Business Planning Manager

Gaithersburg, MD

Contract Duration: 8-36 months (Possible extension until end of 2026)

Rate: Negotiable

Responsibilities:

• Excellent employment opportunity for a Business Planning Manager in the Gaithersburg, MD area.
• Possibly more than 60% onsite requirement the first 3 months, 60% onsite requirement after 3 months.
• Hybrid schedule, Gaithersburg,MD.
• The Launch Planning Manager is responsible for delivery high-quality launch planning program management to Commercial teams across US OBU. This role reports into the MLR & Launch Planning Director.
• He/she will work closely with key stakeholders across all launch activities including Franchise Heads, Brand Directors, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Commercial Excellence and multiple cross functional Leads/Partners.
• This role requires excellent stakeholder and relationship building skills and experience working in a matrix environment delivering complex, highly visible projects against tight deadlines.
• Experience in project management practices will be vital, and the successful candidate will be self-motivated, resilient, and highly organized, with an understanding of how to prioritize effectively in high-pressure environments.
• Mobilize - Assemble and collaborate with pre-identified cross-functional leads launch requirements, baseline launch plan and key milestones, establish ways of working including Launch strategy and objectives - Establishing and aligning core and extended cross-functional launch teams on the strategy and objectives for launch.
• Launch Kickoff/Onboarding - Design and facilitate launch kickoff approach.
• Act as the primary point of contact for key stakeholders, including senior management, clients, partners and external vendors.
• Manage stakeholder expectations, solicit feedback and address concerns in a timely and professional manner.
• Maintain - On-going oversight of the launch plan; change control governance, risk management, dependency communication and management including Develop and validate comprehensive project plans outlining timelines, milestones, tasks and resource allocation.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, including product development, marketing, sales, and operations teams, to ensure alignment and commitment to project goals.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks, issues, and bottlenecks that may impact project progress or outcomes.
• Facilitate and communicate - Schedule and facilitate recurring launch meetings.
• Proactively support Launch Readiness Reviews with leadership including Coordination of core team meetings, Launch Readiness Review Meetings and Day 0 meetings.
• Provide clear direction and leadership to project teams, fostering a collaborative and results-driven work environment.
• Facilitate effective communication and coordination among team members, ensuring everyone is informed and engaged throughout the project lifecycle.
• Conduct regular meetings, status updates, and progress reviews to track performance against project objectives and adjust plans as needed.
• Day 0 coordination - Work with function leads to capturing specific activities that need to happen on Day 0, when they need to happen, and track their progress.
• Community of practice, quality and compliance - Active participation and sharing (overall feedback, pain points, process improvements, etc.) in regular sessions including Implement rigorous quality assurance processes to ensure that all deliverables meet established standards and specifications.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, industry standards, and company policies throughout the launch process.
• Actively participate in Launch Excellence Community of Practice providing learnings and experiences from existing launch assignments for the continued optimization of launch processes.
• Insights management - Post launch, gather and document learnings, track against initial agreed KPIs, lead post-mortem session.
• Develop recommendations and action plans to optimize future launch processes and enhance overall project management effectiveness.

Experience:

• Bachelor's degree
• Proven track record with multifaceted projects or programs in the past with multiple stakeholders from varied functions
• Global change and/or Project Management experience
• Product ownership experience, at least 3-4 years. More than 8 years of experience would be too much.
• Understanding of risk management frameworks and mitigation steps
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with keen attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and negotiating skills
• Top three skills:
  Good communication, oral and written
  Detail oriented with project management experience
  Marketing background; like operations of marketing campaigns for example.

Preferred
1. Experience in drug launch
2. Good knowledge of project delivery methodologies e.g. PMP and Agile