Vice President, Research & Development Portfolio Management

The Project Management & Design Control (PMDC) Head is responsible for the entire R&D portfolio (pipeline of new product projects execution and PPLM (post-production life cycle management projects) and will lead R&D Project Leads (co-leads of Core Teams; both R&D and Franchise lead core teams) and Project Analysts (support R&D Project leads for larger/complex projects).

The PMDC Head is also responsible for Design Control, Sustaining Engineering and PPLM for all of R&D. This includes overseeing the organization’s overall product development/engineering process including design control and risk management processes and Design Control and Sustaining Engineering Center of Excellence (COE) functions.

The PMDC Head will actively partner with internal stake holders (in particular the Head of Strategy and Operations, GBI as well as R&D CFO) and will leadership skills to develop and foster collaborative relationships within Alcon’s cross functional organizational structure.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Development:
• Manage a group of up to 40 Project Leads to support R&D new product portfolio which is approximately 100 projects, $400M budget on time and budget
• Manage group of 10 project analysts including R&D Governance
• Provide coaching and career development opportunities, ensuring that the team is equipped to manage the strategic needs of the business.
• Manage group of 40 design control/sustaining engineering/PPLM team for all design control activities for RD and sustaining engineering
• Shape future direction for own part of the organization
• Maintain a deep understanding of organizational culture, relationships and interpersonal dynamics as well as in-depth understanding of external environment and trends
• Strategic Portfolio Management:
• Drive the enterprise view of development resources, ensuring that individual project investments are aligned with the broader strategic goals and financial outlook.
• Lead the annual portfolio prioritization process, working cross-functionally to ensure alignment across Development, Research, Finance, and Strategy.
• Identify gaps in the pipeline that may prevent reaching strategic goals and recommend actionable solutions to mitigate risks.
• Project Management & Risk Mitigation:
• Accountable for driving achievement of all project milestones (Stage Gate Transitions, Feasibility, external acquisition, approvals and launches)
• Ensure through R&D Project Leads new product projects strategy, schedule, budget and timely delivery of approved plan
• Provide ongoing assessments of project milestones, dependencies, and resource needs to ensure project timelines and budgets are met.
• Ensure best project management execution practices (the “how”) are applied consistently across the whole portfolio and that Project Leads align with R&D Technology Platform Leaders on project strategy (the “what”).
• Financial & Scientific Assessment:
• Ensure comprehensive financial and scientific assessments are conducted for all development projects, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative analyses.
• Provide competitive intelligence analysis, portfolio benchmarking, and external pipeline insights to inform decision-making and support portfolio optimization.
• Work closely with senior leadership to ensure that financial resources are allocated to the highest-value projects with the greatest potential for success.
• Governance & Transparency:
• Maintain the product development process for compliance and efficiency, applying it effectively to support Alcon Innovation projects, managing R&D sustaining engineering activities to meet recertification requirements and maintaining commercialized products design history files and risk management files
• Define and enforce project governance principles to ensure alignment with corporate standards and best practices.
• Ensure transparency throughout all projects, regularly communicating progress, challenges, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
• Develop systems to support dynamic portfolio management, providing real-time insights into project statuses, resource allocations, and financial performance.
• Stakeholder Management & Communication:
• Act as a liaison between Research & Development, Franchises and other functions to address key portfolio issues and opportunities.
• Exert significant influence to drive actions in other parts of the business, help resolve conflicts and facilitate agreement among senior leaders through tactful communication and diplomacy and drive favorable results from external contacts.
  
  

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or equivalent discipline. Graduate degree (MSc or PhD) highly desirable.

Experience

• 15 Years of Relevant Experience
• 10 Years of Demonstrated Leadership
• Minimum of 15 years of Class III Medical Device experience
• Relevant experience in Class III Medical Device manufacturing; comprehensive knowledge of medical device technology, project management and pharma
• Demonstrated success in progressive leadership roles with strong emphasis on
• Experience in leading diverse and complex engineering teams
• Demonstrated capability to establish and maintain environment of innovation that helps assure ongoing understanding of unmet medical needs, future needs, and opportunities
• Expert knowledge of ISO, FDA, MDD and regulations applicable to the design and development of medical device/science/technology and pharma
• Able to develop solutions to complex problems that require the regular use of creativity, and originality
• Robust process management, problem solving skills and superior presentation capabilities.
  
  

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Alcon is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify. Alcon takes pride in maintaining a diverse environment and our policies are not to discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. Alcon is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an email to alcon.recruitment@alcon.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.