Project Director - Life Sciences

Job Description

Project Director – Biopharmaceutical / Life Sciences

Location: Kankakee, Illinois

Sector: Biopharmaceutical / Life Sciences

Project Value: $1.2B+

Project Type: Major cGMP Facility Expansion

Position: Project Director

Working Arrangement: Site-based, 5 days per week

Project Stage: Basic Design / Preconstruction, progressing toward construction

The Opportunity

We are supporting a leading international engineering and construction organization with the appointment of an experienced Project Director for a major $1.2B+ expansion of an immunoglobulin manufacturing facility in Kankakee, Illinois .

The project is currently progressing through Basic Design , with groundbreaking planned for the next phase of the program.

This is a senior site leadership position requiring an accomplished construction professional who has successfully delivered large, technically complex pharmaceutical, biotechnology or life sciences projects within a cGMP environment .

The Project Director will act as the company's senior representative within a Joint Venture project delivery structure , reporting to the overall JV Project Director. They will be expected to provide strong leadership across construction execution while maintaining excellent relationships with the client, JV partners, engineering teams, contractors and other key stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

The Project Director will provide senior leadership for the safe and successful execution of the project, with responsibilities including:

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• Provide overall leadership for construction delivery on a complex $1.2B+ biopharmaceutical expansion.
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• Act as the senior company representative within the Joint Venture project organization.
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• Lead and coordinate large multidisciplinary project and construction teams.
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• Drive project execution against agreed safety, quality, schedule, cost and technical objectives .
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• Establish and maintain effective project execution strategies as the program transitions from design and preconstruction into major construction.
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• Provide leadership across engineering, procurement, construction, project controls, quality and commissioning interfaces.
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• Manage senior relationships with the client, JV partner, contractors, subcontractors, engineering organizations and key vendors.
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• Maintain strong oversight of construction planning, sequencing, site logistics and contractor performance.
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• Ensure construction activities are delivered in accordance with stringent cGMP, quality and regulatory requirements .
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• Provide leadership across complex CSA, MEP, process, utilities and building-services packages.
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• Oversee project schedule performance, identify critical risks and implement appropriate mitigation or recovery strategies.
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• Maintain commercial awareness across budgets, forecasting, procurement, contracts and change management.
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• Ensure effective coordination between construction and commissioning/qualification requirements.
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• Drive a strong safety culture throughout the project and hold project teams and contractors accountable for performance.
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• Lead resolution of significant technical, commercial, construction and stakeholder issues.
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• Provide clear reporting to senior project and corporate leadership.
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• Build an effective, collaborative project culture capable of delivering a highly complex program for a demanding end client.
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Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will be an experienced Project Director, Senior Project Director, Construction Director or senior Project/Construction Executive with a strong record of delivering major technically complex projects.

The ideal background will include:

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• Extensive experience within EPC, EPCM, General Contractor or major design-build project delivery .
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• Significant direct construction leadership experience rather than predominantly owner-side project management.
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• Demonstrable experience delivering major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, biopharmaceutical or life sciences facilities .
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• Strong understanding of construction within cGMP-regulated environments .
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• Experience on large capital programs, ideally approaching or exceeding $1 billion in project value.
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• Experience leading large, multidisciplinary project and construction organizations.
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• Strong knowledge of CSA, MEP, process utilities and complex building systems .
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• Understanding of cleanrooms, controlled environments and pharmaceutical manufacturing infrastructure.
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• Experience working across the full project lifecycle from design/preconstruction through procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification and turnover.
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• Strong knowledge of project controls, scheduling, cost management, forecasting, contracts and change management.
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• Experience managing major contractors, subcontractors and trade partners.
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• Strong safety leadership and experience establishing a high-performance construction culture.
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• Ability to operate effectively within a Joint Venture or similarly complex project governance structure .
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• Strong client-facing capabilities and the confidence to manage challenging senior stakeholders.
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• Ability to make decisions and drive progress in a large, fast-moving and technically demanding project environment.
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Particularly Relevant Experience

Candidates with previous involvement in major projects involving the following would be particularly attractive:

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• Biologics or biopharmaceutical manufacturing
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• Immunoglobulin or plasma-derived therapies
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• Vaccine manufacturing
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• Large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing
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• Cleanrooms and controlled manufacturing environments
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• Process utilities and clean utilities
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• WFI and clean steam
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• HVAC and environmental control
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• Central utility plants
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• Process piping and controls
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• Automation/BMS
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• Commissioning and qualification
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• Greenfield or major brownfield cGMP expansions
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Leadership Profile

This position requires more than technical knowledge. The successful individual will need to demonstrate that they have previously operated as a senior construction leader on major capital projects .

They should be capable of walking a complex project site, challenging construction teams and contractors, understanding the technical issues, engaging confidently with senior client leadership and taking accountability for safe and predictable project delivery.

The ability to lead a demanding customer relationship while maintaining alignment between the client, JV partners and the wider project organization will be particularly important.

Why Consider the Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to take a senior leadership position on one of the most significant current biopharmaceutical capital projects in the United States .

The scale and technical complexity of the program provide the opportunity to lead construction delivery on a $1.2B+ cGMP manufacturing expansion , working alongside highly experienced engineering, construction, quality and commissioning professionals.

For an established Project Director with a background in major EPC/EPCM life sciences construction , this represents an opportunity to play a highly visible leadership role on a major long-term project in Kankakee, Illinois.