Senior Project/Program Director (Pharmaceutical - Construction)

Cumming Group; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 168,300 - 235,633; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k)

401(k) Matching

Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

Disability Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Cumming Group is seeking a Senior Project Director to act as owner's representative for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing capital program in Houston, TX. You will lead a portfolio of concurrent projects, ensuring strategic direction and accountability across scope, cost, schedule, safety, quality, risk and readiness.

The ideal candidate has led projects >$100M and brings deep experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing facilities, working on-site at client locations.

Qualifications

• Ability to provide executive oversight across multiple concurrent projects and interdependent workstreams.
• Strong command of project governance, project controls, integrated scheduling, forecasting, risk management, contingency and change control.
• Deep understanding of pharmaceutical facility design, construction, commissioning, qualification, validation, start‑up and operational turnover.
• Strong commercial and contractual judgement, including procurement strategy, contractor performance, negotiations, claims and dispute resolution.
• Working knowledge of GMP, OSHA, environmental, permitting and process‑safety requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive oversight for a portfolio of major capital projects and interdependent workstreams.
• Represent the client's interests throughout design, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, start‑up and turnover.
• Lead Project Directors, Project Managers, consultants, contractors, vendors and functional project teams.
• Establish portfolio governance, execution strategies, reporting requirements, decision pathways and escalation protocols.
• Integrate project scope, schedules, budgets, risks, resources and cross‑project dependencies into a coordinated execution plan.
• Maintain accountability for portfolio cost, schedule, safety, quality and delivery performance.
• Review project plans, forecasts, schedules, risk registers, change requests and recovery strategies, intervening when performance is at risk.
• Lead resolution of significant technical, commercial, contractual, construction and stakeholder issues.
• Direct value engineering, constructability, design optimisation and life‑cycle‑cost initiatives.
• Ensure project delivery aligns with client standards, manufacturing requirements, GMP expectations and applicable regulatory and safety requirements.
• Oversee contracting and procurement strategies, contractor performance, commercial negotiations, claims and change management.
• Align engineering, construction, quality, validation, operations, maintenance and environmental health and safety stakeholders.
• Provide executive reporting on progress, financial performance, risk exposure, critical decisions and corrective actions.
• Ensure facilities and systems are commissioned, qualified, documented and ready for start‑up and operational turnover.
• Develop and mentor project leadership while driving accountability and consistent execution across the portfolio.

Skills

Executive oversight

Governance & controls

Scheduling & forecasting

Pharmaceutical facility knowledge

Contractual judgement

EHS & GMP familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related

Job description

At Cumming Group, you will work on some of the world's most exciting projects in a dynamic environment where your success is measured by the impact you make. We are one of the fastest‑growing project and cost management consultancies in the United States, as reflected in our top 10 rankings in ENR. With over 60 offices globally, an extremely diverse project portfolio, and double‑digit year‑over‑year revenue growth, the opportunities to make your mark are limitless!

The Senior Project Director will serve as the owner's representative for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing capital program in Houston, TX. This role will lead a portfolio of concurrent projects, providing strategic direction and accountability across scope, cost, schedule, safety, quality, risk and operational readiness. The ideal candidate has led individual project scopes exceeding $100 million and brings deep experience delivering complex pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing facilities. This position requires a consistent on‑site presence at the client location.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Provide executive oversight for a portfolio of major capital projects and interdependent workstreams.
• Represent the client's interests throughout design, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, start‑up and turnover.
• Lead Project Directors, Project Managers, consultants, contractors, vendors and functional project teams.
• Establish portfolio governance, execution strategies, reporting requirements, decision pathways and escalation protocols.
• Integrate project scope, schedules, budgets, risks, resources and cross‑project dependencies into a coordinated execution plan.
• Maintain accountability for portfolio cost, schedule, safety, quality and delivery performance.
• Review project plans, forecasts, schedules, risk registers, change requests and recovery strategies, intervening when performance is at risk.
• Lead resolution of significant technical, commercial, contractual, construction and stakeholder issues.
• Direct value engineering, constructability, design optimisation and life‑cycle‑cost initiatives.
• Ensure project delivery aligns with client standards, manufacturing requirements, GMP expectations and applicable regulatory and safety requirements.
• Oversee contracting and procurement strategies, contractor performance, commercial negotiations, claims and change management.
• Align engineering, construction, quality, validation, operations, maintenance and environmental health and safety stakeholders.
• Provide executive reporting on progress, financial performance, risk exposure, critical decisions and corrective actions.
• Ensure facilities and systems are commissioned, qualified, documented and ready for start‑up and operational turnover.
• Develop and mentor project leadership while driving accountability and consistent execution across the portfolio.

Knowledge & Skills Required:

• Ability to provide executive oversight across multiple concurrent projects and interdependent workstreams.
• Strong command of project governance, project controls, integrated scheduling, forecasting, risk management, contingency and change control.
• Deep understanding of pharmaceutical facility design, construction, commissioning, qualification, validation, start‑up and operational turnover.
• Strong commercial and contractual judgement, including procurement strategy, contractor performance, negotiations, claims and dispute resolution.
• Working knowledge of GMP, OSHA, environmental, permitting and process‑safety requirements.
• Ability to align engineering, construction, quality, validation, operations, maintenance and EHS stakeholders around shared project objectives.
• Ability to identify emerging issues, make timely decisions and direct corrective or recovery strategies.
• Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, negotiation and team‑leadership capabilities.

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in engineering, Construction Management, Architecture or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 15+ years of progressive capital project leadership experience, including:
• Direct responsibility for individual project scopes exceeding $100 million.
• Leadership of multiple major projects or workstreams being executed concurrently.
• Owner's representative or comparable client‑side project leadership experience.
• Delivery of large, complex pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing projects.
• Experience with API, biologics, fill‑finish, advanced manufacturing, laboratory, pilot plant or similar regulated facilities is preferred.

Preferred Certification:

PMP, CCM, PE or comparable professional credential.

The salary range for this full‑time role is $168,300.00 – $235,633.37 per year. Ranges are determined based on the position, geography, client and industry experience and level, and represent a good faith effort to provide a fair and equitable salary. This range reflects base salary only, and not the total compensation package. Cumming Group reserves the right to pay more or less than the posted range, depending on a candidate's experience, skills and qualifications, including client requirements.

In addition to base salary, Cumming Group offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• 401(k)
• 401(k) Matching
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Short and long‑term disability
• Employee Assistance Program

Cumming Group is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunity in its personnel policies and practices. It is Cumming Group's policy to recruit, hire, train and promote Team Members and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, marital status, registered domestic partner status, genetic information, sexual preference, sexual orientation, gender (including gender expression and gender identity), pregnancy (including childbirth or related medical conditions, including breastfeeding), military service, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical disability, mental disability, veteran status or any other protected classification under federal, state or local law. All such decisions are based on (1) individual merit, qualifications and competence as they relate to the particular position, and (2) promotion of the principle of equal employment opportunity.

All other terms and conditions of employment, such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoff, return from layoff, training, education and social and recreational programs, are administered without regard to the characteristics described above. To this end, Cumming Group complies with all provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended, all of the rules, regulations and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor, and all similar state and local laws.