IT Project Manager - R&D

We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives within a regulated life sciences environment. This role will coordinate activities across Research & Development, Regulatory Affairs, Legal, Information Security, Privacy, Procurement, IT, and external vendors to ensure projects move efficiently from evaluation through approval and execution.

The ideal candidate brings strong project management discipline, working knowledge of pharmaceutical or biotech R&D, and experience navigating third-party onboarding, risk and governance processes, vendor evaluations, and regulated technology environments. This individual must be highly organized, proactive, and comfortable driving work across teams and stakeholders outside of their direct reporting structure.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning and Execution

• Develop and maintain integrated project plans, timelines, milestones, dependencies, and acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate multiple workstreams and proactively identify schedule risks, blockers, and dependencies.
• Drive projects to completion while ensuring alignment with business, technical, regulatory, and governance requirements.

Third-Party Onboarding and Risk Management

• Lead the coordinated onboarding of external vendors and technology partners.
• Manage activities across confidentiality agreements, information security assessments, privacy and data protection reviews, legal/IP evaluations, procurement, and AI governance requirements.
• Understand approval dependencies and drive activities in parallel whenever possible to accelerate project timelines.
• Escalate risks and unresolved issues to the appropriate stakeholders.

Proof-of-Concept and Vendor Evaluation Management

• Coordinate competitive proof-of-concept evaluations across multiple vendors.
• Ensure vendors are evaluated against consistent business requirements, test cases, timelines, and acceptance criteria.
• Track vendor progress, risks, deliverables, and outcomes to support business decision-making.

Risk, Action, Issue, and Decision Management

• Maintain a comprehensive RAID log with clearly defined owners, due dates, dependencies, and mitigation actions.
• Proactively identify and escalate risks before they impact major project milestones.
• Produce concise project status reporting for senior leadership and steering committees.
• Document key decisions and ensure actions are driven through closure.

Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management

• Facilitate working sessions across R&D scientists, Regulatory Affairs, Legal, Information Security, Privacy, Procurement, IT, and external partners.
• Develop agendas, document meeting outcomes, and ensure timely follow-through on actions and decisions.
• Build strong relationships across functional teams and influence stakeholders without direct authority.

Vendor and Contract Coordination

• Coordinate statements of work, purchase orders, licensing activities, and vendor deliverables.
• Partner with Procurement, Legal, Finance, and business owners to ensure commercial and contractual activities remain aligned with project timelines.
• Identify and escalate vendor financial, commercial, or business-continuity concerns to the appropriate stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Information Technology, Business, Project Management, or a related field.
• Proven experience managing complex cross-functional technology or digital initiatives.
• Working familiarity with pharmaceutical or biotechnology R&D environments.
• Understanding of GxP, computer system validation, and regulatory requirements within life sciences.
• Experience managing third-party vendors, technology evaluations, and onboarding processes.
• Strong knowledge of project management disciplines, including planning, RAID management, dependency management, and executive reporting.
• Experience coordinating legal, information security, privacy, procurement, and compliance activities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Research IT or R&D technology initiatives within pharmaceutical or biotechnology organizations.
• Familiarity with regulatory submission processes.
• Experience managing proof-of-concept or vendor-selection initiatives.
• Knowledge of AI governance and emerging technology risk processes.
• PMP, Agile, or related project management certification preferred.

Join Our Team at Atlas
Atlas is a global strategic consulting firm, focused on the Life Sciences industry. Our services include Management Consulting, Managed Services and Agile Services. Global pharmaceutical companies and emerging players in life sciences depend on Atlas consultants to ensure they have the capabilities that will give them the ability to succeed. We are seeking Atlas IMPACT Makers who are ready to lead and innovate in dynamic environments. IMPACT Makers embody the principles of Atlas, driving transformative change and delivering outstanding results.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We value diversity and inclusion in our workplace and are committed to creating an environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed