Project Manager

Job Title: Project Manager

Location: Mettawa, Illinois, USA 60045

Duration: 05+ Months

Job Description:

The Medical Project Office within Medical Program Management is charged with consolidating and standardizing repeatable activities to ensure high quality, consistency, accuracy, and efficiency. The Manager, Medical Ad Board & Symposium Execution is responsible for providing project management expertise to ensure successful execution of Medical Affairs advisory board and symposia. This role will lead the execution of Medical Symposia & Ad Boards through effective collaboration with Medical Affairs Business Owners, Medical Program Managers (MPM), Support Teams (e.g., Business Services Group (BSG), Central Consultancy Group (CCG)), and vendors. This role is responsible for providing guidance to Medical Affairs Business Owners on compliance and requirements related to the execution of Symposia and Ad Boards.

Major Responsibilities:

• Provide project management expertise to ensure successful execution of 25-30 programs with primary focus on Advisory Boards, effectively employing and coordinating all available resources and involved parties across vendors and multiple internal stakeholder groups. Ensure that planning, cost, timeline, scope, and risk management plans are in place and escalate risks where necessary.
• Lead the overall coordination and project management for internal stakeholders and external parties/vendors utilized to support logistics and content development for TA-specific Symposia and Ad Boards. Ensure vendors meet all internal policies and external regulations. Contact vendor for quotes, review initial quotes for reasonability, and negotiate with vendors as appropriate.
• Support less complex event types as assigned by Director, Medical Ad Board & Symposium Execution.
• Support use, maintenance, and evaluation of Preferred Supplier Networks in conjunction with TAs, MPMs, and Purchasing.
• Initiate request for support from internal Support Teams including BSG and/or CCG and monitor performance against plan. Establish and manage regularly scheduled planning meetings.
• Maintain project timelines and follow up on status and action items. Document and follow up on project plan activities, milestones, and action items to ensure effective and timely completion. Proactively communicate across team members (including business owner and MPM colleagues) to support successful execution and keep stakeholders well-informed.
• Ensure appropriate guidance is provided to Symposia and Ad Board Business Owners regarding global policies, local requirements, lead times, and local procedures to ensure successful execution of fully compliant events with minimal expediting and exception activity.
• Conduct post meeting debrief. Document and share lessons learned from Symposia and Ad Board execution to inform Medical Affairs' future planning activities.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in a Health Sciences or business-related field is required. Preference for MBA.
• Project management certification (e.g., PMP) and/or six sigma certification preferred.
• Significant experience in Medical Affairs and/or medical education.
• 8+ years of work experience in the pharmaceutical industry, 2+ years in Medical Affairs related roles strongly preferred, project management experience strongly preferred.
• Excellent leadership, self-management, organizational, and communication skills; able to manage workload, set personal and team priorities, and adjust as needed; accounting competence for management of a multi-million-dollar budget.
• Demonstrated experience managing external vendors.
• Experience in leading in a multi-task environment, across multiple countries, as well as in a virtual and matrix organization. Able to work and communicate in virtual teams.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, and team-building skills; capability to engage in external professional relationship building and networking. High level of emotional intelligence. Strong business acumen; ability to think strategically and translate a strategy to an innovative and implementable plan.
• Ability to influence without authority in order to get cooperation from those who own the resources, information, or support needed for success.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; able to communicate clearly and succinctly with team members and leadership.

Top 3-5 Skills, Experience, or Education Required:

1. Strong project management skills required
2. Bachelor's Degree in a Health Sciences or business-related field is required. Preference for MBA. Project management certification (e.g., PMP) and/or six sigma certifications preferred.
3. Excellent leadership, self-management, organizational, and communication skills
4. Medical Affairs and/or medical education experience preferred
5. Medical Ad Board & Symposium execution experience preferred