R&D Project Management Office (PMO) Lead

Position Title

R&D Project Management Office (PMO) Lead

Position Summary

The R&D Project Management Office (PMO) Lead is a strategic partner to the R&D leadership team, responsible for establishing and managing a collaborative PMO that balances agile innovation with disciplined execution. This role is pivotal in driving the operational excellence of the entire R&D pipeline, from ideation to launch. The PMO Lead will architect and implement best-in-class frameworks for portfolio management, data-driven prioritization, proactive risk mitigation, and continuous process improvement (innovation debottlenecking).

Key Responsibilities -

The responsibilities of the R&D PMO Lead are organized under the four core mandates of the office:

1. Project & Pipeline Management

2. Project Prioritization

3. Risk Management

4. Innovation Debottlenecking

5. Governance & Reporting

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field (e.g., Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences) or Business Administration.
• A minimum of 10-15 years of progressive experience in project or program management, with at least 5-8 years in a leadership role within a formal PMO
• Proven track record of successfully managing a portfolio of complex, cross-functional projects from initiation to completion in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated experience in establishing and running a PMO, including the development of governance frameworks, processes, and performance metrics

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree (MBA or a technical MS/PhD) is highly preferred.
• Direct experience working within an R&D organization in a relevant industry
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or other Agile certification is a strong plus
• Formal training or certification in Change Management
• Experience in financial modeling and building business cases for technical projects

Technical Proficiencies & Methodologies

• Expert-level proficiency in modern project and portfolio management (PPM) software and collaboration tools (e.g., JIRA, Microsoft Project, Asana, Trello, Planview)
• Strong proficiency in data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Tableau, Power BI) to create insightful dashboards and reports
• Expertise in risk management techniques and tools
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and financial acumen

Contact details -

swati.sharma1@dsgroup.com