Project Manager

Synectics Inc.; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Plan

Job summary

Synectics Inc. is seeking a Functional GCM Project Manager to provide dedicated execution support to R&D leaders. The role translates strategies into workforce, change, onboarding and transition plans, ensuring issues are resolved before impacting implementation.

Senior staff may lead cross-functional execution with the GCM program, while junior resources provide project management and coordination support within the same scope.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated project or program management experience in a complex, global organization.
• Ability to manage multiple interconnected workstreams with significant dependencies.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to translate strategy into practical plans.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for executive materials.
• Ability to work with senior functional leaders and operational teams.
• Ability to identify risks, resolve ambiguity and drive issues to closure.
• Experience with workforce planning, organizational transformation or large-scale implementation preferred.
• Experience within pharmaceutical R&D or life sciences environments preferred.
• Able to move between strategy and execution, working across functions and geographies.
• Hands-on implementation leadership and structured problem-solving.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary execution partner to one or more Functional GCM Leads.
• Independently lead integrated functional planning and execution.
• Drive resolution of complex cross-functional dependencies and issues.
• Challenge assumptions and identify gaps in functional implementation plans.
• Lead development of business cases, executive materials and decision recommendations.
• Facilitate senior stakeholder discussions and drive decisions to closure.
• Direct and coordinate work performed by more junior project management resources where applicable.
• Represent the functional workstream in broader GCM governance and integration discussions.
• Support development and maintenance of workforce, change, onboarding and transition plans.
• Coordinate onboarding readiness and transition support activities.
• Track risks and issues and drive follow-up with responsible owners.

Skills

Project management

Global coordination

Cross-functional

Strategic planning

Executive stakeholder management

Change management

Workforce planning

Knowledge transfer

Communication

Risk management

Job description

• The Functional GCM Project Management role will provide dedicated execution support to one or more R&D Functional Leaders.
• The role will help translate functional strategies and designs into executable workforce, change, onboarding and transition plans and ensure that issues are identified and resolved before they disrupt implementation.
• The R&D GCM Lead will be the hiring manager for these positions and deploy the new team members to the R&D functions.
• This is a hands‑on role requiring strong project management, structured problem solving and the ability to work across global functions, HR, Talent Acquisition, Finance, local site teams and other GCM workstreams.
• The role may be filled at different levels of seniority. Senior resources will lead the work with Functional GCM Leads and independently drive cross-functional execution. More junior resources will provide project management, analysis and coordination support within the same areas of responsibility.
• Partner with Functional GCM Leads to translate approved functional strategies and organization designs into practical execution plans.
• Maintain an integrated view of functional milestones, dependencies, decisions, risks and issues across workforce build, change, onboarding and transition activities.
• Connect functional execution with the broader GCM program and identify dependencies requiring coordination across R&D functions, GCM sites or enterprise teams.
• Ensure emerging execution issues are surfaced early, with clear options and recommendations for resolution.
• R&D HQ Transition Support and Hypercare
• Establish and operate a high-touch transition support process for functions moving work, building new teams or implementing new operating models.
• Provide a clear point of coordination for transition issues raised by functional leaders, managers and new teams.
• Triage issues quickly, connect them to the appropriate owner and drive follow-through until resolution.
• Identify recurring issues and patterns that indicate broader gaps in processes, policies, onboarding, technology or site readiness and elevate them through the GCM program.
• The objective is not simply to track issues, but to remove friction and reduce execution risk during periods of significant organizational change.
• Onboarding and Operational Readiness
• Partner with Functional GCM Leads, hiring managers and local India and Poland Knowledge Transfer PMs teams to prepare for successful onboarding of new employees and teams.
• Coordinate functional readiness for hiring cohorts, including manager preparation, local orientation, access and tools, role onboarding and other dependencies required for employees to become productive.
• Work closely with dedicated Knowledge Transfer PMs while maintaining clear separation between overall functional implementation and detailed knowledge-transfer execution.
• Ensure dependencies between hiring, onboarding, knowledge transfer and operational readiness are visible and managed.
• Workforce and Hiring Planning
• Support Functional GCM Leads in finalizing workforce and hiring plans, including roles, locations, timing, sequencing and hiring waves.
• Maintain accurate functional demand and hiring plans and reconcile changes with Talent Acquisition, HR and the central GCM workforce planning process.
• Track progress from approved workforce demand through requisition launch, recruiting and hiring, highlighting risks to planned timing or workforce assumptions.
• Help identify practical adjustments to sequencing, role profiles or hiring plans when market conditions or execution performance differ from assumptions.
• Change and Communications
• Support development and execution of divisional and functional change and communication plans associated with GCM implementation.
• Work with Functional GCM Leads, HR and Communications to identify affected stakeholder groups, key messages, leadership engagement needs, manager support and employee readiness activities.
• Coordinate functional change activities with the broader R&D GCM narrative and site-level communications.
• Track change readiness, emerging concerns and adoption risks and ensure they are addressed through the appropriate functional or program channels.
• Business Cases and Functional Design Support
• Support development of business cases for new or evolving functional GCM designs.
• Coordinate collection and analysis of workforce, cost, timing, organizational and operational assumptions required to assess proposed designs.
• Work with Functional GCM Leads, Finance, HR and the broader GCM team to prepare materials for design reviews and investment decisions.
• Maintain traceability between approved business‑case assumptions and subsequent execution plans.
• Senior Project Management Resource in collaboration with the R&D GCM Program Lead and GCM PMO Lead, senior resources will:
• Serve as the primary execution partner to one or more Functional GCM Leads.
• Independently lead integrated functional planning and execution.
• Drive resolution of complex cross‑functional dependencies and issues.
• Challenge assumptions and identify gaps in functional implementation plans.
• Lead development of business cases, executive materials and decision recommendations.
• Facilitate senior stakeholder discussions and drive decisions to closure.
• Direct and coordinate work performed by more junior project management resources where applicable.
• Represent the functional workstream in broader GCM governance and integration discussions.
• Project Manager in collaboration with the R&D GCM Program Lead and R&D GCM PMO Lead, junior PM resources will:
• Support development and maintenance of workforce, change, onboarding and transition plans.
• Coordinate meetings, inputs, actions, decisions and dependencies across stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate execution tracking and prepare status and decision materials.
• Perform analysis supporting workforce plans, business cases and implementation decisions.
• Coordinate onboarding readiness and transition support activities.
• Track risks and issues and drive follow‑up with responsible owners.
• Escalate emerging execution concerns to the senior PM or Functional GCM Lead.

Key Responsibilities

• The Functional GCM Project Management role will provide dedicated execution support to one or more R&D Functional Leaders.
• The role will help translate functional strategies and designs into executable workforce, change, onboarding and transition plans and ensure that issues are identified and resolved before they disrupt implementation.
• The R&D GCM Lead will be the hiring manager for these positions and deploy the new team members to the R&D functions.
• This is a hands‑on role requiring strong project management, structured problem solving and the ability to work across global functions, HR, Talent Acquisition, Finance, local site teams and other GCM workstreams.
• The role may be filled at different levels of seniority. Senior resources will lead the work with Functional GCM Leads and independently drive cross‑functional execution. More junior resources will provide project management, analysis and coordination support within the same areas of responsibility.
• Partner with Functional GCM Leads to translate approved functional strategies and organization designs into practical execution plans.
• Maintain an integrated view of functional milestones, dependencies, decisions, risks and issues across workforce build, change, onboarding and transition activities.
• Connect functional execution with the broader GCM program and identify dependencies requiring coordination across R&D functions, GCM sites or enterprise teams.
• Ensure emerging execution issues are surfaced early, with clear options and recommendations for resolution.
• R&D HQ Transition Support and Hypercare
• Establish and operate a high-touch transition support process for functions moving work, building new teams or implementing new operating models.
• Provide a clear point of coordination for transition issues raised by functional leaders, managers and new teams.
• Triage issues quickly, connect them to the appropriate owner and drive follow-through until resolution.
• Identify recurring issues and patterns that indicate broader gaps in processes, policies, onboarding, technology or site readiness and elevate them through the GCM program.
• The objective is not simply to track issues, but to remove friction and reduce execution risk during periods of significant organizational change.
• Onboarding and Operational Readiness
• Partner with Functional GCM Leads, hiring managers and local India and Poland Knowledge Transfer PMs teams to prepare for successful onboarding of new employees and teams.
• Coordinate functional readiness for hiring cohorts, including manager preparation, local orientation, access and tools, role onboarding and other dependencies required for employees to become productive.
• Work closely with dedicated Knowledge Transfer PMs while maintaining clear separation between overall functional implementation and detailed knowledge-transfer execution.
• Ensure dependencies between hiring, onboarding, knowledge transfer and operational readiness are visible and managed.
• Workforce and Hiring Planning
• Support Functional GCM Leads in finalizing workforce and hiring plans, including roles, locations, timing, sequencing and hiring waves.
• Maintain accurate functional demand and hiring plans and reconcile changes with Talent Acquisition, HR and the central GCM workforce planning process.
• Track progress from approved workforce demand through requisition launch, recruiting and hiring, highlighting risks to planned timing or workforce assumptions.
• Help identify practical adjustments to sequencing, role profiles or hiring plans when market conditions or execution performance differ from assumptions.
• Change and Communications
• Support development and execution of divisional and functional change and communication plans associated with GCM implementation.
• Work with Functional GCM Leads, HR and Communications to identify affected stakeholder groups, key messages, leadership engagement needs, manager support and employee readiness activities.
• Coordinate functional change activities with the broader R&D GCM narrative and site-level communications.
• Track change readiness, emerging concerns and adoption risks and ensure they are addressed through the appropriate functional or program channels.
• Business Cases and Functional Design Support
• Support development of business cases for new or evolving functional GCM designs.
• Coordinate collection and analysis of workforce, cost, timing, organizational and operational assumptions required to assess proposed designs.
• Work with Functional GCM Leads, Finance, HR and the broader GCM team to prepare materials for design reviews and investment decisions.
• Maintain traceability between approved business‑case assumptions and subsequent execution plans.
• Senior Project Management Resource in collaboration with the R&D GCM Program Lead and GCM PMO Lead, senior resources will:
• Serve as the primary execution partner to one or more Functional GCM Leads.
• Independently lead integrated functional planning and execution.
• Drive resolution of complex cross‑functional dependencies and issues.
• Challenge assumptions and identify gaps in functional implementation plans.
• Lead development of business cases, executive materials and decision recommendations.
• Facilitate senior stakeholder discussions and drive decisions to closure.
• Direct and coordinate work performed by more junior project management resources where applicable.
• Represent the functional workstream in broader GCM governance and integration discussions.
• Project Manager in collaboration with the R&D GCM Program Lead and R&D GCM PMO Lead, junior PM resources will:
• Support development and maintenance of workforce, change, onboarding and transition plans.
• Coordinate meetings, inputs, actions, decisions and dependencies across stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate execution tracking and prepare status and decision materials.
• Perform analysis supporting workforce plans, business cases, and implementation decisions.
• Coordinate onboarding readiness and transition support activities.
• Track risks and issues and drive follow‑up with responsible owners.
• Escalate emerging execution concerns to the senior PM or Functional GCM Lead.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated project or program management experience in a complex, global organization.
• Ability to manage multiple interconnected workstreams with significant organizational and stakeholder dependencies.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to translate strategy or organization design into practical implementation plans.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of clear executive-level materials.
• Ability to work effectively with senior functional leaders as well as operational teams.
• Demonstrated ability to identify risks, resolve ambiguity and drive issues to closure.
• Experience with workforce planning, organizational transformation, change management, business‑case development or large‑scale implementation preferred.
• Experience within pharmaceutical R&D, life sciences or another complex global operating environment preferred but not required.
• Able to move comfortably between strategy and execution. They should be highly organized without becoming process‑heavy, able to work through ambiguity, willing to challenge plans that are not executable, and effective at building relationships across functions and geographies.
• They must be comfortable operating in an environment where design and execution are occurring simultaneously and where priorities, workforce assumptions and implementation approaches will continue to evolve as the program progresses.
• Pharmaceutical R&D Management Consulting / Transformation
• Relevant experience includes organizational design, operating‑model transformation, capability redesign, workforce strategy, implementation planning, and large-scale organizational change.
• Personally led or substantially contributed to complex R&D transformation work, understand how to structure ambiguous problems, and have experience driving implementation‑not just developing recommendations and presentations.
• Pharmaceutical Development Experience / Operating-Model Transformation
• Relevant functional backgrounds include Clinical Operations, Clinical Data Sciences, Regulatory Affairs, R&D Quality, and other Development functions.
• Workforce Transition Planning & Execution - Relevant experience includes workforce planning, organizational transitions, large‑scale hiring and onboarding, knowledge transfer, transfer of responsibilities between locations, operational readiness, and transition stabilization.
• Hands‑on implementation leadership
• Structured problem-solving
• Senior stakeholder engagement and influence
• Integrated execution judgment
• Business continuity and risk management

Benefits

• Healthcare Insurance: Synectics offers eligible employees and their dependents healthcare coverage through BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois. Eligibility begins on the 1st day of the calendar month following 60 days of continuous full time employment with Synectics. Premiums are subsidized by Synectics.
• Dental Insurance: Synectics offers eligible employees and their dependents a dental plan through MetLife. Eligibility begins on the 1st day of the calendar month following 60 days of continuous full time employment with Synectics.
• Vision Insurance: Synectics offers eligible employees vision insurance through VSP. Eligibility begins on the 1st day of the calendar month following 60 days of continuous full time employment with Synectics.
• 401(k) Plan: The Synectics Inc. Investment Savings Retirement Plan. Synectics offers all employees who are 21 years of age or older the opportunity to invest in the 401(k) Plan on the first of the month following at least 1 calendar year after employment begins.

Synectics is an equal opportunity employer.