Director, Project Management

About the role.... 

This is a great opportunity for an experienced agricultural project management leader to significantly collaborate in accelerating the growth of Inari. As Inari has continued to develop gene edited products, the need for a clear and well-managed product creation process that integrates a complex set of cross-functional activities has become increasingly important. This role will be responsible for managing a team of professional project managers to execute and oversee Inari’s product creation process, including the most innovative and complex projects within our portfolio to ensure products are delivered on-time and with the required market characteristics. This role will be accountable for cross functional coordination, building and tracking overall product development timelines, and managing Inari’s stage gate process. This role will be based in Inari’s W. Lafayette, IN location and will report to the Chief Product Officer.  

As Director, Project Management you will… 

• Help to create, refine, and oversee the process by which Inari creates and commercializes products. This process begins once a product concept is approved by the Leadership Team, and then moves through Product Design, Product Development, Pre-Commercial, and Product Launch. 
• Act as project manager for the most complex projects within Inari -- project management responsibilities include working with the dedicated cross-functional project teams to do the following:
• Create project plans with clear milestones, deliverables, and accountabilities
• Ensure projects move forward against timelines
• Monitor progress, identify risks, and plan for mitigation
• Manage project resources and identify additional resources / adjustments required with key project team members 
• Lead a team of project manager(s) and guide them in managing the projects for which they are responsible.
• Partner with the Leadership Team toidentify project team members and launch project teams
• Manage the process of reviewing the multiple projects in the creation phase, evaluating progress, identifying and solving challenges and readying projects for Stage Gate progression
• Escalate issues to the LT as needed for resolution
• Support project teams and LT in resources allocation and prioritizations among projects
• Manage process to bring projects to Inari Leadership Team and the organization for regular updates and at key milestones. 
• Create cross-project reporting for the LT and organization that outlines key metrics for projects - map of projects by phase, metrics of projects that are on/off timelines, resources required by project, etc.
• Facilitate the project prioritization process, identify projects coming into the product creation process and resources required, and work with the LT to identify how to resource those new projects, either by adding resources, completing current projects or delaying current projects.
• Actively participate in the Product Development leadership team to provide visibility in project advancements and collaborate in overall product development strategy creation. 
• Partner with the cross-functional project team members to complete post-project learnings to share with the organization and leadership team to inform future projects.
• Lead other mission-critical projects, involving cross-functional teams to deliver required outcomes and reporting back to project sponsors and the LT. 

 You Bring… 

• At least 10 years in a project manager role or similar in a seed product creation process
• Experience in agriculture required, ideally in corn and soybean crops
• Familiarity with gene editing in plants and development of products with biotech traits
• Multiple experiences managing complex multi-year agricultural projects
• An ability to work collaboratively and cross-functionally
• Skills in mapping out complex workflow projects, anticipating roadblocks and partnering with team members to resolve them
• An ability to manage cross-functional project teams with a range of levels of members, without having reporting lines and both co-located and virtual
• Flexibility to adjust plans and approaches based on evolving needs and business requirements
• A strong sense of purpose and drive to develop unique, high impact solutions.
• Adaptability and enthusiasm for new challenges, innate curiosity, and a passion for learning.
• Creative and strategic thinking, willingness to be bold and take risks, and the ability to recognize and learn from failure.
• A collaborative mindset that is open to giving and receiving ideas, perspectives, and feedback.
• Ability to work both independently and deliver on responsibilities within a highly collaborative environment.
• Strong communication skills in both verbal and written forms