Senior Program Manager – Engineering Projects
Position Summary
The Senior Program Manager- Engineering Projects is responsible for the planning, execution, and delivery of facility and engineering projects that enable ImmunityBio’s clinical and commercial manufacturing operations, with a strong focus on facility buildouts, utilities, and equipment qualification and validation.
Essential Functions
Own end-to-end delivery of assigned facility, utility, and equipment projects from concept through turnover to operations, as the primary point of contact to align stakeholders and subject matter experts on scope, schedule, budget, quality, and execution strategy.
Develop and maintain integrated project and program plans, including scope definition, milestones, resource plans, budgets, risk registers, critical path, and risk remediation actions for capital projects, renovations, buildouts, and equipment installations.
Plan, organize, and direct a broad range of capital projects, including new construction, facility expansions, laboratory and cleanroom buildouts, infrastructure upgrades, and associated site modifications.
Cook up and coordinate internal stakeholders and external partners, including Facilities, Manufacturing, Quality, EHS, Engineering, Validation, design teams, contractors, and vendors, to ensure aligned execution of Commissioning, Qualification, and Validation (CQV) in a highly regulated environment.
Ensure facility layouts, building systems, and project execution meet operational needs and comply with cGMP, building codes, environmental regulations, safety requirements, and company standards.
Monitor construction and installation progress, review field changes and change orders, resolve site issues, and recommend actions to protect scope, cost, schedule, and quality.
Ensure project schedules account for CQV activities, documentation reviews, and regulatory/QA approvals required for GMP release, and drive resolution of technical or validation issues during startup and qualification.
Partner with EHS to plan and monitor construction safety programs and ensure contractor compliance with site safety and operational requirements.
Support internal and external audits and inspections related to facilities, equipment, and validation by preparing and presenting projects, CQV, and supporting documentation.
Develop and manage project budgets and cash flow forecasts, track capital spend against approved funding, and review invoices against milestones and contract terms.
Review and evaluate vendor and contractor proposals, scopes of work, and change orders, providing recommendations for selection, award, and execution.
Facilitate cross-functional communication, prepare status reports and executive updates, and escalate key issues, risks, and decisions with clear options and recommendations to leadership.
Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science or relevant field required.
5+ years of relevant professional experience in engineering, manufacturing, facilities, and validation is required.
3+ years of engineering program/project management experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or other regulated life sciences manufacturing environment is required.
Experience with facility buildouts and equipment CQV strongly preferred.
Experience leading capital or infrastructure projects involving construction, utilities, and equipment installation in cGMP or similarly regulated environments preferred.
Experience working with cross-functional teams, external design and construction partners, and multiple stakeholders in a matrixed organization preferred.
Hands-on experience with both traditional (Waterfall) and Agile or hybrid project management methodologies preferred.
PMP or other project management certification preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
Demonstrated successful leadership competencies (diligence, planning, analysis, and communication).
Skilled use of interpersonal skills and influence to accomplish work without formal authority and to ensure optimal team performance.
Excellent communication and customer service skills, which enable successful collaboration with executive level stakeholders.
Strong experience facilitating project team meetings, cross-functional communication and decision making, and ensuring alignment with internal and external stakeholders.
Sound judgment, problem solving, matrix management, and collaboration in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions to problems.
Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams in a highly matrixed organization.
Demonstrated ability to think strategically when planning, managing teams, and managing processes.
Sound understanding of facility and utility systems (e.g., clean utilities, process gases, HVAC, process equipment) and their impact on GMP operations.
Working knowledge of commissioning and validation principles, including development and execution of IQ/OQ/PQ protocols and related documentation.
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and compliance.
Proficiency with project management tools and MS Office (e.g., MS Project or equivalent, Excel, PowerPoint, Word); familiarity with CAD or BIM tools is a plus.