Senior Project​/Program Director (Pharmaceutical - Construction

At Cumming Group, you will work on some of the world's most exciting projects in a dynamic environment where your success is measured by the impact you make. We are one of the fastest‑growing project and cost management consultancies in the United States, as reflected in our top 10 rankings in ENR. With over 60 offices globally, an extremely diverse project portfolio, and double‑digit year‑over‑year revenue growth, the opportunities to make your mark are limitless!

The Senior Project Director will serve as the owner's representative for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing capital program in Houston, TX. This role will lead a portfolio of concurrent projects, providing strategic direction and accountability across scope, cost, schedule, safety, quality, risk and operational readiness. The ideal candidate has led individual project scopes exceeding $100 million and brings deep experience delivering complex pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing facilities.

This position requires a consistent on‑site presence at the client location.

• Provide executive oversight for a portfolio of major capital projects and interdependent work streams.
• Represent the client's interests throughout design, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, start‑up and turnover.
• Lead Project Directors, Project Managers, consultants, contractors, vendors and functional project teams.
• Establish portfolio governance, execution strategies, reporting requirements, decision pathways and escalation protocols.
• Integrate project scope, schedules, budgets, risks, resources and cross‑project dependencies into a coordinated execution plan.
• Maintain accountability for portfolio cost, schedule, safety, quality and delivery performance.
• Review project plans, forecasts, schedules, risk registers, change requests and recovery strategies, intervening when performance is at risk.
• Lead resolution of significant technical, commercial, contractual, construction and stakeholder issues.
• Direct value engineering, constructability, design optimisation and life‑cycle‑cost initiatives.
• Ensure project delivery aligns with client standards, manufacturing requirements, GMP expectations and applicable regulatory and safety requirements.
• Oversee contracting and procurement strategies, contractor performance, commercial negotiations, claims and change management.
• Align engineering, construction, quality, validation, operations, maintenance and environmental health and safety stakeholders.
• Provide executive reporting on progress, financial performance, risk exposure, critical decisions and corrective actions.
• Ensure facilities and systems are commissioned, qualified, documented and ready for start‑up and operational turnover.
• Develop and mentor project leadership while driving accountability and consistent execution across the portfolio.

• Ability to provide executive oversight across multiple concurrent projects and interdependent work streams.
• Strong command of project governance, project controls, integrated scheduling, forecasting, risk management, contingency and change control.
• Deep understanding of pharmaceutical facility design, construction, commissioning, qualification, validation, start‑up and operational turnover.
• Strong commercial and contractual judgement, including procurement strategy, contractor performance, negotiations, claims and dispute resolution.
• Working knowledge of GMP, OSHA, environmental, permitting and process‑safety requirements.
• Ability to align engineering, construction, quality, validation, operations, maintenance and EHS stakeholders around shared project objectives.
• Ability to identify emerging issues, make timely decisions and direct corrective or recovery strategies.
• Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, negotiation and team‑leadership capabilities.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor's degree in engineering, Construction Management, Architecture or a related technical discipline.
• Experience:
  
  15+ years of progressive capital project leadership experience, including:
• Direct responsibility for individual project scopes exceeding $100…