Associate Director Scientific Project Manager
Wilmington, MA, US, 01887 US
For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.
Job Summary
We are seeking a Scientific Project Manager to serve as the operational right hand to our Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer, driving cross functional alignment, standardizing how work gets done, and ensuring programs move from strategy to execution with speed and rigor. This role emphasizes internal communications and coordination across scientific, operational, and corporate functions.
You will convert scientific and operational goals into executable plans; own timelines, risks, issues, and budgets; and lead mechanisms (cadences, dashboards, templates) that bring clarity, accountability, and measurable progress. You’ll leverage project management best practices and change management techniques to implement consistent ways of working across teams.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
| Duty | & of Time Spent (no less than 10%) |
|
Internal Communications & Stakeholder Alignment (Primary Focus)
|
30% |
|
Operationalize Strategy & Drive Execution
|
30% |
|
Standardization & Process Excellence
|
20% |
|
Ownership, Issues, & Change Management
|
20% |
Scope / Complexity:
| Stakeholder | Reason for interaction |
| Senior Leadership Team | Assists with special projects and supporting strategic roadmap |
| Clients or potential clients | Attend external meetings with Chief Scientific & Innovation Officer to assist in moving forward partnerships, initiatives, and other items. |
Compensation Data
The pay range for this position is $129,000/yr. - $160,000/yr. Please note that salaries vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.
Job Qualifications
- Education: Scientific degree (B.S., M.S., Ph.D., or equivalent) in a relevant discipline (e.g., biology, pharmacology, biochemistry, immunology) or experience in scientific program management within biotech/pharma/CRO settings.
- Experience: At least 5 years of demonstrated experience planning and managing complex internal scientific/operational programs (timelines, budgets, risks, cross‑functional dependencies).
- An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
- Other: Exceptional written and verbal communication—able to produce crisp updates and influence across levels/functions. Proven ability to drive cross‑functional execution with urgency, accountability, and high attention to detail. Proficiency in the use of standard software including Microsoft® Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Project, etc.
Physical Demands:
- Regularly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.
- Must occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
Work Environment:
- General office working conditions, the noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
- Must be eligible to work under state and federal regulations.
- Must be able to understand and follow verbal direction.
Comments:
This position may require domestic and international travel
About Corporate Functions
The Corporate Functions provide operational support across Charles River in areas such as Human Resources, Finance, IT, Legal, Sales, Quality Assurance, Marketing, and Corporate Development. They partner with their colleagues across the company to develop and drive strategies and to set global standards. The functions are essential to providing a bridge between strategic vision and operational readiness, to ensure ongoing functional innovation and capability improvement.
About Charles River
Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients’ clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.
With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.
At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly worked on 80% of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past five years.
We’re committed to providing benefits that elevate your quality of life. Based on your position these may include: bonus/incentives based on performance, 401K, paid time off, stock purchase program, Health and wellness coverage, employee and family wellbeing support programs, and work life balance flexibility.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Charles River is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, family status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
It is unlawful in some states (including 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.
If you are interested in applying to Charles River Laboratories and need special assistance or an accommodation due to a disability to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the resume submission process, please contact a member of our Human Resources team by sending an e-mail message to crrecruitment_US@crl.com. This contact is for accommodation requests for individuals with disabilities only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
For more information, please visit www.criver.com.
Nearest Major Market: Boston
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