Novartis Posted June 23, 2026

Sr. Project Manager, Engineering

Durham, United States Regular
Manufacturing & CMC Manager

Novartis is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Bring your experience, leadership, and strategic mindset to a role where your work directly enables the delivery of innovative therapies to patients around the world. As a Sr. Project Manager, Engineering at Novartis, you will lead a complex portfolio of capital projects within a regulated manufacturing environment, guiding teams through ambiguity and technical challenges with confidence. You will serve as a trusted partner to site leadership, drive decisions that shape long‑term manufacturing strategy, and champion operational excellence while balancing cost, quality, and schedule. This role offers the opportunity to influence at scale, mentor teams, and leave a lasting footprint across the site’s capital portfolio.

Key Responsibilities:Lead multiple capital projects from initiation through close‑out, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and to quality standardsAct as primary client contact, proactively managing stakeholder expectations and maintaining strong working relationshipsManage project scope, schedule, and budget changes with clear impact assessments and documented approvalsOversee contractors and internal teams, ensuring safe, compliant, and effective project executionResolve project issues, risks, and resource constraints in partnership with site leadershipPrepare and manage project budgets, forecasts, and funding documentationDevelop project objectives aligned with business plans and user requirementsCoordinate planning and scheduling across project teams and manufacturing operationsCommunicate project performance, risks, and mitigation plans to site and senior leadershipDrive operational excellence by capturing lessons learned and supporting continuous improvement initiativesEssential Requirements:Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent experienceNine years of experience supporting pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical manufacturing operations in regulated environmentsDemonstrated experience leading FDA‑regulated and GMP‑compliant projects within highly regulated facilitiesStrong knowledge of FDA regulations and Good Manufacturing Practice systemsExperience delivering capital improvement projects, including process and production layout developmentExperience managing Good Manufacturing Practice construction activities in brownfield and renovation environmentsApplied knowledge of Quality by Design, Six Sigma, and operational excellence methodologiesExcellent written and verbal communication skills, including strong technical writing capabilitiesNovartis Compensation and Benefit Summary:The salary for this position is expected to range between $108,500 and $201,500 annuallyThe final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors.Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.#LI-Onsite

Job details

Seniority
Manager
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Durham, United States
Employment type
Regular

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 276 comparable Manager Manufacturing & CMC roles across 50 biopharma companies.

276Comparable roles tracked
256Currently active
50Companies hiring similar roles
23Countries represented

Salary context

94 of 276 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $108,500/yr – $201,500/yr
Lowest disclosed · Associate Operator - 2nd Shift · Mylan Technologies, Inc. $30,000/yr – $49,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Associate Director Packaging Development · Gilead Sciences, Inc. $182,070/yr – $235,620/yr
Peer group range $39,500 – $208,845 (median $169,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 276 comparable roles

United States171
India39
Ireland14
Singapore7
China's Mainland6
Netherlands5

+ 17 more countries

Seniority mix

276 of 276 peers have a known seniority level

Manager164
Associate68
Associate Director44

Therapeutic area mix

0 of 276 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
AbbVie Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country

Open in 4 locations

North Chicago, United StatesIrvine, United StatesSouth San Francisco, United StatesWorcester, United States
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country

Open in 2 locations

Waltham, United StatesNorth Chicago, United States
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Sanofi Vaccines US Inc. Swiftwater, United States Manager
Same function Same seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Senior Manager, Product Development Quality Assurance (CMC Product Lead)
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Manager, Product Development Quality Assurance (CMC Product Lead)
AbbVie · Worcester, MA · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Manager Regulatory Affairs, Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC)
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Manager of Automation
Sanofi Vaccines US Inc. · Swiftwater, United States · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.