Senior Program Manager, Product Development & Commercialization

Location: Brno, Czechia

Category: Research & Development

Employment Type: Full time

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Office

Job Description

Join our collaborative team at Thermo Fisher Scientific as a Senior Staff Program Manager and help drive global scientific advancement. In this strategic leadership role, you will lead complex, cross-functional programs from concept through commercialization while shaping the processes, governance, and capabilities that enable successful product development. You will partner across R&D, Product Management, Operations, Quality, and Commercial teams to deliver innovative solutions that help our customers make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer.

Key Responsibilities

New Product Development Process & Governance

• Own and continuously improve the division's product development and commercialization process, including phase definitions, deliverables, success criteria, and governance frameworks.
• Develop, implement, and train teams on cross-functional development processes that drive collaboration and execution excellence.
• Ensure consistent adoption of standard work across teams, including requirements management, design reviews, verification, and validation activities.
• Establish clear phase-gate expectations, including entry/exit criteria, deliverable quality standards, and decision-making accountability.
• Lead program governance through structured reviews, risk management practices, and escalation pathways.
• Align R&D, Product Management, Operations, Quality, and Commercial teams at key development milestones.
• Drive transparency through standardized reporting of program status, risks, resource needs, and performance metrics.

Change Management & Continuous Improvement

• Lead change initiatives that improve development efficiency, product quality, and organizational effectiveness.
• Identify process gaps and implement scalable solutions that enhance execution across the organization.
• Champion a culture of accountability, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement.

Digital & AI Enablement

• Drive adoption of digital tools and AI-enabled solutions to improve development efficiency, including requirements generation, test planning, and data analysis.
• Enable more automated, data-driven workflows that accelerate innovation and improve decision quality.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree with 6+ years of experience, or Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of experience in program management within complex technical environments.
• Degree in Engineering, Physics, Life Sciences, Business Administration, or a related technical field preferred.
• PMP or equivalent project management certification preferred.
• Proven track record leading large-scale, cross-functional programs from concept through commercialization.
• Strong technical acumen with the ability to understand, communicate, and influence complex technical topics.
• Experience managing budgets, resources, risks, and dependencies across multiple projects and stakeholders.
• Expertise in project management methodologies such as Agile, Critical Chain, and Stage-Gate.
• Demonstrated ability to influence, build consensus, and drive results within matrix organizations.
• Strong leadership skills, including experience mentoring and developing team members.
• Excellent communication, presentation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with project management tools and reporting systems.
• Knowledge of applicable regulatory requirements and quality standards.
• Experience in life sciences, semiconductors, or a similarly regulated technology industry.
• Demonstrated history of delivering programs on schedule and within budget.
• Experience working with global, geographically dispersed teams.
• Willingness to travel up to 20%.

Compensation

The salary range estimated for this position based in is Kč1.444.600,00–Kč2.166.850,00.