management Development Program, Management and Supervisory Development Program, Executive Leadership Program, or comparable professional development.

Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment

Not Applicable

Additional Information

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.

A security clearance background investigation includes review of your employment, education, financial, and criminal history, as well as interviews with you and your personal references, neighbors, and co-workers to determine trustworthiness, reliability, and loyalty to the United States. The investigation also examines your foreign connections, drug and alcohol use, foreign influence, and overall conduct.

Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
• Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).

Note: Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy if non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months cannot be demonstrated.

Testing Designated Position

This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.

About PNNL

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