Sr. Director of Project Management

Indianapolis, IN

We are the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI). We are a leading translational research institute that advances academic and industry science through collaboration to improve patient health outcomes. Building your career at the IBRI in Indianapolis’ 16 Tech Innovation District, means being part of a team of renowned scientists, creative thinkers, and innovative leaders.

 Today’s research is being driven by significant advances in our abilities to study complex disease processes and propose new ways to improve patients’ lives. To reflect the evolving nature of life sciences research and encourage synergies through collaboration, we’re enhancing our integrated capabilities, adding depth to how we approach patient-informed translational science and pursuing four foundational areas of scientific focus. These four areas will provide us the core talent and capability to pursue translational science in this new patient-centric framework:

  • Disease, Systems, Pathways – We’re working to better understand diabetes and identify new ways to combat the disease. We’re applying this learning to other diseases that share common systems and pathways.
  • Molecular Innovation – We’re developing new capabilities for molecular design and drug discovery to investigate disease processes and pursue new therapeutic approaches.
  • Integrated Data Sciences – We’re pursuing advanced data sciences to create novel end-user inspired solutions that address complex analysis, simulation, and prediction across the translational sciences.
  • Enabling Technologies – We’re building a rich platform of enabling technologies that give our scientists, partners, and collaborators access to the best tools to solve complex scientific problems.

The IBRI’s vision is to build a world-class organization of researchers, innovators and business professionals that catalyze activities across the Indiana (and beyond) life sciences community. To achieve that vision, we look for curious and collaborative team members who are energized by innovation, guided by integrity, and inspired by diversity.

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a Director of Project Management to build and establish a Project Management function within the IBRI. This role will have a range of responsibilities centered around coordination, communication, data management, and relationship management for the portfolio of IBRI projects. These responsibilities require a combination of scientific knowledge, project management skills, and relationship management.

Key Responsibilities:

Scientific Project Management

  • Establishing a Project Management Function: The Director of Project Management with work with IBRI executive leadership, scientific leadership and administrative functions to establish a Project Management function to manage a portfolio of internal and collaborative projects.
  • Managing a Portfolio of Projects: The Director of Project Management would be responsible for working with IBRI technical leaders to manage a portfolio of projects.  This could involve arranging and leading meetings, facilitating discussions, and documenting and communicating results.
  • Establishment of Target Data Packages (TDPs): The Director of Project Management would be responsible to work with IBRI project leaders to define the TDPs for the various stages of the drug discovery pathway (ie Target Validate, Lead and Candidate).  TDPs are a comprehensive set of attributes a program must achieve along the translational and commercialization pathway.
  • Achieving Milestones: The Director of Project Management would be responsible for ensuring that IBRI projects are progressing according to plan and that key milestones are being achieved on schedule. This requires tracking the project's progress, identifying and addressing any issues or delays, and adjusting plans, as necessary. It also involves regularly reporting progress to IBRI executive leadership.

Operational Excellence 

  • Leading Project Team Meetings: The Director of Project Management would be responsible for organizing and facilitating project team meetings, which aim to integrate the work of various technical cores, and/or teams. Most importantly the Director of Project Management will be responsible for guiding the conversation and making sure the team's activities align with the project's objectives. This responsibility also requires understanding the scientific content discussed during these meetings, interpreting data, and asking relevant questions. The Director of Project Management would also need to resolve any conflicts that might arise and ensure that all team members have a chance to contribute.

Relationship Management

  • Contract Research Organizations (CROs): The Director may act as the primary point of contact with CROs working on behalf of the project team. This task requires excellent interpersonal skills, negotiation skills, and an understanding of contract management. The Director of Project Management may also need to monitor the CROs' performance and handle any issues that arise, ensuring that the quality of work meets the project's standards.

Job Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in scientific discipline PLUS minimum 8+ years of scientific project management experience OR Master’s Degree in scientific discipline PLUS minimum of 4 years of scientific project management experience.
  • Minimum of 2 years of experience working with Contract Research Organizations (CROs).
  • Previous experience working across matrixed organizations.
  • Superior organizational and business acumen skills.
  • Experience with non-profit organizations preferred.
  • Demonstrated independent judgement, good discretion, and decision-making skills.
  • Must possess cultural awareness, strong relationship management skills and emotional intelligence.
  • Extensive experience with MS Office suite, Teams, and Outlook.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

 Equal Employment Opportunity:

The IBRI provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.