Head of Research Project and Portfolio Management

Biogen•Cambridge, MA

5d•$200,000 - $275,000

About The Position

The Head of Research Project and Portfolio Management will lead project planning, execution, and portfolio management practices to optimize the delivery of Biogen’s Research portfolio, spanning from early stage discovery through IND filing. This role is accountable for shaping portfolio strategy and optimization by creating a common understanding of the state of the Research portfolio including value, risks, and upcoming inflection points; by driving clarity and alignment on key imperatives to progress and evolve the portfolio; and by ensuring that portfolio priorities and resourcing align to organizational objectives. This role will also build and scale a Research project management and reporting function, leading the successful translation of strategy into execution. Working in an open innovation model, the role will ensure high-quality project plans, risk management, and operational excellence for internal projects and external therapeutic collaborations. This position requires an agile, visionary leader with deep experience in portfolio strategy, project management, and organizational design, capable of fostering a culture of strategic clarity, accountability, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline is required; an advanced degree (e.g., MS, PhD, MBA) in a relevant field of study is strongly preferred.
Minimum of 12 years of experience in portfolio strategy, portfolio management, and project management within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
Comprehensive understanding of drug discovery processes, including target identification and validation, lead selection and optimization, pharmacology, and translational science.
Demonstrated ability to drive strategic clarity and alignment on portfolio priorities.
Proven ability to successfully build and scale a PPM function, including organizational design and process development.
Strong expertise in project management methodologies and software, portfolio reporting tools and analytics, and decision frameworks.
Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and motivate a high-performing team.
Agile and adaptable to changing priorities and evolving information while maintaining a focus on results and accountability.
Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage, inform, and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Familiarity with external collaboration models and alliance management.

Nice To Haves

Scientific experience in neuroscience, immune-mediated diseases, or rare disease is highly desirable.
Demonstrated experience in applying AI/ML or other advanced computational tools for portfolio management or optimization.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain a strategic framework for guiding Research portfolio composition.
Drive alignment and clarity in Research portfolio strategy through regular reviews of portfolio composition, health, prioritization, trade-offs, and scenario planning.
Oversee the implementation and optimization of portfolio reporting processes, tools, and analytics to enable transparency of program status, activities, timelines, and resourcing.
Establish, lead, and mentor a team of exceptional project managers with skills tailored for discovery research through IND filing.
Foster a collaborative, results-oriented, and supportive team environment, promoting knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
Provide oversight to ensure the development of high-quality project plans that translate project strategies into clear objectives, deliverables, timelines, decision trees, and resourcing needs for both internal research efforts and external therapeutic collaborations.
Implement a robust risk management capability at the project and portfolio level.
Foster a high-performance project team culture in Research based on accountability, data-driven rigor, agility, collaboration, and psychological safety.
Cultivate advanced PPM capabilities and tools such as portfolio modeling and AL/ML-aided workflows, leveraging industry best practices.
Contribute to organizational strategic planning processes through insights gained from portfolio performance and project trends.
Build and optimize processes and best practices for project handoffs to the Development project management organization.

Benefits

Medical, Dental, Vision, & Life insurances
Fitness & Wellness programs including a fitness reimbursement
Short- and Long-Term Disability insurance
A minimum of 15 days of paid vacation and an additional end-of-year shutdown time off (Dec 26-Dec 31)
Up to 12 company paid holidays + 3 paid days off for Personal Significance
80 hours of sick time per calendar year
Paid Maternity and Parental Leave benefit
401(k) program participation with company matched contributions
Employee stock purchase plan
Tuition reimbursement of up to $10,000 per calendar year
Employee Resource Groups participation