Director, Project Management, Research & Development

Reports to: Vice President, Program and Portfolio Management, Research & Development

Location:  Remote Work (US Only)

Why Sabin:
 

Our mission is to make vaccines more accessible, enable innovation and expand immunization across the globe. We seek a future free from vaccine-preventable diseases. We are an innovative, collaborative, and engaged team that values accountability, teamwork, partnership and driving impact. We are vaccine champions improving lives through immunization. Sabin staff, management and the Board of Trustees are committed to ensuring that fairness, integrity, and opportunity remain at the core of how we operate.

Position Summary: 

The Director-level Project Manager within Research & Development (R&D) is a dynamic and detail-oriented leader responsible for ensuring assigned vaccine development programs are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with strategic and operational goals. This individual will provide end-to-end program leadership as well as oversee a team of technical Project Managers and collaborate closely with cross-functional colleagues across the R&D organization. Externally, they will serve as a key liaison with funding partners, federal agencies, global health organizations, and other stakeholders—fostering strong partnerships, ensuring alignment on program goals, and overseeing subcontractor and consultant relationships, timelines, and deliverables.

The ideal candidate will bring direct experience in both people leadership and vaccine and biologics development, with proven expertise in the strategic end-to-end planning and coordination of CMC, nonclinical, clinical, and regulatory workstreams, as well as the integration of these activities into a cohesive program. They will demonstrate advanced knowledge of program and project management disciplines—including resource planning, scope and schedule integration and management, budgeting, risk mitigation, quality oversight, and business process optimization—in support of complex vaccine development efforts.
 

Responsibilities:

Program and Project Management  

• Partner closely with the Principal Investigator / Vaccine Development Lead to establish overall program strategy, operational plans, and budgets, ensuring alignment with scientific and business objectives.
• Translate strategic goals into executable program plans, identifying interdependencies across CMC, nonclinical, clinical, and regulatory workstreams.
• Drive program execution, ensuring timely delivery of milestones, effective risk mitigation, and proactive problem-solving across functions.
• In coordination with the Vaccine Development Lead, plan and facilitate high-impact and alignment driving cross-functional meetings, governance reviews, and decision making that align stakeholders and advance program objectives.
• Synthesize inputs from cross-functional partners and present clear updates on progress, risks, budget status, and key decisions required. Manage reporting (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, annual) for internal and external purposes, including contractual obligations.
• Lead a team of technical Project Managers, fostering strong coordination and communication to enable seamless integration of workstreams and delivery of the overall program.
• Establish and maintain integrated program timelines and dashboards, regularly reporting progress, risks, and mitigations to internal leadership and external stakeholders (e.g., funding agencies, global health organizations).
• Ensure program compliance with internal processes and external regulatory requirements; contribute to the preparation of documentation for regulatory submissions, funding proposals, and program audits.
• Maintain and actively manage accurate and timely program documentation, including decision logs, risk registers, and action trackers.
• Collaborate with finance and Earned Value Management to ensure accurate forecasting, resource planning, and budget management.

People Leadership  

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of technical Project Managers, fostering a high-performance culture rooted in accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Provide clear direction and feedback, supporting individual development plans and career progression.
• Build team capabilities through training, knowledge sharing, and cross-program learning opportunities.
• Promote psychological safety and inclusive leadership practices that support diversity of thought and approach.
• Serve as a role model and uphold principles of Program Governance. 

External Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a key point of contact for external stakeholders, including funding partners, federal agencies, global health organizations, and strategic collaborators.
• Facilitate transparent, proactive communication with external stakeholders to ensure alignment on program goals, timelines, deliverables, and risk mitigations.
• Support or lead the development of external-facing reports, presentations, and communications to convey program status, outcomes, and future needs.
• Ensure program deliverables meet contractual obligations and reporting requirements; manage timelines and expectations for subcontractors and consultants.
• Represent the program in joint steering committees, alliance management meetings, and other governance or oversight bodies as appropriate.

Program & Portfolio Management Office and R&D Operations

• Contributes to strategic planning activities, providing insights into program performance, resource utilization, and potential implications for other development programs and R&D initiatives.
• Support the planning and delivery of organizational objectives/goals to ensure successful R&D-wide evolution in support of our mission.
• Support R&D-wide efforts, including but not limited to routine and ad-hoc meeting planning and execution, reporting, and system/infrastructure building.
• Participate in the development and refinement of project and program management tools which foster alignment, communication, and performance.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field; advanced degree and/or PMP certification preferred
• 12+ years of relevant experience in project and program management as well as people leadership
• Demonstrated skills and experience in planning and leading complex, multi-year, integrated vaccine/biologic product development programs with multiple funding partners and vendors
• Proven experience designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation tools 
• Experience with Governance practices within pharmaceutical industry
• Experience with financial planning, Earned Value Management, and project controls of vaccine/biologic project and program schedules and budgets
• Advanced experience using MS Project, Smartsheet, and/or other project management tools
• Advanced experience using Microsoft 365 applications, including MS Teams and SharePoint
• Ability to work across the organization and build strong relationships with colleagues, managing their expectations
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; ability to be flexible and optimistic
• Strong attention to detail, ability to manage complex tasks, highly organized, dependable and able to prioritize competing demands to meet deadlines
• Ability to process information quickly, synthesize and present complex information to a wide range of audiences, and listen carefully to feedback and comments from staff and adapt plans/actions accordingly
• Commitment to furthering Sabin’s mission 
• Ability to travel approximately 10-20% domestically and internationally with notice

Other: 

• Subject to a criminal background investigation
• Request for three professional references
• Verification of education/degrees

Sabin’s philosophy is to ensure fair, unbiased, equitable, competitive compensation and benefits. Using benchmarking and salary survey data, the starting annual salary for this position ranges from $149,000 - $187,000. The exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, training, certifications/degree. As a grant-funded organization, Sabin actively seeks funding for existing and new programs. 

Sabin offers a competitive benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, Vision and Flexible Spending Accounts. Employer paid, Life and Disability insurance along with 11 paid holidays with a winter break between Christmas and New Years. Employer match on 401(k).

Sabin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability or genetic information, sex (including gender identity, pregnancy or sexual orientation), marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.