Senior Director, Project Management - Health & Life Sciences (Remote, US-based only)

Escalent is an award-winning data analytics and advisory firm that helps clients understand human and market behaviors to navigate disruption. The Senior Director, Project Management leads the Project Management functions for Escalent Global Health & Life Sciences, ensuring that client work is delivered on time and at a high level of quality while managing multiple project management teams.

Responsibilities:

• Own the short- to mid-term execution of the Project Management functional strategy for Escalent Health & Life Sciences, translating business priorities into operational plans, goals, and measurable outcomes
• Provide operational direction for a global department that includes multiple project management teams led by Managers and/or Team Leaders
• Set department-level goals, objectives, operating expectations, and performance measures to support project delivery, quality, financial stewardship, client service, and team development
• Lead, coach, and develop Managers and/or Team Leaders, ensuring they are equipped to guide their teams, manage priorities, address performance needs, and build project management capability
• Ensure Project Management policies, practices, procedures, compliance expectations, pharmacovigilance, including audit readiness, and quality standards are understood, adopted, and consistently followed by direct reports, team members, vendors, clients, and stakeholders
• Oversee end-to-end Global Primary Research Health & Life Sciences project delivery across multiple teams and client engagements, ensuring effective project kickoff, timeline planning, scope management, budget monitoring, resource coordination, vendor management, and milestone/client communications
• Partner with leaders across Insights & Consulting, Sales & Strategic Growth, Operations, Finance, and Centers of Excellence to support accurate bids, cost estimates, resource plans, delivery approaches, and business priorities
• Serve as a senior project management leader who ensures the function 'keeps the trains on schedule,' with department-level oversight of scope, time, cost, quality, resources, and risk
• Communicate and influence executive leadership on project delivery priorities, operational risks, resource needs, process improvements, and recommended practices or approaches
• Influence clients, colleagues, vendors, Managers, Team Leaders, and senior stakeholders to align around effective project management practices, delivery standards, and solutions
• Provide consultative project management guidance to clients and internal leaders, leveraging expertise in Escalent solutions, research operations, Health & Life Sciences delivery models, and project execution
• Identify, investigate, and resolve complex operational and project delivery issues related to timelines, scope, budget, quality, pharmacovigilance, staffing, vendor performance, stakeholder alignment, or client expectations
• Use data, tools, analysis, stakeholder input, and sound judgment to evaluate complex problems, determine root causes, assess options, and recommend practical solutions
• Drive consistent project management practices, documentation standards, status reporting, risk management, financial stewardship, and continuous process improvement across the department
• Maintain accountability for project financial performance, including budget management, margin considerations, resource utilization, and cost-effective delivery approaches
• Anticipate operational risks and capacity needs across the department, recommending adjustments to priorities, staffing, workflow, process, or escalation paths as needed

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field required
• Typically requires 10+ years of project management, research operations, consulting, healthcare, life sciences, data collection, or related professional services experience, including experience leading teams or functions
• Demonstrated ability to translate functional strategy into operating plans, department goals, resource approaches, and measurable outcomes
• Strong experience managing complex project delivery issues, including scope, schedule, budget, quality, stakeholder alignment, vendor performance, and resource constraints
• Proven ability to communicate with and influence executive leadership, senior stakeholders, clients, cross-functional partners, and teams to adopt effective practices and approaches
• Strong expertise in project financial management, vendor management, research operations, project execution, and continuous process improvement, with extensive experience implementing compliant operational processes and partnering with internal subject matter experts (SMEs) to ensure adherence to corporate policies, client requirements, life sciences regulations, and industry standards
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as AI tools and software
• Advanced degree preferred
• Experience managing Managers, Team Leaders, or multiple global project teams is highly preferred
• Breadth of research methodology knowledge and experience, including quantitative, qualitative, and/or data collection methodologies. Experience within Health & Life Sciences research environments is preferred
• PMP certification or formal project management training preferred
• Experience with project management software is preferred