Director of Program Management & Planning

DM CLINICAL RESEARCH GROUP•Houston, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Program Management & Planning develops and directs project management operations and strategic planning to advance organizational goals and manage key external stakeholder relationships. The role oversees program management practices, project delivery, clinical trial performance, reporting, and continuous improvement. It also provides leadership, coaching, and technical support to project management staff and mid-level managers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 8 years of project management experience.
Experience interfacing with CROs and pharmaceutical companies, especially at a senior level.
Driven, goal-oriented attitude.
Ability to drive and assert with diplomacy.
Ability to strategize and solve problems.
Strong leadership and organizational skills.
Excellent communication and people skills.
Innate sense of urgency.
Strong knowledge of project management, planning, and portfolio management.
Problem-solving, critical-thinking, and creative-thinking skills.
Ability to think strategically and independently while taking a hands-on approach when needed.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Clinical trial management experience preferred.
Private-sector, site-side experience in industry-sponsored trials preferred.
PMP certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Seek implementation efficiencies to meet or exceed enrollment expectations established at project initiation.
Develop, implement, and govern program management processes, dashboards, templates, policies, and metrics.
Monitor key projects and anticipate, identify, and resolve roadblocks to project success.
Serve as a unified point of contact for executives and external stakeholders, providing timely and accurate project status information.
Work with executives to define project priorities, implementation opportunities, and challenges, and communicate project risks and opportunities.
Manage government project deliverables and tasks.
Coach and mentor project management practitioners and share best practices.
Provide project management staff with technical support and guidance on scope definition, risk identification and mitigation, resource planning, goals, and deliverables.
Build, measure, and report project management KPIs and lead continuous improvement.
Act as the key client contact for designated clinical projects and programs, developing relationships that support increased business volume.
Collaborate across functions in planning, executing, and overseeing key clinical trial projects, aligning work with organizational goals.
Manage information and communications for internal and external stakeholders across key clinical trial projects.
Implement a department-level organizational chart, build and mentor mid-level management, and optimize department operations and resource allocation.
Drive outcomes against key study milestones throughout the clinical trial journey.
Monitor and improve enrollment and data quality metrics in line with sponsor and senior management expectations.
Expedite study startup and support first-patient-first-visit (FPFV) outcomes across clinical trial projects.
Oversee project- and program-level reporting and collaborate with cross-functional teams on executive reports.
Serve as the key sponsor/CRO contact for designated clinical trial projects, maintain successful relationships, and focus on key deliverables.
Report project management KPIs and lead continuous improvement efforts.