PHL_Program Manager-NPI

PCI TRGR Penn Pharmaceutical Services Ltd; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

PCI Pharma Services is seeking a senior NPI Program Manager to lead end-to-end New Product Introduction initiatives at our Philadelphia site. You will coordinate across manufacturing, quality, engineering, and supply chain to deliver on milestones, while managing budgets and regulatory readiness.

You will serve as the primary client contact, drive metrics, and mentor a team of project managers. A strong background in pharma NPI and cGMP is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical, engineering, or science discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in pharmaceutical project or program management including oversight of multi-million dollar NPI or capital programs.
• Proven experience managing concurrent programs across multiple clients in a CDMO or contract manufacturing environment.
• Sound working knowledge of cGMP, FDA 21 CFR 211, and regulatory inspection readiness.
• Experience serving as the primary client point of contact including participation in JSC meetings and steering committees.
• Direct people management experience, including performance management and team development.
• Proficiency with project management and reporting tooling, including Smartsheet and Microsoft 365.
• Strong communication skills with executive stakeholders and external clients.
• Strategic thinking with ability to translate high-level direction into executable plans.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of NPI programs spanning tech transfer, process development, engineering runs, training runs, and regulatory handoff.
• Coordinate across Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain to ensure milestones.
• Identify risks and drive mitigation plans to completion.
• Manage program budgets including CapEx tracking and variance analysis.
• Ensure NPI activities comply with cGMP and FDA requirements.
• Define and report NPI performance metrics and operational dashboards.
• Lead client engagement as PCI point of contact through JSC meetings and reviews.
• Drive Right First Time and OTIF delivery across all client programs.
• Directly manage and develop a team of NPI Project Managers and Associate PMs.
• Develop and maintain standardized governance structures and reporting cadences.
• Build and maintain NPI reporting infrastructure in Smartsheet with RAID and lessons learned.
• Oversee portfolio health, schedule risk, resource prioritization, and revenue impact analysis.

Skills

NPI program management

Client management

Team leadership

Cross-functional coordination

Risk management

Smartsheet dashboards

Governance & reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or science

Master's degree (preferred)

PM certification (PMP/PRINCE2) (preferred)

Tools

Smartsheet

Microsoft 365

Job description

Life changing therapies. Global impact. Bridge to thousands of biopharma companies and their patients. We are PCI. Our investment is in People who make an impact, drive progress and create a better tomorrow. Our strategy includes building teams across our global network to pioneer and shape the future of PCI.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The essential duties and responsibilities include the following but other duties may be assigned.

• Program Execution and Delivery Own end-to-end delivery of NPI programs spanning tech transfer, process development, engineering runs, training runs, process validation (PPQ), and commercial handoff, coordinating across Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain.
• Compile and maintain integrated program timelines identifying critical path activities, key milestones, and interdependencies.
• Proactively identify risks and drive mitigation plans through completion.
• Manage program-level budgets on behalf of site leadership, including Capital Expenditure (CapEx) tracking, benefits realization reporting, and variance analysis.
• Ensure all NPI activities comply with PCI procedures, cGMP requirements, and applicable regulatory standards (FDA 21 CFR 211, ICH guidelines).
• Define and report on NPI performance metrics including launch on-time performance, validation success rate, budget variance, and cycle time from award to commercialization.
• Own the reporting cadence to site leadership and identify trends requiring corrective action.
• Client Management Serve as the primary PCI point of contact for assigned NPI clients throughout the program lifecycle, representing PCI in Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meetings, on-site reviews, and steering committee sessions.
• Drive Right First Time (RFT) and On Time In Full (OTIF) delivery across all client programs, proactively managing expectations and communicating status, risks, and escalations through structured governance cadences.
• Team Leadership Directly manage and develop a team of NPI Project Managers, setting clear performance expectations, providing coaching and mentorship, and building program management capability within the NPI function.
• Promote engagement and accountability at all levels of the program team, ensuring individuals understand their contributions to program success and client outcomes.
• NPI Strategy and Function Development Partner with the Director of NPI to define and evolve the NPI operating model, including program tiering frameworks, phase-gated process design, resource allocation models, and standardized governance structures (JSC cadences, kickoff protocols, handoff criteria).
• Lead the implementation of NPI strategic initiatives across the Philadelphia site, translating directional strategy into executable plans, standard work, and measurable outcomes.
• Contribute to the development of NPI client onboarding standards, training and readiness frameworks, and internal playbook documentation that codify how the function operates at scale.
• Design and own the Business Development-to-NPI handover process, defining documentation standards (TKO from Engineering, product detail sheets, launch questionnaires), technical inputs, billing setup, and internal launch preparation steps to ensure programs are fully scoped and resourced before customer kickoff.
• Develop and maintain an NPI training curriculum and on-the-job training (OJT) framework for Project Managers and Associate Project Managers, including standard work definitions that establish consistent execution expectations across the team.
• Cross-Functional Coordination and Continuous Improvement Work cross-functionally to evaluate and coordinate resource allocation across programs, ensuring appropriate capacity within each functional team and that deliverables are tracked to completion.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement throughout the NPI lifecycle and collaborate with PCI Global sites to harmonize ways of working on large-scale programs.
• Manage change at varying levels, ensuring site procedures are followed and change controls are raised with the appropriate approvers engaged from the outset.
• Own portfolio-level health monitoring across all active NPI programs, including schedule risk assessment, resource prioritization when constrained, validation readiness tracking, and revenue impact analysis for site leadership reporting.
• Build and maintain NPI reporting infrastructure in Smartsheet, including operational dashboards for program managers and executive-level dashboards for SLT, with standardized RAID logs and lessons learned integrated into every program provision.
• Scope and Authority Direct management of NPI Project Managers with responsibility for performance management, development, and workload allocation.
• Responsible for adherence to SOPs, Health & Safety, cGMP, and regulatory guidelines for themselves, their team, and any contractors under their direction.
• Accountable for managing and maintaining NPI program and capital project budgets.
• Authority to escalation program-level risks and issues to the Director of NPI and site leadership.
• This role requires occasional travel for vendor, supplier, or client engagements, including potential travel to PCI Global sites.

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required for the stated position.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical, engineering, or science discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in pharmaceutical project or program management, including oversight of multi-million dollar NPI, tech transfer, or capital programs.
• Proven experience managing concurrent programs across multiple clients in a CDMO or contract manufacturing environment.
• Sound working knowledge of cGMP, FDA 21 CFR 211, and regulatory inspection readiness.
• Experience serving as the primary client point of contact, including participation in JSC meetings and steering committees.
• Direct people management experience, including performance management, coaching, and team development.
• Proficiency with project management and reporting tooling, including demonstrated ability to build dashboards, trackers, and reporting infrastructure in Smartsheet or equivalent platforms, plus Microsoft 365 suite.
• Effective communication across all levels, including executive stakeholders and external clients.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate high-level direction into executable plans, standard work, and scalable processes.
• Ability to lead and develop high-performing teams in a matrixed, cross-functional environment.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with both internal stakeholders and external clients.
• Dependability, reliability, integrity, and attention to detail.
• Customer-centric mindset with a commitment to quality, ethics, and professionalism.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in a technical, engineering, or science discipline.
• PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent project management certification.
• Experience with tech transfer, process validation (PPQ), and commercial manufacturing readiness.
• Experience contributing to or building operational strategy, including process design, governance frameworks, or organizational operating models within a GMP manufacturing environment.
• Understanding of facility, engineering, and equipment qualification processes.
• Familiarity with Focus Factory or dedicated manufacturing line operating models.
• Experience with portfolio-level program oversight, including resource prioritization, schedule risk management across multiple concurrent programs, and executive-level reporting.
• Experience designing or improving commercial handover processes between Business Development and operational functions.

#LI-SW1 Join us and be part of building the bridge between life changing therapies and patients. Let’s talk future

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

PCI Pharma Services is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

We do not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital or domestic or civil union status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, disability, military eligibility or veteran status, or any other protected status. At PCI, Equity and Inclusion are at the core of our company’s purpose: Together, delivering life-changing therapies. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive workplace by holding ourselves accountable to the highest standards of understanding, fairness, respect, and equal opportunity – at every level. We envision a PCI community where everyone can belong and grow, and we strive to bring this vision to reality by continuously and intentionally assessing our people practices, policies and programs, marketing approach, and workplace culture.

Why work for PCI Pharma Services?

At PCI, we have an uncompromising focus on providing quality and operational excellence and providing the industry leading customer experience. Our people make all of this happen, so providing an industry leading experience for our people is equally as important. By creating an authentic culture of purposeful work, we aspire to be an interesting and fulfilling place for talented individuals to grow careers. We live a philosophy of intentional learning combined with real-life experience supported by a fair and competitive rewards program. We are individuals, teams and a company that believes in our purpose and our approach is simple, the people who work at PCI fuel our business; we don’t say no, we figure out how.