Senior Project Manager, Research & Development

• Lead and drive the day-to-day progress of two or more research projects within microbiology, bacteriology and synthetic biology
• Act as the central hub for project coordination, creating transparency and ensuring clear communication across the team and with adjacent functions such as process development and production
• Maintain and continuously revise project plans based on new data, experimental results and changing scientific priorities
• Manage shifting timelines, milestones and dependencies in a research environment where uncertainty is part of the work
• Identify project blockers early, especially tight deadlines and resource constraints, and escalate or resolve them proactively
• Facilitate effective problem-solving among highly specialised scientists and ensure constructive collaboration, particularly under pressure
• Apply a mature project management toolbox pragmatically, introducing the right level of structure and process without slowing innovation
• Challenge technical assumptions and discussions in a qualified manner by understanding the scientific details well enough to ask the right questions
• Ensure a strong flow of information to leadership, including preparation of material and, when relevant, presentations for board meetings and external stakeholders
• Help professionalise project leadership practices in the research organisation through leading by doing

• Minimum of 5 years of practical project management experience from a biotech or pharmaceutical company, ideally in an R&D environment
• Strong scientific background and hands-on understanding of microbiology and bacteriology
• Documented experience leading complex, agile projects with a high degree of uncertainty
• Ability to operate in cutting-edge research where outcomes are not always predictable and project plans must evolve quickly
• Natural authority, professional weight and interpersonal maturity to gain respect from senior specialists
• Strong listening skills combined with the ability to stand firm when project progress requires decisions, prioritisation or escalation
• Ability to translate technical complexity into practical project actions and create alignment across different scientific and operational groups
• A diplomatic and constructive style, with the ability to manage different personalities with both confidence and empathy
• Experience with CRISPR, bacteriophages or antimicrobial resistance is advantageous, but not a requirement

Experience with CRISPR, bacteriophages or antimicrobial resistance