Senior Project Manager (R&D Stream) – Capital Projects Engineering in Ware

At GSK Ware, the campus comprises both a manufacturing site (Global Supply Chain) and a Research & Development (R&D) site. The Capital Projects Engineering department is responsible for the management and delivery of capital portfolios spanning both sides of the campus. We are seeking an experienced and proactive Senior Project Manager to join the Capital Projects Engineering Team at the GSK Ware site, aligned specifically to the R&D Capital Portfolio. This role will take full accountability for the end‑to‑end delivery of capital projects — from inception and business case formation through design, construction, commissioning, validation and handover — following GSK’s Project Management Framework (PMF), site standards and governance processes.

Projects may include:

• New pharmaceutical production equipment (tablet presses, packing lines, bespoke blending and filling equipment)
• Critical utilities and infrastructure (HV/LV power, HVAC, process utilities, chilled water, steam/condensate, and technical services)
• Modifications to R&D facilities and scientific workspaces
• R&D equipment installations (containment equipment)

Key Responsibilities

Project Management & Delivery

• Lead the delivery of assigned capital projects within the R&D stream, ensuring adherence to PMF, cost, schedule, quality and safety requirements.
• Conduct the Business Analysis phase, defining business benefits, assessing technical feasibility, and developing appropriate solution options.
• Prepare and submit Project Investment Proposals (PIPs) and supporting documentation to secure capital approval.
• Develop and maintain key project documents, including Charters, User Requirement Briefs (URB) and User Requirement Specifications (URS), in partnership with end users, validation and technical SMEs.
• Facilitate design reviews, HAZOPs, safety studies, GMP and quality reviews, ensuring robust and compliant project design.

Scope & Change Management

• Define, clarify and agree project scope with stakeholders, ensuring clear deliverables, boundaries and acceptance criteria.
• Maintain disciplined scope control throughout the lifecycle, preventing scope creep and ensuring continued alignment to requirements.
• Coordinate project change controls from generation through approval, ensuring compliant documentation.

EHS, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure all project activities comply with GSK EHS standards, CDM regulations and quality systems.
• Develop Pre‑Construction Information (PCI) and comply with HSE requirements (F10 notifications).
• Provide visible HSE management to ensure safe delivery within operational and R&D environments.

Execution, Commissioning & Handover

• Manage FATs/SATs, equipment acceptance and integration into R&D environments.
• Coordinate shutdowns, downtime planning and operational impacts with science and production stakeholders.
• Oversee commissioning, qualification/validation activities and ensure complete technical documentation and handover packages.

Financial & Contract Management

• Own project budgets including PIP allocations, contingency management, procurement activities and purchase order management.
• Ensure robust cost forecasting, reporting and alignment with financial governance requirements.
• Generate clear scopes of work and support contract administration activities (NEC4 PSC and ECC).

Stakeholder & Partner Management

• Act as the single point of accountability for project delivery, working closely with the R&D stream, Capital Delivery Partner, technical teams and suppliers.
• Liaise effectively with senior stakeholders and sponsors, ensuring transparent communication and timely escalations.
• Present project updates, risks and proposals at governance forums.
• Manage technical queries related to project scope and execution.

Planning & Portfolio Support

• Contribute to annual and multi‑year capital planning, providing estimates, prioritisation insights and schedule forecasts.
• Support role clarity and accountability across internal teams and subcontractors.
• Provide day‑to‑day support to the R&D Capital Stream Lead.

This role would suit a motivated, resilient and solutions‑focused project professional with experience delivering capital projects in scientific, pharmaceutical or regulated environments.

Essential Qualifications

• Degree‑level qualification in Engineering (BEng/MEng) or a related technical discipline and/or professional registration (IEng/CEng) through a recognised engineering institution.
• Significant experience delivering capital projects in a regulated, scientific, pharmaceutical or similarly complex technical environment, including full lifecycle delivery (front‑end, design, construction, commissioning, CQV and handover).
• Demonstrated capability in scope, cost, schedule, risk and change management for multi‑disciplinary projects — including managing high‑complexity or high‑value capital works (£2–10m‑level projects).
• Strong ability in contract administration and commercial frameworks, ideally with experience in NEC4 PSC/ECC contracts.
• Proven ability to navigate and apply quality, validation, EHS and compliance frameworks relevant to GMP/GxP and R&D environments.
• Advanced stakeholder engagement and communication skills, including confidence interacting with senior stakeholders, sponsors and governance bodies.
• Experience operating within a matrix organisation, dealing with ambiguity, priorities and time‑critical decision‑making.
• Evidence of structured problem‑solving capability and ability to manage/energise cross‑functional teams.

Desirable

• Formal project management accreditation (APM PMQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner, PMP).
• Experience with GSK’s PMF, governance processes, and capital investment frameworks.
• Experience coordinating engineering change controls or technical change management in GxP environments (ECCs).
• Strong familiarity with commissioning and validation documentation (URS, IOQ, PCC/ECC packages).
• Experience representing engineering or project delivery functions during audits or regulatory inspections.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and annual performance bonus.
• Professional development, training and chartership support (IET, IMechE, IChemE, etc.).
• Opportunities to attend industry conferences.
• Access to health, wellbeing and recognition programmes.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.