Senior Manager, Project & Alliance Leadership

Job Description

Job Description

Location : Houston, TX
Department: Project and Alliance Leadership
Reports to: Director, Project & Alliance Leadership

About CTMC

CTMC is a pioneering biotech joint venture, formed by National Resilience and MD Anderson Cancer Center, located in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. Our mission is to accelerate cell therapies from bench to bedside. We offer a wide range of cell therapy modalities, including CAR-T, TIL, and TCR-T. Our expert team collaborates closely with MD Anderson’s research and clinical faculty, bringing impactful cell therapies to cancer patients.

Since inception in May 2022, our team has filed eight INDs and have received approval, without delay, demonstrating our commitment to delivering innovative treatments to patients with speed and precision. Our alliance with National Resilience enables us to remain at the forefront of biomanufacturing practices, leveraging advanced technology and processes to deliver exceptional results.

Our growing, state-of-the-art, 60,000 sq. ft. industrial facility in the Texas Medical Center is staffed by an integrated team of industry veterans and academic scientists who are passionate about bringing life-saving cures to patients. Our unique joint venture structure, with two highly established partners, provides us with the financial stability and long-term horizon to achieve our organizational goals.

At CTMC, we value our employees and offer a variety of development opportunities within our novel corporate structure to inspire professional growth and satisfaction. We foster a team-first culture and a balanced work-life environment to ensure our staff is energized and engaged in our mission to accelerate cell therapies from bench to bedside for patients who need them. If you share our passion for advancing the frontiers of medical science with innovative therapeutics and want to join a highly dedicated team committed to delivering novel cures to patients, we invite you to submit your application. We look forward to hearing from you and exploring how your skills and expertise can help us achieve our mission.

Responsibilities

CTMC is looking for a highly motivated Senior Manager, Project & Alliance Leadership, with exceptional operational, drug development, project management and communication skills to support the Project and Alliance Leadership team in Houston, TX.

Project & Alliance Leadership (PAL) plays an important role in defining and delivering value to partners within the CTMC mission. PAL serves as a centralized leadership and coordination function that aims to integrate CTMC’s deep cell therapy scientific expertise with an industrial GMP cell therapy manufacturing capability. This position will be responsible for managing the execution of cell therapy projects with a special focus on those assets already in early and/or late phase of clinical development. This role will help bring leadership, organization, and standardization to our portfolio of projects in active GMP operations. This role requires a unique team member that thrives in cross-functional and external working environments and has the aptitude to create out-sized value/impact in terms of enhancing operational excellence, program strategy, and overall portfolio execution. This role will report to the Director, Project and Alliance Leadership.

Responsibilities:

Portfolio and Project Leadership

• Lead and manage of cell therapy programs in active GMP operations, ensuring strategic objectives, timelines, budgets, and deliverables are achieved.
• Serve as the primary project leadership representative for assigned programs, driving alignment across Manufacturing, Quality, Analytical Development, Process Development, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Finance, and external partners.
• Develop, maintain, and communicate integrated project plans, schedules, budgets, resource forecasts, and risk management strategies.
• Establish and drive project governance structures to ensure effective decision-making, issue escalation, and stakeholder alignment.
• Proactively identify project risks, operational challenges, and execution gaps while implementing mitigation and contingency plans.
• Present project status, risks, opportunities, and key performance indicators to senior leadership, executive stakeholders, and partner organizations.
• Champion project management excellence by developing and implementing standardized tools, templates, processes, and best practices across the portfolio.

Alliance and Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a key relationship manager for strategic partnerships, including academic institutions, biotechnology companies, and other external collaborators.
• Lead and facilitate joint project teams, governance committees, steering committees, and executive review meetings.
• Foster strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive collaboration, transparency, and successful program outcomes.
• Ensure partner expectations, contractual commitments, and project objectives remain aligned throughout program execution.
• Support business development activities by providing operational assessments, execution strategies, and portfolio insights for prospective partnerships.

GMP Operations and Program Execution

• Provide stewardship of the end-to-end batch lifecycle, including demand forecasting, manufacturing scouting, scheduling, operational readiness, execution oversight, and project closeout activities.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Technical Operations teams to optimize scheduling, capacity utilization, and operational execution.
• Lead cross-functional efforts to resolve operational issues, implement changes, and ensure uninterrupted program execution.
• Support financial planning activities, including budget forecasting, resource planning, accrual management, and reconciliation of manufacturing activities with partner invoicing.
• Drive operational excellence initiatives aimed at improving efficiency, predictability, scalability, and value realization within GMP operations.

Metrics, Governance, and Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain portfolio-level dashboards, operational metrics, and performance indicators that provide actionable business intelligence.
• Analyze project and operational data to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and process improvements.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance project execution, governance effectiveness, communication, and portfolio visibility.
• Contribute to strategic planning activities and help shape future operational and portfolio management capabilities within CTMC.

Leadership

• Provide leadership, mentorship, and guidance to project team members and junior project managers when applicable.
• Influence cross-functional teams without direct authority to drive accountability and execution excellence.
• Promote a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Other duties as required.

Qualifications/Skills:

• BS or MS degree in engineering, science, or related field required, PhD preferred
• 12+ years of relevant work experience including 3+ years of functional or cross-functional leadership in cell therapy product development, GMP manufacturing operations, etc.
• Experience with early to late phase human therapeutic (drug) development, commercial preferred
• Experience with project management tools and methodologies
• Experience with fast-paced, collaborate, cross-functional teams and matrix organizations
• Aptitude for learning agility (e.g. able to develop new knowledge, skills, and abilities quickly)
• Aptitude for exceptional communication (e.g. able to effectively communicate with the scientists and technicians as well as the C-Suite)
• Aptitude for generalist skill-set (e.g. able to draw insights from disparate sections of the organization and synthesize value)
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Project, Excel, SharePoint, and PowerPoint

Working Conditions, Equipment, Physical Demands

The incumbent in this position works in an office environment. The incumbent in this position will use the following equipment and shall have the following physical demands:

Equipment- Computer, printer, fax, and telephone.

Physical Demands- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer and must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

The physical demands and work environment that have been described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The above job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of this position; your supervisor may assign other duties as considered necessary.