ResponsibilitiesPacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) seeks a Project Management Office Director (PMOD) to lead the Physical and Computational Sciences Project Management Office (PMO 0060) within the Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate (IDSD). The PMOD provides strategic leadership and expert delivery stewardship for a diverse research portfolio, helping project teams deliver high-quality scientific results while meeting sponsor expectations and managing project risk.
PMO 0060 supports work sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science programs in Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR), High Energy Physics (HEP), Nuclear Physics (NP), and Fusion Energy Sciences (FES). The portfolio also includes other fundamental research in chemical, materials, and computational sciences, mathematics, and physics for government and industrial sponsors.
The PMOD establishes and continually improves consistent project management practices across PMO 0060, tailoring oversight to the scope, complexity, and risk of each project. Working with principal investigators, project managers, Division Directors serving as Sector Managers, Group Leaders, the Program Development Office, and business and operational partners, the PMOD aligns project delivery with IDSD strategy and Laboratory mission outcomes.
- Provide portfolio oversight from proposal development through project closeout, establishing clear expectations for planning, risk management, performance, and delivery.
- Partner with Division Directors/Sector Managers and the Program Development Office to develop executable proposals with credible technical approaches, complete cost estimates, realistic schedules, and appropriate staffing.
- Ensure project risks are identified during proposal development, addressed in planning, formally accepted by the appropriate authority, and monitored and mitigated during execution.
- Exercise delegated proposal and project approval authorities consistent with institutional requirements. Approve or reject proposals, assign risk levels, direct proposal teams to ensure risks are adequately managed, demonstrate compliance with institutional risk management standards, and obtain required approvals, including Laboratory Director approval for high-risk work, before proposals are released or projects proceed.
- Apply a graded approach to project management that supports scientific discovery and accommodates research uncertainty while maintaining accountability for agreed scope, resources, milestones, and deliverables.
- Engage in preparation and review of project planning and documentation. Ensure plans define deliverables, milestones, budgets, resource needs, and risk mitigations appropriate to sponsor requirements.
- Work with Contracts, Finance, line management, principal investigators, and project managers to establish adequate budgets and resource plans and resolve constraints affecting delivery.
- Monitor portfolio performance against approved plans. Identify emerging technical, cost, schedule, and staffing issues; direct corrective actions within delegated authority and escalate significant issues to directorate leadership.
- Review and approve significant changes within delegated authority, ensuring changes to scope are matched by appropriate budget and schedule adjustments and required sponsor and institutional approvals.
- Partner with the IDSD Chief Operating Officer and Operations Manager to ensure projects are executed safely, securely, and in an environmentally responsible manner, consistent with applicable operational, contractual, and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure project planning addresses hazards and operational needs associated with laboratory research, scientific instrumentation, computational resources, and offsite work when applicable. Confirm required reviews and controls are in place before work proceeds.
- Ensure appropriate quality assurance and technical review practices support reliable scientific results and deliverables. Coordinate applicable requirements for research data, software, publications, and intellectual property with cognizant organizations.
- Help project teams understand sponsor expectations and communicate progress, risks, and changes effectively. Participate in sponsor reviews and engagements in coordination with Sector Managers and project leadership.
- Assess portfolio resource needs and provide line management with timely input on staffing gaps, capability needs, and investments required to execute sector plans and project commitments.
- Coach and mentor project managers and principal investigators in project management practices. Provide line managers with actionable performance feedback and input on professional development and succession planning.
- Identify recurring delivery challenges, capture lessons learned and improve proposal and execution processes. Tailor management practices and support arrangements to strengthen delivery across the portfolio.
QualificationsMinimum Qualifications:
- BS/BA and 13+ years of project management experience in a government or federally funded environment -OR-
- MS/MA or higher and 11 years of project management experience in a government or federally funded environment
Preferred Qualifications:
- Education or experience in chemistry, materials science, computational science, mathematics, physics, or a related scientific or engineering discipline.
- Experience leading or overseeing a portfolio of complex research projects or programs, including fundamental research supported by the DOE Office of Science.
- Demonstrated ability to manage project risk, cost, schedule, resources, and technical quality while accommodating the uncertainty inherent in scientific research.
- Experience developing and reviewing research proposals, cost estimates, Field Work Proposals, and Project Management Plans, and translating sponsor commitments into executable project plans.
- Experience working with principal investigators, project managers, line management, sponsors, and business and operational organizations to resolve delivery issues and align resources with project needs.
- Knowledge of laboratory and facility operations, research hazards, and applicable safety, security, quality, and compliance requirements; experience incorporating these requirements into project planning and execution.
- Demonstrated ability to influence across organizational boundaries, communicate with senior leaders and sponsors, and implement improvements in project management practices.
- Experience mentoring project managers, developing project management capability, and providing constructive staff performance feedback.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or demonstrated equivalent project management knowledge and competency.
- Completion of PNNL's Project Management Development Program, Management and Supervisory Development Program, Executive Leadership Program, or comparable professional development.
Hazardous Working Conditions/EnvironmentNot Applicable
Additional InformationThis position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.
