Director, R&D Project Management

Project Management Leader

We are seeking an experienced Project Management Leader for our Worldwide R&D Department in Covington, GA. The R&D Project Management Director oversees project management for NPD, SE, and other UCC business unit initiatives. This role leads Project Managers and directs cross-functional teamsincluding internal staff and external partnersin planning and completing projects. Key duties include collaborating with leadership on portfolio strategy, setting priorities, allocating resources, developing budgets and timelines, and communicating progress. The director ensures projects meet agreed deadlines, costs, and quality targets, manages risks, and tracks goals. Strong relationship-building and teamwork skills are essential for successfully delivering results on schedule and within budget.

The Director UCC R&D Project Management Office (PMO) is a strategic leader who provides project management expertise for NPD (New Product Development), SE (Sustaining Engineering) and other projects in the UCC business unit.

This Director will lead the Program Delivery Leads (PDLs), Core Team Leads (CTLs) and Project Managers (PMs) and provide project management (PM) direction to the cross functional project teams that may be comprised of internal UCC personnel and / or OEM / supplier resources which are assigned to plan and complete projects.

This Director will work closely with the cross functional Leadership Team to help establish a robust portfolio strategy, project priorities, oversee proper resource allocation to projects, develop timelines and budgets, communicate Project Team's progress and status, and complete projects to meet agreed upon timelines, cost and quality targets.

The Director is responsible for driving project portfolio excellence and organizing the monthly Portfolio Decision Team (PDT), the annual Corporate NPD meeting (CNPD), and the NPD portfolio review as part of the Annual Strategic Review (ASR).

Key responsibilities include working with diverse teams, developing project roadmaps and timelines, mitigating project risks and tracking project goals. Additionally, the individual must demonstrate the ability to cultivate relationships at all levels of the organization and work collaboratively as part of a team to efficiently deliver project goals on schedule and within budget.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Lead the PMO office and assist all assigned PDLs, CTLs, and PMs in the optimal management of their Project Teams by providing the necessary training and facilitating team activities for team building, planning, decision-making and problem-solving, including establishment of appropriate project plans.

Lead the PIT (Portfolio insights team) and establish, assess, review, and monitor tools for cross-functional resource planning for the Division to enable appropriate staffing and resource decisions.

Collect and analyze the performance of the new product development effort by collecting data for key metrics and reporting out the performance.

Schedule, manage and document and be an active participant in the Phase Reviews to ensure the appropriate use of the process and the timely development and commercialization of new products that are aligned with the Divisions strategy and provides optimal portfolio value. This includes documenting all key decisions and action items.

Leads Divisional acquisition efforts employing Project Management skills to ensure successful completion of acquisition assessment, and integration of product and / or company as needed.

Provide the necessary training and facilitating skills to drive transformation activities and ensure long-term adoption

Directs activities to collect and analyze information to improve the performance of the NPD process and identify areas for improvement

Qualifications

Broad knowledge of Project Management and New Product development methodologies and tools :

Project Management, Customer Needs Assessment, Financial valuation, Commercialization tasks Phase Gate Development, Managing by influence with listening & leadership skills.

Demonstrated ability to lead and coach the implementation of PMO in the business unit and develop project managers to be effective leaders for their cross-functional teams.

Able to solve problems and make decisions while showing good judgment and a realistic understanding of issues, able to use reason, even when dealing with sensitive topics.

Must possess an established track record of sound cross-functional actions and decisions impacting the business process and company results.

Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively (both oral and written) in a clear and concise manner.

Able to clearly present information and influence others through verbal presentations and active listening. Must be able to display a level of confidence and expertise to effectively train employees at multiple sites in a broad range of NPD topics.

Ability to establish relationships quickly with a broad range of stakeholders, demonstrating a collaborative style to build group commitment to goals and objectives.

Able to influence actions and opinions of others in a desired direction, to show good judgment in leading others to worthwhile objectives.

Ability to withhold actions or speech in the absence of important information : dealing with unresolved situations, frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.

The ability to adapt to customer, organizational, business and external influences with integrity and with a sense of urgency.

The ability to work / lead others through aggressive challenges, obstacles, deadlines and changes.

Able to create positive energy (motivation) in both individuals and groups.

Able to develop unique and novel solutions to problems; use intuition and a new way of thinking to give birth to new ideas.

Must be proficient in MS Office Applications.

Education and / or Experience

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Management, Project Management, Analytics or related field is required

10+ years' experience in new product development and project management required

Proven track record of successfully managing new product development projects from concept to commercialization

Medical Device industry experience is required.

Experience in the deployment of a Project Management Office (PMO) is required

Experience leading large cross-functional teams (with multi-organizational team members) is required.

5+ years' experience managing direct reports is preferred.

Experience in leading, motivating and managing technically based cross-functional teams in accomplishing projects with notable impact(s) on company objectives is required.

Experience in implementing a Stage Gate NPD Process is required.

Experience working in a matrix organization.

Certified Project Manager Professional (PMP) is preferred.

Travel Requirements : Up to 25%

At BD, we prioritize on-site collaboration because we believe it fosters creativity, innovation, and effective problem-solving, which are essential in the fast-paced healthcare industry. For most roles, we require a minimum of 4 days of in-office presence per week to maintain our culture of excellence and ensure smooth operations, while also recognizing the importance of flexibility and work-life balance. Remote or field-based positions will have different workplace arrangements which will be indicated in the job posting.

For certain roles at BD, employment is contingent upon the Company's receipt of sufficient proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In some locations, testing for COVID-19 may be available and / or required. Consistent with BD's Workplace Accommodations Policy, requests for accommodation will be considered pursuant to applicable law.

Why Join Us?

A career at BD means being part of a team that values your opinions and contributions and that encourages you to bring your authentic self to work. It's also a place where we help each other be great, we do what's right, we hold each other accountable, and learn and improve every day