Associate Director, Project Manager

Jobtailor; New York (NY); On-site; USD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Fifth Element in New York, NY is seeking an Associate Director, Project Management to lead cross-functional pharmaceutical campaigns from kickoff to delivery, ensuring timelines, budgets, quality, and regulatory compliance. You will partner with Account, Creative, Medical, Strategy, and Production teams to drive complex programs and maintain clear client communication.

Ideal candidates have 8+ years in pharma advertising, plus experience with MLR/regulatory reviews and PM tools such as

Qualifications

• 8+ years of project management experience in pharma advertising or regulated agencies.
• Experience with MLR/regulatory review workflows.
• Strong written and verbal communication and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day PM across pharmaceutical brands and campaigns.
• Develop and manage timelines, budgets, scopes, and resources.
• Collaborate with creative, account, strategy, medical, and production teams.
• Navigate MLR/regulatory reviews with accuracy.
• Identify risks and proactively implement solutions.
• Lead status meetings and report progress to clients.
• Improve workflows to increase agency efficiency.
• Assist with scoping, estimating, and timelines.
• Support financial tracking and operational reporting.
• Ensure documentation and version control processes.
• Maintain standardized PM practices.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Pharma advertising

Regulatory/MRL

Communication

Risk management

Tools

Workfront

Asana

Monday.com

Jira

Job description

We are seeking a highly organized, proactive, and solutions-oriented Associate Director, Project Management to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives across pharmaceutical and healthcare accounts. This role is responsible for driving projects from kickoff through final delivery while ensuring timelines, quality standards, budgets, and regulatory requirements are consistently met.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced agency environment, can confidently manage multiple priorities simultaneously, and serves as a trusted operational partner across Account, Creative, Medical, Strategy, Production, and Leadership teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day project management across multiple pharmaceutical brands and campaigns
• Build and manage timelines, budgets, scopes, and resourcing plans
• Partner closely with creative, account, strategy, medical, and production teams
• Manage projects through MLR/legal/regulatory review processes with accuracy and attention to detail
• Anticipate project risks, resource constraints, and operational challenges early and proactively identify solutions
• Run status meetings, track deliverables, and communicate updates clearly to both internal teams and clients
• Help improve workflows and processes that make the agency smarter and faster
• Assist with project scoping, estimating, and timeline development as needed
• Support financial tracking and operational reporting where applicable
• Ensure routing, approvals, documentation, and version control processes are properly maintained
• Maintain consistency in project management standards, operational workflows, and best practices

• 8+ years of project management experience within a pharmaceutical advertising, healthcare communications, or regulated agency environment
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical marketing workflows, including MLR/regulatory review processes
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously in fast-paced environments
• Excellent organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to balance strategic thinking and day-to-day execution
• Experience collaborating across multidisciplinary teams and managing competing priorities
• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and solutions-oriented under pressure
• Proficiency in project management tools like Workfront, Asana, Monday.com, Jira, or similar

Pay Range: $135,000- $150,000