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Director, Project Management Excellence

Princeton, New Jersey

Kyowa Kirin is a fast-growing global specialty pharmaceutical company that applies state-of-the-art biotechnologies to discover and deliver novel medicines in four disease areas: bone and mineral; intractable hematologic; hematology oncology; and rare disease.  A Japan-based company, our goal is to translate science into smiles by delivering therapies where no adequate treatments currently exist, working from drug discovery to product development and commercialization. In North America, we are headquartered in Princeton, NJ, with offices in California, North Carolina, and Mississauga, Ontario.

Summary:

Focused on data reporting, analytics, and strategic insights within Kyowa Kirin’s Global Development Organization (GDO), this role will play a key part in enhancing PMO capabilities, improving data-driven decision-making, and ensuring alignment with corporate strategic objectives.
The role requires expertise in portfolio and resource management, scenario planning, and advanced analytics to drive operational excellence. The successful candidate will ensure seamless integration of project and portfolio management (PPM) processes, leveraging Planisware, Power BI, MSPO, and other reporting tools to generate actionable insights.

Essential Functions:

Data Management, Analytics and Reporting:
•    Knowledge of data integration techniques to consolidate and map data and oversee the automation and integration of reporting systems across Planisware, Power BI, and MSPO 
•    Ability to develop and maintain custom reports, dashboards, and visualizations for global development data, leveraging advanced analytical skills to interpret complex.
•    Ensure data validation, accuracy, and integrity by overseeing system enhancements and testing of reporting tools.
•    Establish standardized reporting frameworks for governance, risk management, budget management, and compliance tracking.

Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) & Performance: 
•    Understands PPM principles, methodologies and best practices
•    Expertise in defining and tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and using metrics and benchmarking to evaluate project performance, portfolio health and financial forecasts.
•    Expertise in scenario analysis, forecasting and risk assessment to support decision-making and mitigation planning.

PMO & Business Operations Excellence:
•    Manage multiple, complex projects with cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
•    Oversee resource allocation, project prioritization, and issue resolution to drive operational efficiencies.
•    Foster a continuous improvement mindset, identifying process optimization opportunities for the PMO.
•    Develop best practices in qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques for enhanced business decision-making.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication:
•    Work with key stakeholders to collect and document reporting requirements and advise of any new or existing data requirements for future analytics & reporting enhancements
•    Act as a liaison between project teams, senior executives, and functional leads, ensuring transparency and alignment.
•    Provide executive-level reporting on project health, risks, and strategic insights.
•    Partner with IT, finance, and functions to drive systems enhancements and data governance best practices.
•    Develop training materials and documentation for analytics-driven project management methodologies.

Requirements:

•    15+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
•    10+ years in drug development business operations within a global environment.
•    Five + years in a PMO leadership or project management role.
•    Advanced use in Power BI, MS Office Suite, and other business intelligence (BI) tools. 
•    Expertise in project Portfolio Management software, preferably Planisware.   
•    Strong understanding of clinical trial processes, regulatory frameworks, and compliance standards.
•    Knowledge of data sources (e.g., CTMS, EDC, DWH, finance systems).
•    Experience in forecasting, scenario planning, and portfolio optimization. 

•    PMP, PgMP, or equivalent Project Management certification.
•    Experience working in a global matrix organization with cross-cultural business dynamics.
•    Knowledge of AI-driven analytics and automation in project and portfolio management.

KKNA and all of its employees have an obligation to act in accordance with the law and with integrity in all our operations and interactions

It is the policy of Kyowa Kirin North America, Inc. to provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, religion, creed, color, pregnancy, sex, age, national origin, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation or affection preference or citizenship status or any other category protected by law.

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