Senior Program Manager - Technology R&D

Job Description

At Signant Health, we help bring life-changing treatments to patients faster. We are a global evidence generation company that supports clinical trials with smart technology, scientific expertise, and hands‑on operational support — so better data leads to better decisions in healthcare. We embrace AI and advanced technologies to enhance every aspect of what we do, from data analysis to operational efficiency.

Our teams work at the intersection of science, technology, and patient experience, delivering digital solutions powered by AI innovation that make clinical trials more efficient, more accurate, and more accessible around the world. Trusted by leading pharmaceutical companies and CROs, our platforms and services support studies across more than 90 countries and have contributed to hundreds of new drug approvals.

If you are motivated by meaningful work, global impact, and innovation in clinical research and digital health — including the opportunity to work with cutting‑edge AI technologies — you will find purpose and opportunity at Signant Health.

About the Role

The Senior Program Manager leads portfolio management operations for the Technology PMO, balancing demand across Product Roadmap priorities, Tech Must‑Do commitments, and broader AI‑enabled enterprise initiatives so that staffing and investment decisions reflect the organization's highest priorities. This is a foundational, build‑and‑govern role: the Senior Program Manager stands up and runs the ongoing operations of the PMO's core portfolio capabilities—portfolio health & executive‑level reporting, a consistent governance prioritization and change management process, and standardized capacity management—giving leadership a clear, data‑driven view of what the portfolio can deliver and where trade‑offs are needed.

The role operates through matrixed influence rather than direct authority, partnering closely with Delivery Program Management, Product Management, Operations, and Engineering Excellence to align priorities and surface capacity constraints. The Senior Program Manager structures the governance process and prepares the analysis and trade‑off options that inform executive decision‑making, while portfolio‑level decision authority and the ELT relationship rest with the Technology PMO lead to whom this role reports.

What You Will Do

• Coordinate the balancing of Technology portfolio demand and capacity across Product Roadmap priorities, Tech Must‑Do commitments, and broader AI‑enabled enterprise demand, ensuring staffing and investment decisions reflect the organization's highest priorities across programs.
• Proactively identify and surface portfolio‑level risks, resourcing conflicts, and capacity constraints to the PMO lead, providing the analysis and options that inform ELT‑level trade‑off discussions and prioritization decisions.
• Own and continuously mature a repeatable capacity management process that consolidates team capacity against project demand sourced from JIRA into a single, standardized view; drive adoption of the process in partnership with the Delivery Management teams.
• Establish a consistent governance and change management process and drive its adoption across Delivery Program Management and Product/Operations stakeholders, doing the hands‑on process design and rollout efforts.
• Advance our executive portfolio dashboard reporting, consolidating various demand sources and partnering with Delivery Program Management on the JIRA project‑level data needed to source automated data, and performing hands‑on data consolidation wherever automation gaps remain; maintain the dashboard for the PMO's use with ELT and senior leadership.
• Monitor cross‑program interdependencies and portfolio‑level change requests, working with Delivery Program Management and Product/Operations stakeholders so trade‑offs are made with full visibility into downstream portfolio impact.
• Support the PMO lead in coordinating priority shifts across the portfolio by preparing trade‑off analysis and portfolio impact assessments; use sound judgment about which issues to flag for ELT‑level resolution versus what can be resolved through PMO‑level coordination with Delivery Program Management and Product/Operations leads.
• Maintain portfolio‑level visibility into GxP and regulatory compliance risk across active programs, partnering with Engineering Excellence and Delivery Program Management to ensure compliance considerations are reflected in portfolio prioritization and capacity decisions.
• Evolve the Technology PMO's portfolio governance cadence—intake coordination for new initiatives, business case & prioritization forums, and recurring portfolio review sessions—using data and stakeholder feedback to continuously improve the underlying processes and tools, and ensuring consistent, transparent status reporting across governance levels that gives the PMO lead and senior leadership clear, actionable insight to support ELT decision‑making.
• Partner with Product Management to translate roadmap priorities into portfolio‑ready initiatives, providing timely visibility into capacity constraints and delivery trade‑offs that inform roadmap sequencing decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Portfolio & PMO Leadership (5+ years): Proven track record standing up or operating PMO‑level capabilities—portfolio governance, capacity planning, change control, and executive reporting—within complex, matrixed technology organizations; skilled at translating competing demand into a prioritized, resourced portfolio, and comfortable building governance processes and tools from the ground up in ambiguous, fast‑evolving environments.
• GxP and Regulated Industry Experience: Deep operational experience in highly regulated environments (pharma, medical device, clinical research, life sciences); familiarity with 21 CFR Part 11, GAMP 5, validation requirements, and change control discipline in GxP contexts.
• Cross‑Functional Problem Solving: Demonstrated ability to facilitate rapid issue resolution across engineering, product, operations, and business stakeholders; comfortable pulling people together, mediating competing priorities, and finding workable solutions under time pressure.
• Portfolio & Capacity Planning: Skilled at developing portfolio roadmaps, capacity models, and cross‑program dependency views; comfort translating business priorities into governance frameworks and structured processes that scale across a growing portfolio.
• Influence Without Authority: Ability to drive adoption of new processes and tools across senior stakeholders who do not report to this role; builds trust and buy‑in through reliability, data‑driven recommendations, and sound judgment rather than positional authority.
• Executive‑Quality Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to tailor messages to diverse audiences (working‑level teams vs. C‑suite); strong ability to distill complex technical and operational issues into clear, objective status narratives.
• Agility and Adaptability: Comfortable working in dynamic, rapidly changing environments where scope, priorities, and team composition shift; demonstrates flexibility and resilience without losing sight of outcomes and commitments.
• Ownership and Self‑Direction: Driven to take ownership of outcomes; does not require close supervision; proactively identifies what needs to happen, rolls up sleeves to contribute hands‑on work (planning, facilitation, documentation) as needed.
• Technical Competency: Proficiency with project and portfolio tools (Jira, Aha!, SmartSheet, MS Project) and productivity/reporting software (MS Office including Excel, Visio); working knowledge of modern SDLC methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Kanban, hybrid); comfortable learning new tools and platforms.
• Regulatory and Quality Mindset: Innate respect for regulatory requirements and compliance discipline; understands the business implications of GxP violations; proactively anticipates and flags regulatory risks.
• Project Management Certification (PMP, CSM, SAFe) or equivalent formal training demonstrating structured delivery discipline.
• Experience delivering AI/ML or data‑intensive initiatives in regulated environments; understanding of AI model validation, testing governance, and unique delivery challenges in AI product development.
• Hands‑on experience building a portfolio‑level reporting or governance tool from scratch (e.g., a BI dashboard such as Power BI or Tableau, a Smartsheet control tower, or a Jira‑based portfolio add‑on).
• Experience collaborating across distributed or international teams; demonstrated ability to work across time zones and cultural contexts.
• Knowledge of clinical trial workflows, clinical research operations, or GCP (Good Clinical Practice) standards.

Why Signant Health?

At Signant Health, your work has real impact. Everything we build, support, and deliver helps advance clinical research and bring new treatments to patients faster — improving lives around the world. Our teams combine science, technology, and operational expertise to solve complex clinical trial challenges, and every role contributes to that mission.

We offer a collaborative, global environment where you can grow your career while working alongside experts across clinical, technology, data, and operations, with opportunities to learn, take ownership, and drive meaningful innovation — not just maintain the status quo.

If you are looking for purpose‑driven work, smart colleagues, and the opportunity to help shape the future of clinical research and digital health, Signant Health is the place to do it.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer, committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status. Prior to their start date, all candidates are required to be verified through a thorough background check and identity verification to confirm eligibility for employment.