Responsibilities

Position Summary:            

The Director, Operations plays a strategic leadership role with relentless focus on Business Development and organizational growth while ensuring Project Delivery via their own billability as well as training, mentoring and coaching their teams in both the evolution and continued operational excellence of Project Farma’s service areas. Specifically, the Director, Operations is responsible for individualized business development activities and organizational growth. This role is primarily client facing, with individualized billability to ensure the timely delivery of innovative solutions while keeping abreast of market and technology trends in the industry.

In addition, the Director, Operations is central to identifying and developing resources within the practice area to ensure a high level of expertise, performance, and client focus to stay ahead of the competition. Success in this role requires proven technical expertise combined with business acumen, advanced people and team-building skills, and a consulting mindset to deliver technical and business solutions that align with our Patient Focused and People First mindset. 

All roles within Project Farma will lead with a Servant leadership mentality, exemplifying the Project Farma culture of philanthropy, teamwork, training and development and commitment to the patient as the foundation of our teams’ and partners’ long-term success.

Essential functions of the Position:

Site Strategy

• Oversee the development and alignment of site strategies across multiple sites within a market or region to ensure the firm’s leadership in CQV services.
• Set the overarching strategic vision for the market, ensuring site strategies align with firm-wide goals.
• Identify cross-market opportunities to enhance client relationships and service offerings.
• Cultivate high-level relationships with C-suite client executives and industry leaders to position the firm as a market leader.

Business Growth & Development

• Drive business growth across multiple sites or markets, setting the strategic direction for client acquisition and portfolio expansion.
• Oversee the development of market-level dashboards and growth strategies.
• Own high-stakes RFPs and contract negotiations for major clients.
• Lead market-based industry engagement to position the firm as a global leader.
• Set and monitor market-wide KPIs and financial targets.
• Own, review, present, and analyze Business Development, Project Delivery and Team Member activities to Leadership. 
• Develop, implement, and execute strategic plans to meet the Project Farma business development and growth targets. 
• Focus on increasing the market client base and expanding the regional book of business to achieve annual growth targets.
• Utilize existing networks to procure and land new business for Project Farma.
• Develop and implement strategic plans to meet the Project Farma practice area goals of client satisfaction, business and technical performance, and employee engagement.
• Collaborate across the Project Farma practice teams to develop solutions for joint business opportunities that meet business objectives.
• Manage new and existing client accounts, focusing on project delivery and actively seeking account growth.
• Work with clients’ business/technical leadership to facilitate workflow development, project scope development and risk assessment, issue resolution and work forecasting and planning.
• Provide direction and innovation in service and/or process improvement, cost reduction and recommendations for business process optimization.
• Stay current with the latest trends in the biomanufacturing industry and implement strategies that leverage changes in the marketplace into new business opportunities.
• Thorough understanding of our target industries including how each sector works together, interdependencies, emerging trends, and key challenges.
• Maintain business development data within customer relationship management (CRM) system.
• Support strategic creation of cross site / cross account business development tools creating a force multiplier impact.
• Attend and represent Project Farma at ISPE or other networking events.

Talent Development

• Set the talent development strategy across multiple sites or markets, ensuring alignment with firm-wide goals.
• Mentor Managers and Senior Leaders to prepare them for market or regional roles.
• Oversee succession planning for critical leadership positions across the market.
• Drive firm-wide initiatives to share best practices, enhance retention, and build a culture of excellence.
• Approve professional development programs and monitor their impact on performance.
• Build and oversee teams at various client sites/locations to ensure consistency of services, compliant with client and Project Farma processes and standards and responsiveness to both client and employee requirements.
• Develop and implement employee performance and development plans to meet individual development and growth, and overall program goals; includes primary responsibility for talent management including overall hiring and termination decisions in collaboration with human resources
• Direct and manage teams executing projects within the Project Farma practice area with overall responsibility for technical solutions, cost, quality, and client satisfaction.
• Lead, inspire and engage in strategic succession planning to ensure the readiness of future leaders.
• Lead initiatives and projects by ensuring Team Members understand team and individual goals and responsibilities, managing priorities and ensuring timely and high-quality completion of work.
• Mentor, train, and coach team members in client engagement, relationship management, and leadership.
• Build and maintain high performing teams ensuring successful account management and growth.
• Supports recruitment and talent identification.
• Develop strategies for the success of the service line or geographic target such as planning, scheduling, estimating, monitoring, progress measurement, risk management, training, and reporting procedures.

Resource Management

• Oversee resource strategy across multiple sites or markets, ensuring alignment with firm-wide objectives.
• Approve resource plans and budgets for the market, balancing site needs with strategic priorities.
• Drive workforce planning to anticipate long-term resource demands and optimize utilization.
• Monitor and manage department budgets and planning needs to meet the necessary project requirements. 
• Provide resource planning, as well as define project objectives and requirements necessary to structure a project or activity.
• Set and lead project direction and strategy based on client vision and expected outcomes throughout the entire project delivery life cycle without oversight
• Drive efficiency through team member utilization and support cross-account / cross-region allocations.
• Provide service line or geographic target forecasting, budgeting, and reporting.

Technical Delivery

• Set the technical delivery strategy across multiple sites or markets, ensuring consistency and excellence.
• Approve technical standards and processes to meet regulatory and client requirements.
• Serve as the ultimate escalation point for complex technical issues across the market.
• Ensure market-wide delivery of high-quality GMP Engineering services, aligning with firm-wide standards.
• Oversee project portfolios to ensure strategic alignment, timelines, and budgets are met.
• Subject Matter Expert who provides technical direction, training, career development and performance assessments to ensure highest quality delivery

Operational Performance & Billability

• Maintain 100% individual billability while overseeing market-wide billability and performance targets.
• Ensure all sites within the market achieve financial and operational goals.
• Approve budgets and monitor market-wide performance metrics.

Qualifications:

Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree (and/or Masters) in Life Science, Engineering, or related discipline (OR a combination of equivalent experience in CQV engineering, cGMP facility start-up, project management and/or comparable military experience).
• 10-12 years advanced therapy, life science, pharmaceutical, or biotech experience.
• 10-12 years managing high-performing teams.
• 8 years business development, lead generation, or sales experience.

Other Required:

• Full COVID-19 vaccination is required prior to the employee's start date with exceptions for medical and religious accommodations when reasonable.
• Travel as needed to fulfill business development opportunities and requirements
• Experience operating as a trusted strategic advisor to organization decision-makers on short and long-term organizational initiatives.
• Experience translating client visions to set the direction, frame the project, provide clarity to direct reports and client, and deliver results.
• Proven technical/managerial capabilities in developing solutions to engineering and business problems and managing deliverables and client expectations.

Key Competencies:

• Change Management: Anticipate the impact of change, identify and communicate the need for change and successfully implement, promote, and execute the acceptance of change across the organization in alignment with strategic goals and initiatives.
• Strategic Prioritization and Decision Making: Consider multiple options, weigh the potential outcomes and risks associated, and choose the most appropriate solution. Clear understanding of the organization’s overall strategy, goals and vision and an evaluation of external factors such as market and industry trends and competitor analysis and the potential impact on organizational strategy. Commit to and execute strategic priorities in alignment with changing business needs.  
• Agility: Identify and progress in an ambiguous, complex, innovative and constantly changing environment. Foster adaptation and value creation through execution of strategic activities in alignment with market and industry trends.  
• People Management: Create partnerships, build trust and credibility with Team Members. Hold Team Members accountable to a high quality of performance, customer focus, and prioritization of deliverables.  Retain Team Members through developing their strengths, communicating expectations, providing mentorship, coaching, and encouraging and inspiring others.