Project Manager, Program ​/ Project Manager, Operations Manager

Base pay range: $85,000 - $110,000 per year.

Position:
Project Manager
Department:
Marketing
Position Type:
Full-Time Employee

Location:

Boulder, CO (onsite)

Experience:

BS and 5+ years or MS and 3+ years of industry relevant experience in new product development, from a project management position

Watchmaker Genomics is inviting applications for the full‑time position of Project Manager. This role sits in Marketing and is responsible for managing timelines and resources across new product development (NPD) programs and projects from early R&D through commercial launch. The individual will communicate project updates, risks, and constraints to cross‑functional teams and senior leadership, ensuring transparency and alignment. They will lead multiple NPD project teams, developing and maintaining detailed timelines in collaboration with key stakeholders.

In addition, this role will champion best practices in NPD, providing ongoing training on NPD processes and project management tools to strengthen accountability and execution. The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader with experience managing cross‑functional teams—including R&D, Product Management, Manufacturing, Operations, and Quality Assurance—within a Quality Management System (QMS) environment. Familiarity with next‑generation sequencing and advanced genomics applications is strongly preferred.

The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic, fast‑paced working environment and contribute directly to our company culture and success. The position provides an opportunity to gain valuable experience in both product development and cross‑functional management to complement a strong technical background.

• Manage several product development and product care projects towards on‑time, on‑quality, in‑scope, and on‑budget product launches.
• Develop and maintain project schedule, budgets, project and business risks, and resources, with project/program and portfolio report outs & dashboards for the respective teams and leadership.
• Develop, disseminate, and encourage use of best practices for project management.
• Communicate project status and project and business risks effectively to the leadership team.
• Help to identify and creatively address project problems, issues and risks, including facilitating trade‑off decision discussions, ensuring all key stakeholders are identified and engaged.
• Champion the New Product Development (NPD) process and ensure projects adhere to NPD requirements.
• Support cross‑functional project teams from product concept and feasibility, through verification, validation and design transfer, to commercial launch and on‑market support by developing and maintaining comprehensive project plans, coordination of internal resources, and tracking project performance.
• Contribute to the execution and management of NPD and design transfer activities and documentation.
• Identify and manage interdependencies and constraints between systems and processes, and effectively coordinate cross‑functional execution.
• Additional responsibilities as assigned.

The candidate should have a degree in molecular biology, biochemistry or a related discipline, with at least five years of relevant industry experience (see education section below). Experience in the following areas is considered highly desirable: new product development (within an ISO 13485 compliant QMS), next‑generation sequencing (NGS), sample preparation, PCR, synthetic biology, and recombinant protein production. Previous experience in product management, project management or other commercial functions of life science business is considered a plus.

The following skills and experience are requirements for the position:

• Experience of new product development within an ISO 13485 compliant QMS.
• Experience in being part of new product development core teams and projects from an R&D or product management perspective.
• Demonstrated ability to manage highly technical product development and design transfer processes across functions.
• Demonstrated ability to build, maintain and report out on portfolio overviews, including budget, project and business risks, resources and…