Senior Director, R&D PMO & Innovation Excellence

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Director, R&D PMO & Innovation Excellence based in the United States.

This is a senior strategic leadership role focused on transforming enterprise priorities into disciplined, measurable execution.
You will lead the R&D PMO while shaping the governance, planning, resource allocation, and portfolio-management practices that guide major initiatives.
The role provides broad visibility across R&D, product development, transformation, commercialization, and integration programs.
You will work closely with executive and cross-functional leaders to prioritize investments, manage dependencies and risks, and accelerate value delivery.
A major focus will be embedding needs-driven innovation practices that connect customer and market needs to viable concepts and successful implementation.
You will also build organizational capabilities through strong teams, repeatable processes, playbooks, communities of practice, and leadership development.
This opportunity is ideal for an experienced portfolio and innovation leader who can bring clarity to complexity and turn strategy into sustained business outcomes.

Accountabilities:

• Lead and continuously enhance the enterprise R&D PMO operating model, establishing effective portfolio governance, decision rights, reporting cadences, escalation mechanisms, standard processes, and program-management capabilities.
• Build and maintain a reliable enterprise-wide view of the strategic portfolio, including initiative ownership, objectives, milestones, dependencies, risks, resource requirements, investments, and expected value realization.
• Partner with executive and functional leaders to translate strategic priorities into an executable portfolio and facilitate prioritization, stage-gate, investment, continuation, acceleration, and risk-management decisions.
• Establish repeatable needs-driven innovation practices across R&D and product development, covering customer observation, problem definition, need screening, concept development, prototyping, evidence planning, and implementation readiness.
• Provide executive oversight for complex, high-risk, and cross-functional programs, ensuring alignment across R&D, Product Management, Commercial, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Finance, IT/Digital, Legal, and other stakeholders.
• Improve portfolio decision-making through integrated planning, resource and capacity management, business-case evaluation, risk analysis, and executive-level reporting.
• Monitor delivery performance and benefits realization, identifying risks, dependencies, resource constraints, and opportunities to improve execution.
• Build and develop a high-performing PMO and innovation excellence organization through coaching, talent development, performance management, communities of practice, and structured learning.
• Develop reusable tools, playbooks, governance frameworks, and operating practices that strengthen program-management maturity across the organization.
• Promote consistent innovation and portfolio-management disciplines while ensuring teams remain focused on customer value, business impact, and implementation readiness.
• Provide senior leadership with clear insights and recommendations that support investment decisions, strategic trade-offs, and long-term portfolio performance.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, business, operations, or a related discipline; an advanced degree such as an MBA, master’s degree, or doctorate is preferred.
• Typically 15+ years of progressive leadership experience across portfolio management, program management, product development, innovation, operations, transformation, or related disciplines.
• At least 7 years of experience leading complex cross-functional programs and/or PMO organizations .
• Demonstrated success building, transforming, or leading an enterprise or business-unit PMO, with measurable improvements in portfolio decisions, delivery performance, resource productivity, and benefits realization.
• Deep practical experience with needs-driven innovation methods, including observation, need finding, need screening, concept development, prototyping, and implementation planning; formal Biodesign training is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of portfolio management, stage-gate governance, integrated planning, capacity and resource management, risk management, business-case analysis, and executive reporting.
• Experience with recognized methodologies or certifications such as PMP, PgMP, PfMP, Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or comparable credentials is preferred.
• Experience operating in regulated product environments and guiding products, diagnostics, instruments, consumables, software or digital solutions, services, or integrated platforms through development and commercialization.
• Industry experience in food safety, animal safety, life sciences, diagnostics, medical technology, laboratory workflows, industrial biotechnology, or related sectors is highly valued.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to influence senior leaders and diverse cross-functional stakeholders without relying solely on formal authority.
• Excellent strategic thinking, portfolio prioritization, problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to bring structure and clarity to complex environments while balancing competing priorities, resources, risks, and business objectives.
• Strong people leadership capabilities, including coaching, talent development, performance management, and building high-performing teams.

Benefits:

• Strategic senior leadership opportunity to shape enterprise approaches to innovation, portfolio management, and program execution.
• Opportunity to influence high-impact initiatives supporting customer value, sustainable growth, operational readiness, quality, and long-term business performance.
• Collaboration with senior executives and global cross-functional teams in a complex, purpose-driven, regulated environment.
• Opportunity to build enduring organizational capabilities through PMO disciplines, innovation methodologies, leadership development, and reusable operating practices.
• Standard benefits package.
• Remote work opportunity within the United States.
• Meaningful opportunity to contribute to products and capabilities that support food safety, animal health, and the broader global food supply.

How Jobgether works:

We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team.

We appreciate your interest and wish you the best!

Data Privacy Notice: By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Jobgether will process your personal data to evaluate your candidacy and share relevant information with the hiring employer. This processing is based on legitimate interest and pre-contractual measures under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR). You may exercise your rights (access, rectification, erasure, objection) at any time.

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We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.