Drug Development Project Manager Jobs in California

ICON is a global healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation united by a mission to bring new medicines and treatments to patients faster.

As a values-driven organisation, integrity, collaboration, agility, and inclusion are at the heart of how we work and interact with each other, customers, patients and suppliers.

The Senior Drug Development Project Manager oversees the high-level plans and progress of these teams, managing projects from pre-clinical stages through to commercialization. The DDPM is responsible for incorporating overarching indication activities and milestones, documenting their downstream impact, and justifying changes in project budget and resources. This role involves close collaboration with the Asset Strategy Lead and function leads within the EDST or AST. The DDPM compiles and owns the integrated cross-functional project plan, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy.

As part of the Project Management Office (PMO), DDPMs advocate for project management techniques and processes, coaching team members on consistent utilization, including risk mapping, mitigation strategies, and logging lessons learned.

What you will be doing:

• When in a managerial role, the DDPM supports the development of team members, enhancing their confidence, skills, and experiences in alignment with corporate strategy while ensuring the team adheres to agreed project scopes.

• Establishes a project lifetime plan with appropriate detail, proactively identifying risks and resolving issues.

• Maintains and communicates project timelines, budgets, and resource allocations, flagging delays and discrepancies while liaising with governance, finance, and function heads.

• Fosters high team performance by proactively engaging stakeholders and partnering with project leadership to ensure effective governance meetings.

• Collaborates with various teams and function leads to translate strategies into integrated project plans, taking ownership of these plans and sharing insights that influence project direction.

• Encourages positive team dynamics, working with HR to organize team-building activities and ensuring secure document sharing among team members and stakeholders.

• Communicates any significant project accelerations or delays to leadership, driving corrective actions as needed.

• Partners with internal and external stakeholders to establish effective project communications and manage changes towards common goals while promoting conflict resolution.

• Develops and implements methods and frameworks for quality decision-making to support operational excellence in drug development projects and process improvement initiatives.

• Collaborates with finance to address budget-related inquiries, conduct baseline comparisons, and perform variance analysis, optimizing internal project templates.

• Co-creates dashboards with business process managers and acts as a liaison to identify reporting needs from business partners.

You are:

• Strong leadership skills, promoting values that enhance team dynamics.

• Excellent communication skills, fostering inclusivity and collaboration.

• Proven interpersonal skills for conflict mediation and management.

• Solid project management skills with broad exposure to the pharmaceutical R&D process; advanced planning experience with MS Project is essential. PMP certification is a plus.

• Adaptability to continuous change.

• Proficient verbal and written English communication skills (full professional proficiency required).

• Advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in a health-related discipline or equivalent experience.

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in drug development across various phases and disease areas.

• At least 5 years of program management experience in a pharmaceutical or biotech setting, preferably in cross-cultural environments.

• Genuine interest and some experience in people management.

• Experience in Regulatory Affairs and/or Clinical Development is an advantage.

Employment with ICON is contingent upon having the legal right to work in the country where the role is based.

Rewards & Benefits

ICON offers a competitive and comprehensive total rewards package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and career development.

Benefits may include:

• Competitive base salary and performance related incentives
• Health and wellbeing programmes including medical, dental, and vision coverage where applicable
• Retirement and pension plans
• Life assurance and disability coverage
• Employee assistance programmes and wellbeing resources
• Learning and development opportunities through structured training and career pathways

Benefits may vary depending on role and location.

Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

Inclusion and Accessibility

ICON is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.

If you require reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know or submit a requesthere.

Salary Range

Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply