Process & Validation Project Manager (a minimum of 5 years of experience required)

Location: Philadelphia, PA 

Employment Type: Full-time, mostly onsite

About Us

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? LAPORTE, a consulting engineering firm with 25 years of experience and a strong presence in North America and Europe, is seeking an Process & Validation Project Manager to join our growing team. With 25 offices and over 480 employees worldwide, we specialize in delivering innovative solutions for the pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries.

As we continue to expand our presence in the Greater Philadelphia life sciences market, we are seeking an experienced Process & Validation Project Manager to lead capital projects, facility improvements, commissioning and qualification initiatives, and GMP manufacturing enhancements for our pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

This role offers the opportunity to work directly with industry-leading organizations while contributing to technically challenging projects that improve manufacturing performance, quality, and compliance.

At LAPORTE, we offer:

• Competitive Salary
• Comprehensive Benefits
• Compensatory Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Parental Leave
• A Flexible Work Environment that values work-life balance
• Opportunities for Professional Growth

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Plan, coordinate, and execute facility improvement projects, including scope definition, scheduling, contractor coordination, and closeout documentation.
• Serve as the primary on-site liaison for all project-related activities, ensuring minimal disruption to GMP operations and maintaining a safe working environment throughout project execution.
• Initiate, author, and shepherd change control records through the site quality management system (QMS) in accordance with GMP change control procedures.
• Coordinate and support the vendor approval and qualification process for new contractors and service providers, partnering with Procurement and QA as required.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, status trackers, and progress reports for review by site leadership.
• Identify and escalate project risks, scope changes, and schedule impacts in a timely manner, proposing mitigation strategies as appropriate.
• Ensure all project activities comply with applicable GMP regulations, site SOPs, EHS requirements, and local building codes.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related technical field.
• Minimum of 5 years of project management experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated success managing engineering, facility, equipment installation, capital improvement, or operational excellence projects from initiation through closeout.
• Experience developing and maintaining project schedules, coordinating resources, tracking milestones, and driving projects to successful completion.
• Strong experience managing contractors, vendors, and cross-functional teams in a GMP-regulated environment.
• Proven ability to lead project meetings, communicate project status, and effectively manage stakeholder expectations at all organizational levels.
• Working knowledge of cGMP regulations and quality systems, including change management processes.
• Exceptional organizational, communication, problem-solving, and relationship management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt to changing project requirements in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to travel to client sites as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience overseeing facility renovations, equipment installations, utility upgrades, or manufacturing process improvement projects.
• Familiarity with project budgeting, forecasting, cost tracking, and resource planning.
• Experience coordinating activities across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, Validation, Maintenance, and Procurement teams.
• PMP certification or similar project management credential.
• Knowledge of commissioning, qualification, and validation processes within life sciences manufacturing environments.
• Experience working in aseptic processing, biotechnology, cell and gene therapy, or sterile manufacturing facilities.
• Familiarity with risk management methodologies and structured problem-solving tools.