Project Manager 2, Research

Location:  San Rafael, California Category: Research

Description

Who We Are

BioMarin is a global biotechnology company that relentlessly pursues bold science to translate genetic discoveries into new medicines that advance the future of human health.

Since our founding in 1997, we have applied our scientific expertise in understanding the underlying causes of genetic conditions to create transformative medicines, using a number of treatment modalities.

Using our unparalleled expertise in genetics and molecular biology, we develop medicines for patients with significant unmet medical need. We enlist the best of the best – people with the right technical expertise and a relentless drive to solve real problems – and create an environment that empowers our teams to pursue bold, innovative science. With this distinctive approach to drug discovery, we’ve produced a diverse pipeline of commercial, clinical and preclinical candidates that have well-understood biology and provide an opportunity to be first-to-market or offer a substantial benefit over existing therapeutic options.

From research and discovery to post-market clinical development, our WWRD engine involves all bench and clinical research and the associated groups that support those endeavors. Our teams work on developing first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics that provide meaningful advances to patients who live with genetic diseases. 

Position Summary 
The Research Project Manager 2 plays a critical role in primarily supporting early-stage research programs within BioMarin’s PMO framework. This position partners with Therapeutic Area (TA) Leads, Project Team Leads (PTLs), and other team members and stakeholders to drive operational and strategic direction across a portfolio of projects, ensuring alignment with corporate goals and objectives. This individual will identify and manage project-related priorities; maintain and track high-quality integrated project timelines and dashboards to enable accurate downstream reporting and decision making; enable effective team meetings and high-performance teams; manage risk assessment/escalation; budget and resourcing; and intervention/problem-solving in collaboration with stakeholders. The Project Manager interacts primarily with individuals within Research and Early Development (RED), R&D PMO, Program Portfolio Strategy (PPS), Business Development, and Regulatory to ensure corporate goals are met. 
 
Core Responsibilities 
1) Planning 
  • Act as a strategic thought partner to TA Leads and PTLs, supporting high-performing teams and alignment with program strategy. 
  • Partner with the Research PTLs and TA Leads in driving the operational and strategic direction of TA portfolio of projects to meet RED TA corporate goals and objectives. 
  • Partner in shaping and maintaining TA-owned program plans, strategic deliverables, Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). 
  • Create a comprehensive project timeline at kick-off, incorporating the current strategy, key anticipated milestones, and deliverables to guide execution and alignment. 
  • Lead Research fiscal AOP and reforecasting planning by collecting and capturing program team requirements. 
  • Liaise with PTLs, functional managers, and TA Leads to capture and analyze FTE requirements for planned deliverables and priorities. 
  • Identify, communicate, and support mitigation strategies for any potential or known project risks to TA heads, PTLs, and relevant stakeholders.
2) Execution, Monitoring and Controlling 
  • Drive progress toward program and department goals by actively tracking deliverables and holding teams accountable for timely action item completion.
  • Prepare agendas, minutes, and supporting materials for team meetings; may drive Lessons Learned sessions after major milestones.
  • Maintain accurate, real-time timelines with clear milestones, deliverables, and assumptions to ensure transparency and support downstream reporting across departments.
  • Create and maintain monthly executive dashboards and governance materials for clear reporting and decision-making.
  • Maintain stage criteria and dates during the Exploratory phase through projected IND.
  • Drive fiscal planning and budget compliance through AOP build, reforecasts, and real-time updates; maintain oversight of scope changes, mitigating variance, and providing trade-off solutions or escalating as needed.
  • Support change management efforts in Research, RED PM group, the PMO, or other collaborative stakeholders such as PPS.
  • Proactively manage and escalate emerging risks, interdependencies, and decision needs before they impact execution.
  • Manage and maintain team folder infrastructure and collaboration sites (MS Teams, SharePoint), ensuring key documents and dashboards are current, aligned, and readily accessible for communication. 
 3)  Stakeholder Management 
  • Provide guidance, preparation, facilitation, and documentation for all governance (eRRC, RRC), ensuring timely discussions on strategy, emerging data, budget and resourcing, ensuring all relevant stakeholders are present. 
  • Support Scientific Portfolio Review (SPR) by coordinating templates, timelines, and partnering with PPS for dashboards. Act as point of contact for communications between TAs and cross-functional teams or external stakeholders. 
 
Education & Experience  
  • Education:  Master of Science, or minimally Bachelor of Science degree.   Ph.D. in Life Sciences or other relevant discipline a plus. PMP or comparable certification preferred. 
  • Experience:  4 - 8 years’ total relevant experience preferred in drug development (academia/research/industry), with a minimum of 3 years direct project management in Research and/or early-stage drug development.  
 
Competencies  
Behavioral: 
  • Agility, leadership, influencing, effective communication skills for facilitating cross-functional meetings and promoting inclusive collaboration, strategic mindset, stakeholder engagement, decision making, problem solving, adaptability, resilience, relationship building, emotional intelligence, accountability, time management, prioritization, drive for results. 
Technical: 
  • Meeting scheduling/facilitating/documenting, project planning/tracking, budgeting and cost control, Manage governance meeting logistics and documentation, PM tools and systems proficiency, risk management, resource management, reporting and analytics, documentation and knowledge management, performance measurement, process improvements. 
 ShapeWorkstyle:
  • Role requires 2x a week onsite in San Rafael.  Role may not be performed virtually or from another campus location.

 
Note: This description is not intended to be all-inclusive, or a limitation of the duties of the position. It is intended to describe the general nature of the job that may include other duties as assumed or assigned.

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.