Project Farma’s purpose is to improve patient lives by accelerating the delivery of life-changing therapies. We accomplish this through the successful execution of high-quality life sciences projects across the full project lifecycle. Project Farma (PF) team members collaborate with cross-functional teams to build trusted client relationships, deliver an exceptional customer experience, and contribute to business growth by identifying opportunities and applying data-driven insights to support project planning, cost, schedule, and performance management.  

This role contributes to organizational success by supporting financial performance, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement, while also investing in people through mentorship, knowledge sharing, and professional development. 

All team members are expected to embody Project Farma’s values by being curious, personable, and unselfish, while maintaining a strong commitment to a Patient Focused and People First mindset. 

The Validation - Manager is responsible for leading teams and overseeing the execution of work aligned to project, client, and business objectives. This role balances people leadership with operational accountability, including coaching, performance management, resource planning, and ensuring high-quality delivery within defined scope, timelines, and budget. At more senior levels, this role provides experienced leadership and operational oversight across multiple projects or functional areas, with accountability for team performance, talent development, and consistent execution of business priorities, while partnering with senior leaders to drive continuous improvement, scalability, and organizational effectiveness. 

Key Responsibilities 

Site Strategy 

• Develop and own the site strategy to position the firm as a leader in CQV services 
• Create a strategic roadmap to drive site growth and align with firm objectives 
• Proactively identify client needs to foster site expansion 
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders (e.g., client executives, decision-makers) to secure long-term partnerships 

Business Growth & Development 

• Drive site-level business expansion and development with a strategic focus to expand services and opportunities 
• Work with Project Leads to maintain dashboards and pursue expansion opportunities 
• Own project extensions, proposal generation, and provide critical input into site RFPs 
• Actively participate in industry events to build a local network and collaborate with the Market Director to expand client portfolios and secure high-value contracts 
• Monitor and achieve operational KPIs and targets 
• Analyze project performance metrics to ensure operational health and identify strategic opportunities for scaling. 
• Lead, oversee, and execute client project initiatives allowing for the identification of new and added services for the mutual benefit of the client and organization 
• Support, review, and analyze Business Development, Project Delivery and Team Member activities   
• Support in the development, implementation, and execution of strategic plans to meet the Project Farma business development and growth targets   
• Collaborate across Project Farma practice teams to develop solutions for joint business opportunities that meet business and client objectives 
• Monitor and manage budgets and planning needs to meet the necessary project requirements   
• Support the maintenance of 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 
• Remain current with the latest trends in the biomanufacturing industry and implement strategies that leverage changes in the marketplace into new business opportunities 
• Attend and represent Project Farma at ISPE or other networking events 

Leadership & Talent Development 

• Oversee the career development and performance of the entire site team 
• Coach, mentor, and develop team leads to prepare them for leadership roles 
• Mentor, train, and coach team members in client engagement, relationship management, and leadership  
• Develop and maintain succession plans for team or project leads 
• Partner with Market Directors to share best practices across sites 
• Lead a high-performing team, fostering accountability, excellence, and collaboration, while setting performance goals and enhancing retention 
• Manage teams at various client sites/locations to ensure consistency of technical services, compliant with client and Project Farma processes and standards 
• Collaboratively identify and implement employee performance and development plans to meet individual development and organizational growth goals 
• Direct and manage teams executing projects within the Project Farma practice areas with overall responsibility for technical solutions, cost, quality, and client satisfaction 
• Strategically assign team members to accounts for mutual benefit and identify Team Member succession planning to maximize 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 
• Subject Matter Expert who provides technical direction, training, career development and performance assessments to ensure high quality delivery 
• Identify Professional Development opportunities for Team Members to develop their skills 
• Build and maintain high performing teams ensuring successful account management and growth 
• Strategically identify talent needs and follow through with support of the recruitment and talent acquisition process 

Resource Management 

• Drive resourcing decisions for the site and collaborate with the Market Directors to ensure optimal staffing 
• Consult with the Market Director to forecast future resource needs and maintain a forward-looking resource plan 
• Proactively manage resource utilization and team mix to ensure high-quality project delivery within budget 
• Support project direction and strategy based on client vision and expected outcomes throughout the entire project delivery life cycle without oversight  
• Support and identify resource planning, and define project objectives and requirements necessary to structure a project or activity 
• Analyze, identify trends, and ensure performance of project management tools; managing burn rates; need for new proposals and proactively communicate project performance.  Proactively identify and ensure success through earned value analysis for clients and maximizing performance for Project Farma 
• Drive efficiency through team member utilization and support cross-account / cross-region allocations 

Technical Delivery 

• Oversee technical delivery for site or market projects, ensuring high-quality outcomes 
• Ensure appropriate staffing to meet project requirements and client expectations 
• Build dependence as a technical SME to the client and serve as an escalation point for technical issues 
• Ensure delivery of high-quality GMP Engineering services that meet client specifications and regulatory standards 
• Own and delegate project execution, ensuring timelines and budgets are met 
• Continually develop technical aptitude of Project Farma’s core services within the life science space   
• May be requested to assist with Project Controls and Scheduling to include, Budget estimates, Detailed project schedules and milestones, Feasibility estimates, risks, forecasts and scenario analysis, and Project cost reports and trend analysis  

Operational Performance & Billability 

• Maintain 100% individual billability while ensuring the site or market team achieves forecast hours & targets 
• Ensure team performance aligns to billable hours in support of operational goals 

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) 
• 7-13 years’ advanced therapy, life science, pharmaceutical, or biotech experience 
• Willingness to travel as required for client project assignments. 
• 4 years minimum managing high-performing teams 
• 2 years minimum business development, lead generation, or sales experience 
• Willingness to travel as required for client project assignments. 

Other Required 

• Travel as needed to fulfill Business Development and Team Member initiatives.  
• 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