Pharmaceutical Program Manager

Primary Talent Partners has a new contract opening for a
Pharmaceutical Program Manager
to join our pharmaceutical client in Lawrence Township, NJ. This is a 6-month contract to start with the potential for extensions.
Pay:
$60.00 - $70.00/hr
; W2 contract, no PTO, no Benefits. ACA-compliant supplemental package available for enrollment. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States and must be able to sit on Primary Talent Partners W2 without sponsorship.
Schedule:
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Hybrid 50%
Description:
The Manager, Program Management Systems & Infrastructure is responsible for ensuring seamless continuity and quality of project plans as they transition from the Project Planning function to Program Managers. This role is responsible for overseeing and executing the end-to-end handoff process for project plans, ensuring project plans are converted into optimized templates, as well as managing the governance readiness of cost and resource estimates across the portfolio.
Working under the leadership of the Senior Director, PM Systems & Infrastructure, and in close partnership with Program Management Leads, Project Planners, Finance, and Resource Management teams, this Manager ensures that all project plans transferred into ePlan (Planisware) and associated scheduling tools are accurate, complete, and governance-ready. The incumbent also plays a key role in building Program Manager capability through Planisware training, maintaining data quality standards, driving process consistency, and supporting timely decision-making at portfolio review milestones.
**Duties & Responsibilities:
Project Plan Transition Management**

• Support the end-to-end process for transitioning project plans from Project Planning to Program Managers, ensuring clear handoff protocols, accountability, and documentation standards are followed.
• Validate that all project plans are accurately modeled in ePlan (Planisware) prior to transition, including scheduling metadata, study drivers, milestone dates, and critical path alignment.
• Enable the conversion of existing project plans into new, optimized ePlan templates, ensuring that templates reflect current best practices, scheduling standards, and enterprise data quality requirements prior to or as part of the transition handoff.
• Serve as the primary point of contact during the transition period, facilitating cross-functional alignment between Project Planners and Program Managers to resolve discrepancies, gaps, or scheduling conflicts before handoff is finalized.
• Conduct structured transition reviews with both outgoing Project Planners and receiving Program Managers to ensure continuity of plan intent, development strategy, and near-term deliverables.
• Maintain detailed transition records and track handoff status across the portfolio, escalating delays or quality issues to the Senior Director as appropriate.

Planisware Training & Program Manager Enablement

• Support the Planisware training program for Program Managers, ensuring all PMs — including new hires and existing staff onboarding to new projects — are trained to the required proficiency level before taking ownership of transitioned project plans.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve Planisware training materials, job aids, quick reference guides, and onboarding curricula in alignment with current system standards, optimized templates, and enterprise best practices.
• Assess Program Manager proficiency in Planisware on an ongoing basis, identifying skill gaps and coordinating targeted training interventions or refresher sessions as needed.
• Track training completion and proficiency status across the PM community, providing regular updates to PM Leadership and escalating gaps that may impact governance readiness or data quality.

Governance-Ready Cost & Resource Estimate Management

• Lead and manage the process to ensure all cost and resource estimates are accurate, complete, and governance-ready ahead of portfolio review milestones.
• Partner with Program Managers, Project Planners, Resource Managers, and Finance Resource Managers to coordinate timely input, review, and validation of resource forecast drivers and budget estimates within ePlan.
• Establish and maintain a governance readiness tracker to provide real-time visibility into the status of cost and resource estimates across all assigned projects.

Qualifications:
Education

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific, engineering, business, or information systems discipline required.
• An advanced degree (MS, MBA, or equivalent) is a plus.

Professional Experience:

• 3-5 years of experience in drug development, project/program management, or a related function within the pharmaceutical or biotech industry required.
• Direct experience with project scheduling creation, planning, and management, including hands-on use of Planisware.
• Experience designing or delivering training programs for enterprise software tools, particularly Planisware or equivalent project planning systems, is a plus.

Skills & Competencies:

• Strong command of project planning and scheduling methodologies, with the ability to understand and communicate critical path, development scenarios, and data quality standards.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement optimized project plan templates that improve scheduling consistency, data quality, and governance readiness across a diverse portfolio.
• Strong instructional and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate complex system functionality into clear, accessible training materials and hands-on guidance for Program Managers at varying proficiency levels.

*Primary Talent Partners is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity, or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application or at any point in the hiring process, please contact us at info@primarytalentpartners.com*
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