About This Role

The Head of Research Project and Portfolio Management will lead project planning, execution, and portfolio management practices to optimize the delivery of Biogen’s Research portfolio, spanning from early stage discovery through IND filing.

This role is accountable for shaping portfolio strategy and optimization by creating a common understanding of the state of the Research portfolio including value, risks, and upcoming inflection points; by driving clarity and alignment on key imperatives to progress and evolve the portfolio; and by ensuring that portfolio priorities and resourcing align to organizational objectives.

This role will also build and scale a Research project management and reporting function, leading the successful translation of strategy into execution. Working in an open innovation model, the role will ensure high-quality project plans, risk management, and operational excellence for internal projects and external therapeutic collaborations.

This position requires an agile, visionary leader with deep experience in portfolio strategy, project management, and organizational design, capable of fostering a culture of strategic clarity, accountability, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Do

• Establish and maintain a strategic framework for guiding Research portfolio composition.

• Drive alignment and clarity in Research portfolio strategy through regular reviews of portfolio composition, health, prioritization, trade-offs, and scenario planning.

• Oversee the implementation and optimization of portfolio reporting processes, tools, and analytics to enable transparency of program status, activities, timelines, and resourcing.

• Establish, lead, and mentor a team of exceptional project managers with skills tailored for discovery research through IND filing. Foster a collaborative, results-oriented, and supportive team environment, promoting knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

• Provide oversight to ensure the development of high-quality project plans that translate project strategies into clear objectives, deliverables, timelines, decision trees, and resourcing needs for both internal research efforts and external therapeutic collaborations.

• Implement a robust risk management capability at the project and portfolio level.

• Foster a high-performance project team culture in Research based on accountability, data-driven rigor, agility, collaboration, and psychological safety.

• Cultivate advanced PPM capabilities and tools such as portfolio modeling and AL/ML-aided workflows, leveraging industry best practices.

• Contribute to organizational strategic planning processes through insights gained from portfolio performance and project trends.

• Build and optimize processes and best practices for project handoffs to the Development project management organization.

Who You Are

You’re a strategic leader with a compelling vision for what excellence looks like in a Project & Portfolio Management (PPM) function. You’re motivated by the opportunity to be a highly visible role that will build and scale a critical new capability in the organization. You thrive in dynamic, agile environments and love to prototype ideas while iteratively improving them based on evolving information and feedback. You are passionate about enabling scientific innovation through operational excellence, cross-functional collaboration, and decision-making rigor. You seamlessly balance strategic vision with execution discipline, lean into influencing at all levels, and have a passion for coaching and growing others.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline is required; an advanced degree (e.g., MS, PhD, MBA) in a relevant field of study is strongly preferred.

• Minimum of 12 years of experience in portfolio strategy, portfolio management, and project management within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.

• Comprehensive understanding of drug discovery processes, including target identification and validation, lead selection and optimization, pharmacology, and translational science. Scientific experience in neuroscience, immune-mediated diseases, or rare disease is highly desirable.

• Demonstrated ability to drive strategic clarity and alignment on portfolio priorities.

• Proven ability to successfully build and scale a PPM function, including organizational design and process development.

• Strong expertise in project management methodologies and software, portfolio reporting tools and analytics, and decision frameworks.

• Demonstrated experience in applying AI/ML or other advanced computational tools for portfolio management or optimization.

• Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and motivate a high-performing team.

• Agile and adaptable to changing priorities and evolving information while maintaining a focus on results and accountability.

• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage, inform, and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

• Familiarity with external collaboration models and alliance management.

Job Level: Management

Additional Information:

The base compensation range for this role is: $200,000.00-$275,000.00
Base salary offered is determined through an analytical approach utilizing a combination of factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills & experience, job location, and internal equity.

Regular employees are eligible to receive both short term and long-term incentives, including cash bonus and equity incentive opportunities, designed to reward recent achievements and recognize your future potential based on individual, business unit and company performance.

In addition to compensation, Biogen offers a full and highly competitive range of benefits designed to support our employees’ and their families physical, financial, emotional, and social well-being; including, but not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, & Life insurances
• Fitness & Wellness programs including a fitness reimbursement
• Short- and Long-Term Disability insurance
• A minimum of 15 days of paid vacation and an additional end-of-year shutdown time off (Dec 26-Dec 31)
• Up to 12 company paid holidays + 3 paid days off for Personal Significance
• 80 hours of sick time per calendar year
• Paid Maternity and Parental Leave benefit
• 401(k) program participation with company matched contributions
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Tuition reimbursement of up to $10,000 per calendar year
• Employee Resource Groups participation

Why Biogen?

We are a global team with a commitment to excellence, and a pioneering spirit. As a mid-sized biotechnology company, we provide the stability and resources of a well-established business while fostering an environment where individual contributions make a significant impact. Our team encompasses some of the most talented and passionate achievers who have unparalleled opportunities for learning, growth, and expanding their skills. Above all, we work together to deliver life-changing medicines, with every role playing a vital part in our mission. Caring Deeply. Achieving Excellence. Changing Lives.

At Biogen, we are committed to building on our culture of inclusion and belonging that reflects the communities where we operate and the patients we serve. We know that diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives make us a stronger and more innovative company, and we are focused on building teams where every employee feels empowered and inspired. Read on to learn more about our DE&I efforts.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Biogen is an E-Verify Employer in the United States.