Senior Project Manager, Drug Development (Staff Scientist)

Description
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a major research component of the National Institutes of Health, seeks applications from highly motivated individuals to fill a staff scientist (senior project manager, drug development) position in the Therapeutic Development Branch (TDB) within its Division of Preclinical Innovation (DPI) in Rockville, Maryland. The selected applicant will manage investigational new drug (IND)-enabling drug development projects involving collaborations among NIH and academic scientists, industry, and nonprofit organizations.
The scientists within DPI come from a broad range of scientific disciplines — including therapeutic discovery, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and preclinical development — to reduce, remove or bypass significant bottlenecks across the entire continuum of translation and to train the future translational science workforce. This position will require the expert application of management skills in project planning, execution and risk management. The senior project manager will work with development teams to define and monitor project goals and go/no-go criteria and participate in data-driven recommendations for project design and prioritization.
Core Responsibilities
The senior project manager will be responsible for effectively managing the project team and collaborators through project initiation, strategic planning, execution, and closeout phases of projects; developing a comprehensive drug-development plan and budget while proactively monitoring the critical path towards IND filing and clinical trials; solving problems and making key decisions to meet multiple project goals and objectives; balancing scientific and administrative aspects of projects (e.g., contracting) and maintaining integrity and accuracy of project information to meet team, management, and portfolio requirements, using collaboration management software such as Microsoft Teams.

Qualifications
Applicants must hold a doctoral degree (M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent) in a relevant field, preferably in life sciences, chemistry, biology or a related field. Significant experience in drug development in the biopharmaceutical industry or equivalent is required. The selected candidate must have project management experience on cross-discipline drug development teams and proven leadership and management skills, with an in-depth understanding of project management best practices. The selected candidate must possess strong oral and written communication skills. He or she also must possess excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and facilitation skills, including the ability to clearly and succinctly communicate in a timely manner. The selected candidate will be expected to demonstrate a proven ability to foster important relationships with collaborators and key stakeholders and to interact 

effectively with senior management in public forums and within project teams. Prior experience in developing therapies for rare and neglected diseases or gene/oligonucleotide therapy approaches is highly desirable, but not required.

Salary/Benefits
The current salary range is commensurate with experience and accomplishments; a full civil service package of benefits — including retirement, health, life, and long-term care insurance, Thrift Savings Plan participation, etc. — is available.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should email a cover letter describing their interest in the position, including a career synopsis (one to three pages); a current curriculum vitae and complete bibliography; and the names of and contact information for three references to NCATSTDBHiring@nih.gov. Please include “Reference No. 004: Application for Senior Project Manager, Drug Development (Staff Scientist)” in the subject line of your email. The review of applications will begin on November 15, 2021. The position will remain open for 90 days. Learn more about intramural research at NCATS.
All information provided by candidates will remain confidential and will not be released outside the NCATS search process without a signed release from candidates. NIH encourages the application and nomination of qualified women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities. DHHS and NIH are Equal Opportunity Employers. NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.