About this role
Job Title: Senior Project Manager Operational Readiness Project LeadJob DescriptionThis Senior Project Manager serves as the Operational Readiness Project Lead, providing cross-functional leadership across manufacturing, quality, engineering, process development, supply chain, and related functions. The role focuses on scope, schedule, risk management, governance, coordination, and issue resolution to ensure all operational readiness workstreams are fully integrated and positioned for successful execution. You will not directly manage people or budgets, but you will own the integration of complex workstreams and provide strategic guidance to de-risk and optimize overall project delivery.Responsibilities
• Lead the definition of project scope for Operational Readiness workstreams, including Manufacturing, Engineering, Process Development, Supply Chain, Quality Control, and other related functions. • Develop comprehensive execution strategies, detailed project schedules, and risk registers to support operational readiness objectives. • Integrate and actively facilitate the day-to-day execution of multiple workstreams, ensuring alignment and progress against plan. • Plan, organize, and facilitate team meetings and execution forums to drive decisions, track actions, and maintain momentum. • Represent operational readiness workstreams in appropriate governance forums, providing clear status updates and raising issues as needed. • Liaise with other project managers to ensure effective coordination and integration across broader project activities and timelines. • Closely monitor schedule performance, identify variances, and provide regular progress updates and recovery strategies to management. • Ensure internal alignment of operational readiness schedules and external alignment with construction and commissioning/qualification workstreams. • Provide strategic guidance on overall project delivery to identify risks early, de-risk execution, and optimize sequencing and resource utilization. • Manage and maintain the risk register or RAID logs, including identification, assessment, mitigation planning, and escalation of critical risks and issues. • Resolve workstream issues as they arise and escalate appropriately to keep project objectives, milestones, and deliverables on track. • Lead and facilitate cross-functional workshops to ensure project alignment, address project challenges, identify readiness gaps, and advance site strategy. • Integrate construction, commissioning, qualification, and operational schedules to support seamless site startup and readiness. • Champion cross-functional influence and integrated planning practices, ensuring stakeholders remain aligned without direct authority over their teams. • Support inspection readiness and operational readiness activities by identifying gaps in processes, systems, and documentation and driving closure with relevant stakeholders. Essential Skills
• Proven experience in cross-functional leadership, with the ability to align Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Process Development, Supply Chain, Commissioning and Qualification (C&Q), and other project managers without direct authority. • Demonstrated expertise in risk, dependency, and integrated-planning management, including building or owning detailed schedules, critical dependency maps, risk registers or RAID logs, mitigation plans, and schedule-recovery actions. • Strong technical and business acumen in biologics manufacturing, commissioning and qualification, inspection readiness, and manufacturing systems sufficient to identify readiness gaps and challenge workstream assumptions. • Knowledge and experience in Biologics Drug Substance manufacturing operations, ideally in upstream and/or downstream operations. • Knowledge and experience in BioPharma operations and inspection readiness, including preparation for regulatory audits and inspections. • Experience supporting operational functions such as Quality Control, Process Development, Engineering, and Supply Chain in a BioPharma environment. • Knowledge and experience with Commissioning and Qualification activities in a manufacturing or site-startup context. • Understanding of manufacturing support systems such as MES, PI, DeltaV, or similar platforms. • Understanding of operations support systems such as TrackWise, LIMS, Maximo, or comparable tools. • Strong cross-functional influence skills, with the ability to drive alignment and decisions across diverse stakeholder groups. • Proficiency in integrated planning and schedule management across multiple complex workstreams. • Capability in risk and dependency management, including proactive identification and mitigation of project risks. • Issue resolution and escalation skills, with a structured approach to problem-solving and decision-making. • Experience in workshop facilitation, including readiness workshops and governance forums. • Strong executive-level communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely to Senior stakeholders. • Demonstrated technical judgment, ownership, and accountability in delivering complex projects. Additional Skills & Qualifications
• Direct upstream and/or downstream biologics manufacturing experience. • Experience with site startup, facility expansion, technology transfer, or operational readiness projects in a BioPharma or biologics environment. • Experience integrating construction, commissioning, qualification, and operational schedules into a cohesive project plan. • Experience leading readiness workshops and governance forums involving cross-functional stakeholders. • Familiarity with inspection readiness activities and supporting audits and inspections in regulated environments. • Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders in a fast-paced project environment. • High level of ownership and accountability for project outcomes and deliverables. Work EnvironmentThis role is fully on-site, working closely with cross-functional teams in a manufacturing and operational setting. You will collaborate directly with stakeholders from Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Process Development, Supply Chain, Construction, and Commissioning and Qualification. The environment is highly collaborative and governance-driven, with frequent team meetings, execution forums, and cross-functional workshops. You will work extensively with manufacturing support systems such as MES, PI, and DeltaV, as well as operations support tools including TrackWise, LIMS, and Maximo. The role requires regular presence in operational and project areas to ensure alignment, monitor readiness activities, and support timely decision-making. Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Holly Springs, NC. Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $65.00 - $80.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Holly Springs, NC. Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Oct 16, 2026. Workplace TypeThis is a fully onsite position in Holly Springs,NC.About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [email protected] for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.