Associate Director - Project Management

Job Title: Director - Project Management

About Syngene: Syngene (www.syngeneintl.com) is an innovation-led contract research, development and manufacturing organization offering integrated scientific services from early discovery to commercial supply.

At Syngene, safety is at the heart of everything we do personally and professionally. Syngene has placed safety at par with business performance with shared responsibility and accountability, including following safety guidelines, procedures, and SOPs, in letter and spirit.

Mandatory expectation for all roles as per Syngene safety guidelines

• Overall adherence to safe practices and procedures of oneself and respective teams.
• Contributing to the development of procedures, practices and systems that ensure safe operations and compliance with the company’s integrity & quality standards.
• Driving a corporate culture that promotes environment, health, and safety (EHS) mindset and operational discipline at the workplace.
• Ensuring safety of self, teams, and lab/plant by adhering to safety protocols and following environment, health, and safety (EHS) requirements always in the workplace.
• Ensure all assigned mandatory training related to data integrity, health, and safety measures are completed on time by all members of the team including self
• Compliance to Syngene’ s quality standards.
  
  
  

Core Purpose of the Role: The core purpose of the Director of Project Management is to lead strategic, client-facing initiatives within a complex CDMRO environment—ensuring seamless execution across development and manufacturing while serving as a trusted partner to both internal teams and external stakeholders. This role bridges business objectives with operational delivery, acting as both a project leader and product owner to drive measurable outcomes.

Role Accountabilities

• Executes and manages agreed client engagement models, which includes description of client management governance, agreements on routine operational communications /meetings, and periodic performance management discussions and business reviews
• Lead high-impact projects from initiation through delivery, including tech transfer, scale-up, commercial manufacturing and regulatory milestones
• Act as product owner for client-facing solutions, translating business needs into execution plans
• Participate actively on the site leadership team, contributing to strategic decision-making and cross-functional alignment
• Utilize operational excellence tools (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen) to drive process improvements, efficiency, and scalability
• Develop and implement robust project governance, risk management, and reporting frameworks managing communications from the front line levels up through the executive committee.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including R&D, Quality, Regulatory, Manufacturing, Business Development, Commercial, Facilities and Engineering to ensure seamless execution
• Drive strategic planning and resource allocation across the project portfolio
• Partner with the Business Development team to support proposal development, client onboarding, and strategic growth opportunities by providing project insights, timelines, and operational feasibility.
• Prepares for and orchestrates client visits, including person in plant (PIP) visits, audits, and business reviews, in collaboration with other functions as required.
• Works to ensure safe and compliant execution of activities, including collaboration with EH&S for client safety when on site.
• Define, track, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics to measure project health, team performance, and client satisfaction—using data to drive continuous improvement and strategic decision-making
• Develop and execute integrated project plans—including capital projects—that align cross-functional activities, timelines, budgets, and deliverables to ensure end-to-end visibility, operational readiness, and successful program outcomes
• Manage a team of 0–4 direct reports, providing coaching, performance feedback, and professional development to build a high-performing project management function
  
  
  

Syngene Values

All employees will consistently demonstrate alignment with our core values.

• Excellence
• Integrity
• Professionalism
  
  
  

Education & Qualifications

• B.S / B.A./M.SC degree in Project Management, Business or a related pharmaceutical sciences field or equivalent experience in regulated industry, MBA preferred
• PMP certification preferred; additional Agile or Product Owner certifications a plus
• An experienced professional with cGMP experience in a biotech, pharmaceutical, or bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing environment, ideally pre-clinical phases through commercial, and / or equivalent amount of experience managing commercial operations or client portfolio management roles.
• With strength in planning, orchestrating, and managing business critical relationships between providers / suppliers and clients. International experience a plus.
• Proven success leading complex, multi-site or global initiatives
• Experience serving as a product owner or leading product development initiatives from early stage development on through commercial operations. Examples of successful PPQ campaigns is a plus.
• Deep understanding of regulatory environments (FDA, EMA, ICH) and GxP compliance
• Exceptional communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to work within a matrixed organization
• Experience leading direct reports; at least 4 is ideal
• Experience leading and participating in cross-functional and /or global teams
• Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners at multiple levels.
  
  
  

Equal Opportunity Employer: It is the policy of Syngene to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable legislation or local law. In addition, Syngene will provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities.