External Manufacturing Project Manager, Pharma

Eliassen Group; Indiana (PA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pharma consulting firm seeks an External Manufacturing Project Manager in Lebanon, IN. The role involves managing and overseeing project plans for external manufacturing of APIs and intermediates, ensuring compliant delivery. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s in a related field, at least 3 years of pharma experience, and strong project management skills. The position requires onsite work with potential travel, offering competitive consulting rates and an initial contract until December 2027 with possibilities for extension.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related field with pharma manufacturing experience.
• 3–4+ years of experience in manufacturing operations and technology transfer.
• Strong project management skills in pharmaceutical environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee integrated project plans for External Manufacturing activities.
• Manage scope, risks, issues, and decisions using formal governance processes.
• Drive compliant technology transfer and commercialization of products.

Skills

Project Management expertise

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Adaptability in fast-paced environments

Education

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering or related discipline

Tools

MS Project

Jira

Microsoft Teams

Job description

Our F500 Pharma client is seeking a strong External Manufacturing Project Manager to provide disciplined, end‑to‑end project management to ensure safe, reliable, and compliant delivery of externally manufactured APIs, intermediates, and starting materials for our client’s new manufacturing facility. Programs are expanding as pipeline assets progress from development into clinical and commercial supply, and this Project Manager will play a critical role in leading cross‑functional and cross‑company project execution across technology transfer, process qualification, batch release, and supply chain activities, enabling on‑time commercialization and sustained supply.

Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, and oversee integrated end‑to‑end project plans for facility’s External Manufacturing activities, including timelines, milestones, deliverables, and dependencies.
• Proactively manage scope, risks, issues, and decisions using formal change control and governance processes.
• Drive on‑time, compliant technology transfer and commercialization of externally manufactured products.
• Establish clear accountability across cross‑functional stakeholders and external partners.
• Support and coordinate Internal Process Teams (IPTs) and Joint Process Teams (JPTs).
• Integrate facility’s External Manufacturing project plans with internal client functions and contract manufacturer operational plans.
• Strengthen collaboration across technical, quality, supply chain, and manufacturing teams to support batch release, shipment, and supply continuity.
• Utilize project management tools such as MS Project, Jira, dashboards, scorecards, risk registers, and decision logs to improve visibility and predictability.
• Provide clear, timely project status updates and metrics to technical teams and leadership.
• Maintain collaboration platforms (e.g., Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Yammer).
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and standardization across the facility’s External Manufacturing projects.
• Support Lean initiatives and continuous improvement efforts to enhance efficiency and execution discipline.

Deliverables

• Integrated cross‑functional project schedules and status reports.
• Risk registers, dashboards, metrics, and scorecards.
• Decision logs, meeting minutes, and action trackers.
• Leadership‑ready project insights and recommendations.
• Continuous improvement and Lean initiative outputs.

Experience Requirements

MUST HAVES – QUALIFICATION SUMMARY

• Minimum Education: Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Science, Engineering, or a Project Management–related discipline with pharmaceutical manufacturing experience. Advanced Degree Preferred.
• Strong Project Management expertise within pharmaceutical external manufacturing environments.
• 3–4+ years minimum of experience in manufacturing operations, technology transfer.
• Demonstrated experience working in team‑based, cross‑functional environments. Proven experience managing cross‑functional and cross‑company stakeholders.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with a root cause analysis and corrective action mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills across technical and leadership audiences.
• High adaptability and effectiveness in fast‑paced, multi‑priority environments.

NICE-TO-HAVES

• PE or PMP.
• Experience with unit operations for large molecule expression and purification, peptides, and/or small molecule manufacturing.
• Experience managing capital delivery projects or commercialization/technical agenda projects.
• Direct or indirect experience with commercialization activities, including Validation, Tech Transfer, CMC, GMP, Quality, and/or HSE.

TRAVEL & LOCATION

Onsite at client’s facility in Lebanon, IN full‑time. Work Schedule: Monday‑Friday, Daylight. Virtual calls may routinely occur outside of regular hours due to the time zones of contract manufacturers. International travel may be required to support process start‑ups, troubleshooting, and commercial manufacturing. All travel expenses to be covered by our client.

START & TERM

February 2026 start. Immediate contract through Dec 31 2027 with potential to extend.

CONSULTING RATE

Competitive