[Hiring] Senior Director, Head of Oncology @Jazz Pharmaceuticals

Role Description

The Senior Director, Head of Oncology Project Management provides strategic operational leadership, coaching, and portfolio-level oversight for the oncology project management organization at Jazz Pharmaceuticals. This leader focuses on fostering, equipping, and scaling a high-performing team of Project Managers. The oncology PM team is responsible for driving global oncology programs through the full development lifecycle. This role ensures that the Oncology PM team has tools, strategic mindset, and talent density to drive critical-path execution and operational excellence. The Senior Director partners closely with Oncology Therapeutic Area Leadership to operationalize portfolio strategy and proactively manages team capacity.

Essential Functions

• People Leadership & Coaching
  • Direct, mentor, and foster an elite oncology project management team capable of driving programs across Phase 1, late-stage, regulatory filing, and global launch.
  • Coach and develop PMs to proactively identify critical path dependencies, manage cross-functional execution, and maintain rigorous operational standards.
  • Implement individualized development plans, succession planning, and proactive recruitment to ensure critical programs are staffed with top-tier talent.
• Portfolio Oversight & Execution Excellence
  • Maintain high-level line-of-sight on all oncology program health, key milestones, critical paths, and project risk profiles.
  • Partner with Oncology Therapeutic Area Leadership to convert clinical development plans into integrated operational roadmaps.
  • Actively step in to directly manage a project or program when necessary to bridge a critical team resource or staffing gap.
• Governance & Decision Framing
  • Guide and support PMs as they prepare their project teams for governance committees.
  • Help team frame complex decisions for executive leadership through clear trade-off analyses.
  • Facilitate proactive risk identification, mitigation plans, and contingency execution across all programs.
• Resource, Capacity & Budget Management
  • Proactively forecast FTE resource bottlenecks and partner with functional heads to resolve gaps.
  • Maintain oversight of oncology program budgets, collaborating with Finance to track variances and commitments.
• Process Optimization & Best Practices
  • Lead enterprise-level and departmental process optimization initiatives to drive efficiency.
  • Ensure team-wide adoption of standardized PM tools, risk management frameworks, and enterprise planning systems.
  • Lead the active embedding and continuous sustainment of the Orchestra Team Operating Model across all early-stage project teams.
  • Embed the department’s core strategic pillars into day-to-day operations.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of drug development project management experience in biopharma.
• Direct line management experience supervising, developing, and staffing project management professionals.
• Proven track record of managing a team of PMs who have successfully delivered molecules from Phase 1 through to regulatory submission and global commercial launch.
• Broad knowledge of the end-to-end clinical drug development lifecycle and global regulatory frameworks.
• Familiarity with oncology-specific regulatory and developmental pathways.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise project management systems, schedule analytics, and FTE capacity planning models.
• Superb people developer with a passion for coaching and building collaborative, high-performing matrix teams.
• Strong executive presence and influence; ability to easily navigate ambiguity and build alignment across senior R&D and commercial leaders.
• Proven experience in organizational design, change management, and establishing PM coaching frameworks.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, or a related field required.
• Advanced degree preferred (Ph.D., PharmD, MS, or MBA).
• PMP (Project Management Professional) or equivalent PM certification preferred.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision insurance.
• 401k retirement savings plan.
• Flexible paid vacation.
• Discretionary annual cash bonus or incentive compensation.
• Discretionary equity grants in accordance with Jazz’s Long Term Equity Incentive Plan.