Project Manager III

Planet Pharma; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 106,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Planet Pharma is seeking a Contract Business Program Manager to support planning, governance, and execution of strategic initiatives within Global Patient Access. This role requires coordinating cross-functional teams to deliver initiatives on time, in scope, and aligned with business objectives.

You will drive sustainability, product launch support, and program governance in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5+ years of project management, program management, business operations, patient services, market access, healthcare consulting, pharmaceutical, or related experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed environment.
• Strong project planning, organizational, and execution skills.
• Experience developing executive-level presentations, dashboards, and communications.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Teams.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Support the planning and execution of high-priority strategic initiatives impacting Patient Access Programs and Services.
• Drive implementation of sustainability and optimization initiatives, ensuring actions, milestones, and dependencies are clearly defined and monitored.
• Maintain integrated project plans across multiple workstreams and stakeholders.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities to ensure strategic objectives are translated into actionable deliverables.
• Lead project management activities for new product launches, indication expansions, and significant access-related business changes.
• Develop and maintain launch readiness plans, governance materials, risk logs, issue trackers, and milestone reporting.
• Coordinate launch activities across internal stakeholders and external vendors.
• Monitor program readiness and proactively identify risks that could impact launch timelines or patient access.
• Support implementation of operational, policy, process, technology, and vendor-related program changes.
• Conduct impact assessments and facilitate stakeholder alignment on key decisions.
• Develop communication plans, implementation timelines, and change management deliverables.
• Ensure successful transition of initiatives from project phase to operational execution.
• Establish and maintain governance structures to support initiative execution.
• Facilitate project team meetings, steering committee reviews, and executive updates.
• Prepare concise, executive-ready materials highlighting project status, risks, mitigation plans, and decision points.
• Track milestones, action items, dependencies, and success metrics across initiatives.
• Identify project risks and potential barriers to execution.
• Partner with stakeholders to develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans.
• Escalate critical issues appropriately while driving timely resolution.
• Promote proactive risk management across all project activities.
• Serve as a central point of coordination among internal teams and external partners.
• Facilitate alignment between business, operational, technical, and vendor stakeholders.
• Monitor key deliverables and ensure accountability for project commitments.

Skills

Project management

Program management

Stakeholder management

Executive presentations

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Teams

Job description

Target PR Range: 77-87/hr
*Depending on experience

Purpose

The Contract Business Program Manager will support the planning, governance, and execution of key strategic initiatives across the Global Patient Access organization. This role is responsible for driving cross-functional coordination, project management, and executional excellence for enterprise priorities including sustainability plan implementation, product and indication launches, operational transformations, and major program enhancements.

The individual will partner closely with Patient Access, Brand, Market Access, Patient Services, Legal, OEC, BTS, Finance, Vendor Partners, and other cross-functional stakeholders to ensure initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned to business objectives.

This position requires a highly organized, proactive individual capable of managing multiple complex workstreams in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Initiative Execution

• Support the planning and execution of high-priority strategic initiatives impacting Patient Access Programs and Services.
• Drive implementation of sustainability and optimization initiatives, ensuring actions, milestones, and dependencies are clearly defined and monitored.
• Maintain integrated project plans across multiple workstreams and stakeholders.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities to ensure strategic objectives are translated into actionable deliverables.

Product & Indication Launch Support

• Lead project management activities for new product launches, indication expansions, and significant access-related business changes.
• Develop and maintain launch readiness plans, governance materials, risk logs, issue trackers, and milestone reporting.
• Coordinate launch activities across internal stakeholders and external vendors.
• Monitor program readiness and proactively identify risks that could impact launch timelines or patient access.

Program Change Management

• Support implementation of operational, policy, process, technology, and vendor-related program changes.
• Conduct impact assessments and facilitate stakeholder alignment on key decisions.
• Develop communication plans, implementation timelines, and change management deliverables.
• Ensure successful transition of initiatives from project phase to operational execution.

Governance and Reporting

• Establish and maintain governance structures to support initiative execution.
• Facilitate project team meetings, steering committee reviews, and executive updates.
• Prepare concise, executive-ready materials highlighting project status, risks, mitigation plans, and decision points.
• Track milestones, action items, dependencies, and success metrics across initiatives.

Risk and Issue Management

• Identify project risks and potential barriers to execution.
• Partner with stakeholders to develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans.
• Escalate critical issues appropriately while driving timely resolution.
• Promote proactive risk management across all project activities.

Vendor and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Serve as a central point of coordination among internal teams and external partners.
• Facilitate alignment between business, operational, technical, and vendor stakeholders.
• Monitor key deliverables and ensure accountability for project commitments.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5+ years of project management, program management, business operations, patient services, market access, healthcare consulting, pharmaceutical, or related experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed environment.
• Strong project planning, organizational, and execution skills.
• Experience developing executive-level presentations, dashboards, and communications.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Teams.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Experience supporting pharmaceutical patient support programs, patient assistance programs, copay programs, or patient services operations.
• Experience supporting product launches, indication launches, or major business transformations.
• Familiarity with change management methodologies and governance frameworks.