R&D Program Manager (opens in new tab)

Project Management Institute, Inc.; Horsham (PA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Project Management Institute, Inc. in Horsham, PA seeks an experienced R&D Program Manager responsible for end-to-end program management and cross-functional coordination of complex R&D and enterprise initiatives.

This role leads planning, readiness, deployment, and adoption from concept through implementation and transition into routine operations. Within R&D, the position owns the overall management of new test and service initiatives across their full lifecycle, ensuring alignment

Qualifications

• Lead large, complex programs spanning multiple interconnected initiatives from planning through implementation and adoption.
• Strong program and project planning, risk management, issue resolution, resource management, and dependency management skills.
• Ability to balance strategic objectives with tactical execution.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent initiatives, interdependencies, and competing priorities.
• Experience leading cross-functional implementation and organizational change initiatives.
• Ability to coordinate training, communications, stakeholder engagement, and adoption planning.

Responsibilities

• Lead portfolio planning, prioritization, and resource alignment across the R&D portfolio.
• Own overall management and cross-functional coordination of new R&D test and service initiatives from scoping through development, validation, operational readiness, launch, and transition into routine operations.
• Lead launch of new tests and services, including regulatory approvals, business and operational setup, laboratory implementation, training coordination, stakeholder communications, and client-facing rollout activities.
• Maintain alignment among R&D, Laboratory Operations, Quality, Client Services, IT, Finance, and executive leadership, including cross-functional dependencies, risks, resource constraints, and organizational impacts.
• Monitor implementation and post-launch activities to ensure successful transition into routine operations and achievement of intended business outcomes.
• As capacity allows, lead enterprise business initiatives spanning Finance, Client Services, Quality, Toxicology, Commercial Operations, and other functions.
• Develop and maintain program plans, implementation plans, readiness assessments, project documentation, status reports, and executive communications.
• Identify cross-functional risks, dependencies, resource constraints, and organizational impacts; develop mitigation plans.
• Support business case development, initiative prioritization, resource planning, governance, and executive decision-making.

Skills

Program leadership

Project leadership

Risk management

Resource management

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Portfolio management

Communication

Data analysis

Tools

Jira

SharePoint

MS Excel

MS PowerPoint

MS Word

Job description

This position is responsible for the end-to-end program management and cross-functional coordination of complex R&D and enterprise initiatives. The R&D Program Manager leads planning, communication, readiness, training, deployment, and adoption activities required to move strategic initiatives from concept through implementation and transition into routine operations.

Within R&D, the position owns the overall management of new test and service initiatives across the full lifecycle, from portfolio planning and scoping through development, validation, operational readiness, launch, and transition into routine operations. The R&D Project Manager provides dedicated project management support during development and validation, while the R&D Program Manager maintains overall program management and end-to-end accountability for the initiative.

R&D portfolio and program responsibilities are the primary focus of the role. As capacity allows, the position may also lead major enterprise initiatives that span multiple business functions and fall outside the traditional IT, R&D Development, or Laboratory Operations project portfolios, including executive-sponsored initiatives, business transformation, organizational change, process improvement, and enterprise system implementations. This is a program leadership position intended for an established program management professional; project management experience alone does not meet the requirements of the role.

R&D Portfolio & Operational Readiness

• Partner with R&D leadership and intake teams to lead portfolio planning, prioritization, and resource alignment across the R&D portfolio.
• Own the overall management and cross-functional coordination of new R&D test and service initiatives from scoping through development, validation, operational readiness, launch, and transition into routine operations.
• Lead the launch of new tests and services, including regulatory approvals, business and operational setup, laboratory implementation, training coordination, stakeholder communications, and client-facing rollout activities.
• Maintain alignment among R&D, Laboratory Operations, Quality, Client Services, IT, Finance, and executive leadership, including management of cross-functional dependencies, risks, resource constraints, and organizational impacts.
• Monitor implementation and post-launch activities to ensure successful transition into routine operations and achievement of intended business outcomes.

Enterprise Program Management

• As capacity allows, lead enterprise business initiatives that span multiple departments, including Finance, Client Services, Quality, Toxicology, Commercial Operations, and other business functions.
• Manage program scope, schedules, resources, risks, issues, dependencies, communications, and stakeholder engagement for assigned programs and business initiatives.
• Develop and maintain program plans, implementation plans, readiness assessments, project documentation, status reports, and executive communications.
• Identify cross-functional risks, dependencies, resource constraints, and organizational impacts and work with stakeholders to develop mitigation plans.
• Support business case development, initiative prioritization, resource planning, governance, and executive decision-making activities.
• Carry assigned programs and initiatives through implementation and ensure they achieve intended business outcomes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Program & Project Leadership
  • Demonstrated ability to lead large, complex programs involving multiple interconnected initiatives or workstreams from planning through implementation and adoption
  • Strong program and project planning, risk management, issue resolution, resource management, and dependency management skills
  • Ability to balance strategic objectives with tactical execution
  • Experience managing multiple concurrent initiatives, interdependencies, and competing priorities
• Operational Readiness & Implementation
  • Experience leading cross-functional implementation and organizational change initiatives.
  • Ability to coordinate training, communications, stakeholder engagement, and adoption planning
  • Understanding of change-management principles and implementation best practices
  • Experience supporting regulatory, quality, and operational requirements associated with new test, service, or project launches
• Business & Portfolio Management
  • Ability to evaluate and resolve business priorities, resource constraints, and organizational impacts
  • Strong business process analysis and continuous improvement skills
  • Experience supporting and driving portfolio planning, prioritization, and governance discussions
  • Ability to identify and lead opportunities for operational efficiencies and process improvements
• Communication & Relationship Management
  • Strong facilitation, presentation, and communication skills
  • Ability to work effectively across all levels of the organization, including executive leadership
  • Skilled at building consensus among diverse stakeholder groups
  • Ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable recommendations
• Technical & Analytical Skills
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
  • Experience using project and portfolio management tools
  • Proficient in Microsoft 365 applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and SharePoint, as well as Jira
  • Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and support data-driven decision-making

Physical Demands

• Ability to talk, hear, stand, reach with the hands and arms, and use the hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, office equipment, objects, or tools
• Ability to travel to remote sites by airplane, ground transportation or driving
• Moving from one work location to another to sit and stand, sometimes for extended periods of time
• Specific vision abilities (with correction) including color, distance, peripheral, depth, and the ability to adjust focus