Home Jobs Global Portfolio Director

Back to Jobs

Global Portfolio Director - Job Opportunity at GSK

Paris, France

Full-time

Executive

Posted: June 3, 2025

Hybrid

USD 180,000 - 250,000 per year plus significant performance bonuses and equity compensation. Given the executive nature of this role managing billion-dollar portfolios across global markets, total compensation likely reaches USD 300,000 - 400,000 annually including benefits and long-term incentives.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements enabling optimal work-life integration across multiple global locations

Agile working culture providing enhanced career mobility and location flexibility

Comprehensive diversity and inclusion support with dedicated accessibility accommodations

Global career development opportunities across Europe and US markets

Key Responsibilities

Lead and orchestrate a global project management organization responsible for delivering critical capital investments supporting billions in pharmaceutical sales revenue

Direct and strategically guide multiple international project teams across diverse geographies to ensure safe, timely, and budget-compliant delivery of complex manufacturing infrastructure

Partner with Supply Chain and Manufacturing leadership to define and execute capital investment strategies that drive GSK's growth ambitions and regulatory compliance

Establish and maintain rigorous compliance frameworks ensuring adherence to Finance, Regulatory, and Ethical best practices across all project deliverables

Develop and mentor project management talent throughout the global supply chain organization to elevate delivery capabilities and professional excellence

Serve as a visible executive leader and advocate for capital project best practices while contributing to strategic decision-making as a member of the GCP Leadership Team

Champion GSK's zero-incident safety culture by implementing exemplary safety protocols and demonstrating unwavering commitment to accident prevention

Requirements

Education

Degree in Engineering. Preferred: Advanced degree such as Masters or similar in engineering, construction or project management

Experience

15 years plus experience in design & delivery of high-tech life science projects

Required Skills

Deep and broad understanding of the capital project lifecycle from Design to Operation Direct experience of delivering complicated construction projects Knowledge & understanding of operations and operational excellence processes involving project scope Understanding of the economics and commercial realities of construction and contracting Superior ability to successfully interact and build strong and lasting relationships with stakeholders including senior leaders Direct experience of leading projects in global and diverse cultures Understanding of the impact of cGMP on the design & delivery of projects

Certifications

Named project manager in multiple projects that delivered built completed and handed over facilities

Sauge AI Market Intelligence

Industry Trends

The pharmaceutical industry is experiencing unprecedented capital investment growth driven by post-pandemic manufacturing resilience requirements and the surge in biologics production capacity needs. Companies are investing heavily in flexible, modular manufacturing facilities that can adapt to changing drug portfolios and regulatory requirements. Digital transformation in pharmaceutical manufacturing is accelerating the adoption of advanced project delivery methodologies including modularization, componentization, and digital twin technologies. This shift requires senior leaders who can bridge traditional construction management with cutting-edge manufacturing technology implementation. Global supply chain diversification initiatives are driving pharmaceutical companies to establish manufacturing presence across multiple continents, creating demand for executives who can manage complex, multi-geography capital projects while ensuring regulatory compliance across different jurisdictions.

Role Significance

Typically manages 50-100+ professionals across multiple project teams, including direct reports of 8-15 senior project managers and program directors. The role involves matrix management of hundreds of additional resources including contractors, consultants, and cross-functional team members across various global locations.

This is a senior executive position with direct accountability for billion-dollar capital investment portfolios and global team leadership. The role operates at the C-suite interface level, participating in enterprise strategy decisions and representing the organization at the highest external forums. The position requires demonstrated capability to influence senior stakeholders across multiple business units and geographies.

Key Projects

Multi-billion dollar greenfield pharmaceutical manufacturing facility developments across emerging markets Complex biologics production capacity expansions requiring specialized containment and automation systems Global manufacturing network optimization initiatives involving facility consolidations and technology transfers Digital manufacturing transformation projects implementing Industry 4.0 technologies and continuous manufacturing capabilities

Success Factors

Demonstrated ability to navigate complex regulatory environments across multiple international jurisdictions while maintaining project momentum and stakeholder confidence. Success requires deep understanding of cGMP requirements and how they impact facility design, construction sequencing, and commissioning activities. Exceptional stakeholder management capabilities enabling effective collaboration with diverse global teams, senior executives, regulatory bodies, and external partners. The role demands cultural sensitivity and communication skills to build trust and drive alignment across different business cultures and time zones. Strategic thinking combined with operational excellence to balance long-term portfolio optimization with immediate project delivery pressures. Success requires ability to make complex trade-off decisions that consider safety, compliance, cost, and timeline implications across multiple concurrent projects. Change management leadership to drive adoption of innovative construction and project delivery methodologies while maintaining rigorous safety and quality standards. The role requires capability to influence organizational culture and establish new best practices across established global operations.

Market Demand

High demand with limited qualified candidates. The intersection of pharmaceutical manufacturing expertise, global capital project leadership, and regulatory compliance knowledge creates a highly specialized talent pool, particularly for roles requiring 15+ years of life sciences project experience.

Important Skills

Critical Skills

Regulatory compliance expertise is absolutely essential given the highly regulated nature of pharmaceutical manufacturing and the severe consequences of non-compliance including facility shutdowns, product recalls, and regulatory sanctions. Deep understanding of cGMP requirements and how they impact every aspect of facility design and construction is non-negotiable. Global stakeholder management capabilities are critical for success given the need to coordinate complex projects across multiple time zones, cultures, and regulatory jurisdictions while maintaining alignment with senior executives, regulatory bodies, and external partners who each have different priorities and communication styles. Financial acumen and commercial understanding are essential for managing billion-dollar capital portfolios and making complex trade-off decisions that balance safety, compliance, cost, and timeline considerations. The role requires ability to optimize resource allocation across competing priorities while delivering measurable business value. Safety leadership is paramount given GSK's zero-incident culture and the inherent risks associated with pharmaceutical manufacturing facility construction including chemical exposures, complex equipment installations, and coordination of multiple contractor organizations working in confined spaces.

Beneficial Skills

Digital technology expertise in areas such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), digital twin development, and advanced project management platforms would provide significant competitive advantage as the industry accelerates adoption of digital delivery methodologies and data-driven decision making. Mergers and acquisitions integration experience would be valuable given the ongoing consolidation in the pharmaceutical industry and the need to integrate acquired manufacturing assets into existing capital planning and project delivery frameworks. Sustainability and environmental expertise would enhance effectiveness as pharmaceutical companies face increasing pressure to reduce environmental impact of manufacturing operations and implement sustainable construction practices throughout their global facility networks. Venture capital or technology commercialization experience would provide additional perspective on emerging manufacturing technologies and innovative project delivery approaches that could be applied to traditional pharmaceutical capital projects.

Unique Aspects

This role offers rare exposure to the complete pharmaceutical value chain from R&D facility development through commercial manufacturing scale-up, providing comprehensive understanding of how capital investments directly impact drug development timelines and patient access to critical medicines.

The position uniquely combines traditional engineering project management with cutting-edge biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, offering opportunities to shape the future of pharmaceutical production through implementation of modular construction, continuous manufacturing, and digital delivery methodologies.

Global scope spanning both established European markets and emerging economies provides exceptional experience in managing complex regulatory environments, cultural differences, and varying infrastructure capabilities while maintaining consistent quality and safety standards.

Direct participation in GSK's strategic transformation initiatives offers visibility into how major pharmaceutical companies adapt their manufacturing networks to support new therapeutic modalities and changing market dynamics in the post-pandemic healthcare landscape.

Career Growth

Progression to C-suite or equivalent senior leadership roles typically occurs within 3-5 years given the executive nature of the current position and the strategic visibility it provides across global operations and senior leadership teams.

Potential Next Roles

Chief Operating Officer or Head of Global Manufacturing Operations within pharmaceutical or biotechnology organizations, leveraging the broad operational and strategic experience gained from managing global capital portfolios President of Engineering and Construction Services for major pharmaceutical or life sciences consulting organizations, capitalizing on the deep industry expertise and client relationship management capabilities Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain or Manufacturing Strategy roles, utilizing the comprehensive understanding of manufacturing infrastructure and operational excellence gained from capital project leadership

Company Overview

GSK

GSK is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies with a market capitalization exceeding $80 billion and annual revenues of approximately $44 billion. The company has undergone significant strategic transformation in recent years, divesting consumer healthcare assets to focus on prescription medicines and vaccines, while making substantial investments in innovative therapeutic areas including oncology, infectious diseases, and immunology.

GSK holds a leading global position in vaccines and specialty pharmaceuticals, ranking among the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies by revenue. The company maintains significant competitive advantages in respiratory medicines, HIV treatments, and vaccine development, with a robust pipeline of innovative therapies and strong presence in both developed and emerging markets.

This role supports GSK's extensive European operations including major manufacturing and R&D facilities across the UK, Belgium, Germany, and other key markets. The position also interfaces with US operations, reflecting GSK's truly global manufacturing network and the need for coordinated capital investment strategies across major pharmaceutical markets.

GSK emphasizes scientific innovation, patient focus, and inclusive leadership as core cultural elements. The company has made significant commitments to diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability, and agile working practices. The organization values collaborative leadership and encourages cross-functional partnership to drive breakthrough innovations in healthcare.

Apply Now

Global Portfolio Director - Job Opportunity at GSK

Benefits

Key Responsibilities

Requirements

Education

Experience

Required Skills

Certifications

Sauge AI Market Intelligence

Industry Trends

Role Significance

Key Projects

Success Factors

Market Demand

Important Skills

Critical Skills

Beneficial Skills

Unique Aspects

Career Growth

Potential Next Roles

Company Overview

GSK

Data Sources & Analysis Information

Job Listings Data

Sauge AI Market Intelligence