Senior Project Manager - Director, Life Sciences

The opportunity

Satoriq is seeking a senior life sciences professional to take ownership of an established engineering consultancy's regional life sciences practice. You will build on existing laboratory and university work, develop new client relationships, and lead the projects and people needed to expand the business.

This role suits an experienced life sciences project manager who has progressed into client and team leadership and is ready to own a business area. You will work with office leadership and an existing engineering team, with business development colleagues supporting introductions to owners, owners' representatives, and architects. Turning those relationships into work and delivering it successfully will be central to the role.

Grow the practice and client relationships

• Develop a regional life sciences business plan, identifying priority clients, project opportunities, staffing needs, and practical growth targets.
• Build relationships with laboratory owners, pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations, research institutions, architects, and project delivery partners.
• Lead client discovery and pursuit strategy, turning operational needs and capital plans into clearly scoped engineering assignments.
• Guide proposals, fee development, and contract discussions with the appropriate technical and commercial leaders.
• Earn repeat work through strong delivery and responsive client service, while maintaining a realistic pipeline of future projects.

Lead complex project delivery

• Act as the senior client contact for life sciences assignments, coordinating engineering input from early assessments and concept design through construction support and closeout.
• Own scope, design budgets, schedules, resource planning, and project reporting. Address changes and delivery risks early with the client and project team.
• Guide coordination between mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, controls, and other specialists, with commissioning input appropriate to the project.

Project and technical leadership

The portfolio may include research laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology facilities, laboratory conversions, and related science and technology environments. You will guide the engineering response to the way each facility will be used and operated.

• Lead design reviews and quality assurance, resolving coordination issues and helping teams make sound decisions about constructability, reliability, maintainability, and cost.
• Bring informed judgment to laboratory ventilation and exhaust, power resilience, laboratory utilities, controls, and the infrastructure needed for specialized spaces.
• Understand how containment, environmental conditions, operational continuity, and applicable regulatory requirements influence facility design. Engage specialists where deeper expertise is needed.

Build and develop the team

• Work with regional and discipline leaders to establish the right project teams and expand life sciences expertise as the workload grows.
• Mentor project managers and engineers, giving clear direction and helping them build technical judgment, client confidence, and commercial awareness.
• Support senior hiring and succession planning. Match recruitment and staff development to the work the practice is pursuing and delivering.

Experience and qualifications

• At least 12 years of life sciences design experience, including substantial responsibility within an engineering consultancy or architecture and engineering firm.
• Five or more years leading people or teams, together with a demonstrated record of developing engineering business and sustaining client accounts.
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary life sciences projects, managing project financial performance, and resolving difficult client or delivery issues.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, with the ability to guide specialists and explain technical tradeoffs to owners and project partners.
• A bachelor's degree in mechanical or electrical engineering, or substantial equivalent experience. PE licensure is strongly preferred; exceptional candidates with deep client relationships and a record of winning life sciences work may be considered individually.
• Established relationships across the regional life sciences market and evidence of winning repeat work. Experience growing a team, account portfolio, or practice is strongly preferred.

What the opportunity offers

You will have room to grow the life sciences business within a management-owned firm, backed by established technical resources and business development support. This is a long-term career opportunity with scope to expand your leadership as the practice grows. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) program with employer matching, paid time off, commuter support, and professional development. Leadership roles may offer ownership opportunities, subject to eligibility and firm approval.