Localization Manager

Planet Pharma; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 62,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

Planet Pharma is seeking a Localization Manager to lead the end-to-end localization program, supporting 15+ product brands and cross-functional teams in the US with compliant multilingual content at scale.

The role emphasizes building AI-enabled translation workflows, managing linguistic assets, and partnering with Brand Marketing, Medical Affairs, and external studios to ensure launches meet regulatory and health literacy standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Linguistics, Localization, Communications, Marketing, or equivalent professional experience.
• 8+ years of experience managing enterprise localization programs in regulated environments.
• Proficient with localization file formats, CAT tools and TMS systems such as XTM, Phrase, Smartling, or GlobalLink.
• Strong governance of linguistic assets, quality management, and language data workflows for MT/LLM HITL.
• Proven leadership in ambiguous environments and building processes from scratch.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with executive stakeholders and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full localization lifecycle across omnichannel marketing and Medical/Government Affairs content.
• Oversee vendor relationships, budgets, contracts, SLAs and evaluations.
• Define KPIs and create executive reporting on program health and cost efficiency.
• Architect modern localization workflows and tech stack integrations.
• Collaborate with Brand Marketing, Medical Affairs, Access, and external agencies on localization challenges.
• Drive AI-powered localization pilots and scalable workflows with Product and Engineering teams.
• Govern linguistic assets and language data to enable HITL translation with high speed and compliance.
• Deliver clear program updates and strategic recommendations to leadership.

Skills

Enterprise localization

Executive stakeholder comms

AI-assisted translation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Linguistics/Localization

Tools

XTM

Phrase

Smartling

GlobalLink

Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign/Illustrator/Photoshop)

Job description

The Localization Manager will lead the Translation Program within the Enterprise Content Suite, supporting the Commercial, Medical, and Government Affairs teams in the US. This role powers a best-in-class pharmaceutical commercialization engine through omnichannel content capabilities across 15+ product brands. The Localization Manager will own this program end-to-end and is responsible for the linguistic assets, vendor relationships, technology integrations, and quality control frameworks that enable consistent, compliant, and on-brand multilingual content at scale.
Sitting at the intersection of localization operations, multilingual content strategy, and AI/ML-enabled product development, this role will evolve existing translation workflows to power the next generation of GenAI-assisted content production while upholding strict regulatory compliance and health literacy standards.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Program Management: Lead the full localization lifecycle, from intake and scoping through Medical/Legal/Regulatory (MLR) review, for omnichannel marketing tactics (print, digital, social, email, web, SEO/SEM, campaigns) and Medical/Government Affairs content across 15+ product brands.
• Vendor & Budget Governance: Manage strategic relationships with Language Service Providers (LSPs) and specialized content production agencies; oversee program budgets, contract management, performance SLAs, and vendor evaluations.
• KPIs & Operational Analytics: Define and track key performance indicators; build data collection and executive reporting mechanisms to deliver cross-functional visibility into program health, translation quality scores, cost efficiency, and speed-to-market.
• Strategy & Tech Stack Architecture: Evolve localization program strategy by identifying operational gaps and architecting modern workflow models and tech stack integrations that embed localization seamlessly into the broader enterprise content architecture.
• Cross-Functional Engagement: Partner closely with internal Brand Marketing, Medical Affairs, Access, and external creative agencies/studios to address unique pharmaceutical localization challenges, and ensure operational readiness for new product launches.
• Innovation Roadmap: Drive pilot programs and establish best practices for AI-powered localization capabilities (including Machine Translation and LLM integrations), collaborating with Product and Engineering teams to build scalable, repeatable workflows and new capabilities.
• Linguistic Asset Governance: Structure linguistic assets, termbases, and language data sovereignty strategically to enable LLM-driven, Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) translation workflows while increasing speed and volume without compromising compliance.
• Executive Communication: Deliver clear program updates, trade-off analyses, and strategic recommendations to cross-functional partners and leadership, driving clarity in complex situations through structured decision-making frameworks.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Education: Bachelors degree in Linguistics, Translation/Localization, Communications, Marketing, or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience: 8+ years of experience managing enterprise localization programs, ideally within a regulated, brand-intensive, or life sciences content environment.
• Technical Expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of localization file formats, CAT tools, and Enterprise Translation Management Systems (TMS) such as XTM, Phrase, Smartling, or GlobalLink.
• Linguistic Asset & Quality Management: Proven track record in managing translation quality frameworks, linguistic assets, and language data governance, including to power compliant MT/LLM with Human-in-the-Loop workflows.
• Adaptability & Leadership: Demonstrated problem-solving ability with a proven track record of operating in ambiguous environments and building processes and infrastructure from scratch.
• Communication: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally with executive stakeholders and external vendor partners.

Preferred

• Life Sciences Domain Experience: Prior experience in localization for pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, healthcare, or highly regulated medical environments.
• Tools: In-depth knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and multimedia localization workflows (video subtitling, voiceover, dynamic social content). Exposure to Veeva.
• Center of Excellence (CoE): Experience building a Localization Center of Excellence or scaling enterprise translation models to support high-growth business units.
• Advanced AI Applications: Practical exposure to MT/AI-assisted translation workflows.
• Language: Professional proficiency in Spanish. Expertise in localizing content specifically for the US Spanish-speaking market.

Pay rate range: $45-54/hr depending on experience