Project Controls Director - EU, UK

Business Introduction
We manufacture and supply reliable, high-quality medicines and vaccines to meet patients’ needs and drive our performance.Our network of 37 medicines and vaccines manufacturing sites delivered 1.7 billion packs of medicines and 409 million vaccine doses in 2024 to help make a positive impact on the health of millions of people. Our supply chain is not just core to our operations; it’s vital to bringing our innovations to patients as quickly, efficiently and effectively as possible. Technology is transforming how we manufacture medicines and vaccines, enabling us to increase the speed, quality and scale of product supply.We need the very best minds and capability to help us on our journey to make more complex products, harnessing the power of smart manufacturing technologies including robotics, digital solutions and artificial intelligence to deliver for patients.
Position Summary
This is a truly exciting role where the Project Controls Director has accountability for ensuring all Capital projects within Europe and UK have the right capability, capacity and ways of working within the project controls discipline. This person plays a critical leadership role in ensuring the successful delivery of capital projects by overseeing cost, schedule, risk, change and document management processes.

The Director will support multi-site, multi-phase projects including facility expansions, technology transfers, and greenfield developments across manufacturing, R&D, and supply chain operations.

This role will directly report to the Head of Project Controls (PC) and will be part of Global project controls leadership, which manages both project-based PC deliveries and functional responsibilities for key processes within GCP.

Strategic Leadership

• Define and implement project controls strategy across the pharma capital project portfolio.

• Lead a team of project controls professionals (Project Controls Leads, Cost managers, Planners & schedulers, risk managers, Contracts & commercial managers) across global or regional sites.

• People management and overseeing project controls resources in the region. To provide coaching & mentoring for key resources in the portfolio.

• Ensure alignment with GCP Project Management framework.

• Maintain and engage with leading Project Control service providers globally to ensure we build on best practice and have access to effective partners.

Cost & Schedule Management

• Oversee development of detailed cost estimates, budgets, and forecasts for projects ranging from GBP 10M to 500M+.

• Ensure integrated project schedules reflect critical GMP milestones, commissioning, validation, and regulatory timelines.

• Apply Earned Value Management (EVM) and other performance metrics to track progress and identify variances.

Risk & Change Control

• Implement proactive risk management strategies for identification and active management of risks & opportunities.

• Ensure the robust application of Quantified Risk Analysis (QRA) in project cost and schedule using Monte Carlo Analysis Software simulation-based methodologies.

• Lead change control processes ensuring traceability, impact assessment, and handling of changes through contract administration & commercial management.

Governance & Reporting

• Provide executive-level reporting and dashboards to senior leadership, including capital steering committees.

• Ensure transparency and traceability of project performance, risks, and financials.

• Perform Project Reviews, Independent Project Reviews (IPR’s) and health checks as needed to ensure effective project controls are in place from Business Analysis and providing early detection of issues or undesirable trends.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with cross-functional teams including Engineering, Quality, Procurement, Finance, and Regulatory Affairs.

• Act as a key advisor to project sponsors and site leadership on project health and strategic decision-making.

• Hands on experience with Project management tools such as such as SAP, Oracle P6, MSP, Sypro, Monte Carlo simulation tools, visible reporting, earned value management, benchmarking and value assessment.

• Considerable experience in successfully delivering advanced planning and project controls capability on high visibility and prioritized projects across multiple geographies.

• BSc/BEng in relevant discipline/Chartered Engineer.

• Expert knowledge of comprehensive stage gate models for capital project delivery through all stages of the project lifecycle.

• Expert knowledge and experience of Planning, Cost Management, Commercial management, Contract management and Project management

• Expert knowledge in certain forms of contracts, their applications, and contract risks, and understanding on other forms of contracts.

• Expert knowledge in Cost Management, Scope Management, Risk Management, Change Management and Forecasting

• Strong senior stakeholder management and influencing capabilities

• Rich experience in project management, project execution planning, construction management, scheduling and progress management, cost management and value engineering

• MSc or PhD or other Chartered / Professional Qualification in a relevant discipline
• Excellent management, communication and interpersonal skills, with comfort cooperating with individuals internally and externally at all organisational levels.
• Understanding of how different functions interface on GSK projects.
• Solid knowledge of GSK project process, User requirement management, quality and compliance requirement, site project completion and pre-start processes, and how these impact engineering and design, construction, commissioning, and qualification contracts
• Familiar with the GCP Project Management Framework (PMF), relevant engineering standards and compliance requirement as well as Quality Management Systems
• PMP (Project Management Professional) or CCP (Certified Cost Professional) or PMI-SP (Scheduling Professional) or Lean Six Sigma or similar process improvement credentials

Work Location:
This role is based in the United Kingdom (GSK HQ, London)/ Irvine ,Scotland / Wavre, Belgium / Evreux, France or Parma, Rosia - Italy and offers a hybrid working model, combining on-site and remote work.

Closing Date for Applications: 22nd January 2026

Please take a copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available post closure of the advert. When applying for this role, please use the ‘cover letter’ of the online application or your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role, as outlined in the job requirements above. The information that you have provided in your cover letter and CV will be used to assess your application.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

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 (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

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