Senior Project Manager at Adexen

Job Introduction

• Adexen has been mandated by a leading pan-African Manufacturer and Distributor of world-class medicine and medical supplies to recruit a Senior Project Manager. 

Responsibilities

• The Senior Project Manager will lead the establishment of a company-wide Project Management Office (PMO) and oversee the delivery of strategic and operational projects.
• The role ensures strong governance, disciplined execution, and alignment with business objectives across initiatives such as plant construction, technology transfer, digital transformation, and product development.
• This position is critical to strengthening execution capability, reducing delivery risk, and supporting sustainable growth in a regulated pharmaceutical environment.

PMO Leadership & Governance:

• Establish and lead an enterprise-wide PMO, defining project management frameworks, governance, portfolio prioritization, and performance standards.
• Embed a culture of disciplined execution, accountability, and budget control across the organization.

Portfolio & Program Oversight:

• Provide executive oversight of a diversified project portfolio, including capital projects, manufacturing and process improvements, R&D initiatives, and corporate transformation programs.
• Ensure effective planning, risk management, milestone delivery, and escalation.

Performance Management & Reporting:

• Implement robust project approval, stage-gate, and reporting processes.
• Develop executive dashboards integrating financial, operational, and strategic KPIs, in close collaboration with Finance and HR.

Team Leadership & Capability Building:

• Build and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary project management team.
• Develop internal project management capabilities through structured training, coaching, and professional certification programs.

Stakeholder & Executive Engagement:

• Act as the senior interface with internal leaders, external partners, regulators, and the Board.
• Ensure cross-functional alignment, compliance, and effective communication across all strategic initiatives.

Desired Skills and Experience
Education & Certification:

• Degree in Engineering, Project Management, Business Administration, or a related field; advanced degree (MBA / MSc) desirable
• Professional project management certification preferred (PMP, PRINCE2, MSP, PgMP).

Experience:

• 15–20+ years of experience managing large-scale, cross-functional projects in pharmaceutical, life sciences, or manufacturing environments
• Proven track record leading PMO functions and delivering complex capital projects (greenfield and brownfield)
• Solid exposure to product development, technology transfer, and regulated (GMP) environments
• Strong expertise in project governance, budgeting, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.

Leadership & Managerial Competencies:

• Strong leadership and influencing capability across functions and senior stakeholders
• Deep understanding of end-to-end project lifecycles, from concept to commissioning and product launch
• High level of financial and analytical acumen, including ROI and CAPEX evaluation
• Excellent communication and board-level reporting skills
• Strategic mindset with a strong focus on execution, transformation, and continuous improvement.

Technical Competencies:

• Advanced mastery of project and portfolio management frameworks (PMBOK, PRINCE2, Stage-Gate)
• Proven capability to lead capital and plant construction projects in GMP-regulated environments
• Strong expertise in cost control, risk management, and project performance analytics
• Proficiency in project and reporting tools (MS Project, Power BI, Primavera)
• Solid understanding of GMP, HSE, and regulatory standards
• Demonstrated experience in digital transformation and process optimization initiatives.