Senior Program Manager, Medical Product Development

Research Triangle Institute•Durham, NC

8d•$160,000 - $215,000

About The Position

RTI International is seeking a Senior Program Manager with deep experience in therapeutic, medical device, or diagnostic product development to join its Global Health Technologies Group and support the NIH translational program. Catalyze advances promising medical technologies addressing heart, lung, blood, and sleep diseases and disorders through scientific expertise, product development support, and coordinated execution. The role assumes key program and portfolio management responsibilities as part of a planned leadership transition, overseeing a portfolio of concurrent drug, biologic, medical device, diagnostic, and combination product development projects. The Senior Program Manager works with RTI scientists, investigators, NIH stakeholders, contract research organizations, and consultants to turn development objectives into actionable plans, guide projects through milestones, and address challenges. The role also supports program knowledge transfer and stakeholder continuity. The position leads portfolio planning and execution, coordinates scientific and external partner contributions, and maintains communication, reporting, and financial oversight. It also supports technology scouting and ecosystem mapping related to AI, establishes metrics and feedback loops for AI adoption, and promotes responsible AI deployment aligned with governance expectations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific, engineering, or related field and 20 or more years of experience in medical device or therapeutic product development; or a master’s degree and 15 or more years of experience; or a PhD and 12 or more years of experience.
Experience developing therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, or combination products.
Demonstrated ability to plan and coordinate complex development activities and manage multiple projects or competing priorities simultaneously.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to synthesize scientific and technical information and communicate it clearly to varied audiences.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work successfully in multidisciplinary teams and across organizational boundaries.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and consistent follow-through.
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Project.
Legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring employment visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing NIH-funded translational research or product development programs.
Experience in preclinical and clinical product development.
Experience coordinating CROs, consultants, or other external development partners.
Familiarity with chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) and its relationship to broader product development plans.
Experience with technical or scientific writing, including proposals, study summaries, development reports, and stakeholder presentations.
Experience supporting program transitions, transferring institutional knowledge, or assuming responsibility for established project portfolios.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of concurrent medical product development projects, aligning scientific objectives, activities, timelines, resources, and budgets.
Work with multidisciplinary teams to define studies, tasks, deliverables, milestones, and dependencies.
Develop and maintain project plans, track progress, and ensure accountability for commitments and results.
Identify technical and operational risks, anticipate delays, and coordinate mitigation strategies with scientific experts and project partners.
Provide judgment on project priorities and execution, escalating issues requiring additional expertise, resources, or leadership decisions.
Support program transition through knowledge transfer, documentation, and continuity of stakeholder relationships.
Partner with investigators, RTI scientists, CRO staff, and consultants to plan development activities and finalize study protocols and procedures.
Coordinate contributions across scientific, technical, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercialization disciplines.
Facilitate activities across participating organizations, clarifying responsibilities and managing interdependencies.
Monitor external partner deliverables and work with project teams to resolve issues affecting quality, schedules, or development objectives.
Build and maintain productive relationships with clients, investigators, technical experts, and external service providers.
Maintain clear, timely communication across project teams, support resources, clients, and program stakeholders.
Prepare and lead project meetings, document decisions, and track action items through completion.
Research, synthesize, and summarize scientific and program information for external requests, proposals, reports, presentations, and meetings.
Communicate project status, risks, budget considerations, and decisions needed in a format that supports informed action.
Help develop and track project budgets, identify variances, and coordinate adjustments with appropriate team members.
Manage project-related conference calls, meetings, travel, and other logistics.
Support technology scouting and ecosystem mapping to monitor AI trends and inform strategic investment and partnership decisions.
Establish success metrics and feedback loops for AI adoption, track adoption, value realization, and readiness, and communicate progress to leadership and stakeholders.
Promote responsible AI deployment practices, including human-in-the-loop validation, risk-aware experimentation, and alignment with governance expectations.