Senior Manager Commercial Launch Excellence & Planning

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Princeton (NJ); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Manager for Commercial Launch Excellence. In this pivotal role, you will lead the execution of launch readiness activities for new products and indications, ensuring cross-functional collaboration and effective project management. Your strategic thinking and problem-solving skills will be essential in navigating complex challenges and driving project success. This hybrid position offers a unique opportunity to influence the launch of groundbreaking therapies that improve lives, all while working in a dynamic and supportive environment. Join a team dedicated to advancing neuroscience and making a meaningful impact in healthcare.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in pharmaceutical project management and launch planning.
• Strong knowledge of commercial processes and project management standards.

Responsibilities

• Oversee commercial launch readiness and manage timelines and deliverables.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify risks and resolve project issues.

Skills

Project Management

Strategic Thinking

Problem-Solving

Communication Skills

Influencing Skills

Organizational Skills

Multi-tasking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in health care, business administration, or related field

Master’s degree

PMP Certification

Scrum Certification

Tools

Microsoft 365

PMP Tools

Job description

About Acadia Pharmaceuticals

Acadia is advancing breakthroughs in neuroscience to elevate life. Since our founding, we have been working at the forefront of healthcare to bring vital solutions to people who need them most. We developed and commercialized the first and only FDA-approved drug to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis and the first and only approved drug in the United States and Canada for the treatment of Rett syndrome. Our clinical-stage development efforts are focused on Prader-Willi syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease psychosis, and multiple other programs targeting neuro-psychiatric and neuro-rare diseases. For more information, visit us at Acadia.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Please note that this position is based in Princeton, NJ or San Diego, CA. Acadia's hybrid model requires this role to work in our office three days per week on average.

Position Summary:

The Senior Manager, Commercial Launch Excellence, Strategy, Planning & Execution will support the Launch Excellence program management lead. They will be responsible for building the tracking and monitoring of launch readiness planning and execution activities across all functions for all new product, new indication/formulation and expanded geographies launches once a launch strategy has been set. This responsibility includes collaborating with Acadia’s external program management vendor/partner and providing guidance and assessing quality of deliverables necessary for the development of detailed program and project tools (i.e. project plans, RAID logs, meeting minutes, etc.) supporting the execution of launch activities.

The Sr Manager will execute on Acadia’s Commercial internal program and project management capabilities developed by the Director. Execution includes ensuring that the infrastructure and resources are appropriate for the internal Acadia team and regularly providing updates regarding each launch. Works with cross-functional project management individuals to effectively align workflows and communications.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the tactical oversight of Commercial launch readiness timeline deliverables with a clear understanding of functional interdependencies, risks and critical path activities. Manage process for launch team governance and routines and notify Director if processes are not effective (e.g., pressure test, refine, and finalize the launch governance model, including meeting cadence, meeting norms, ways of working, etc.)
• Executing on project scope, budget, schedule, and resources.
• Provides information to Director to ensure appropriate guidance to internal/external team members to allow for resolution of cross-functional and cross-launch project and operational issues.
• Responsible for engaging with key stakeholders and team members to proactively identify risks and barriers to project success, and complete assessment/mitigation planning including adequate documentation/follow-up of ongoing issues. Support issue resolution and implement solutions to achieve program/project success.
• Provide project status reports and issues, and ensure project team goals and deliverables are met, including facilitation of required communications via meeting scheduling, agenda development and follow-up activities including development of tools such as dashboards, slides, decision support models, Gantt charts and timelines to enable achievement of goals.
• Responsible for assigned Commercial program management activities including presentation content development, preparation for Sr. Mgmt. meetings, prepare minutes/actions and providing follow-up as necessary.
• Support timely decisions with key stakeholders and determine points of escalation.
• Provides Commercial project management expertise and support of various functional areas or working groups on Commercial Projects to drive collaboration, cross-functional clarity and alignment on commercial projects, initiatives, and operations. Responsible for the communication to Director and others as requested of project status and issues and ensures project team goals and deliverables are met.
• Generate insights into external program/project management best-practice and peer company strategies to support the advancement of Acadia’s capabilities over time.
• Support the formalization and documentation of best practices and lessons learned within the functional team.
• Identify and proactively pull through best practices, key learnings and efficiencies across Brands and functions.
• Document existing processes for internal launch critical activities in a clear and concise manner; suggesting optimization if and where applicable.
• In coordination with Commercial teams, facilitate consistent implementation of launch excellence tools and processes.
• Support the development and subsequent continued build-out of, and updates to, the Launch Playbook, inclusive of framework and end-to-end processes to support launch readiness and best practices.
• Ability to influence, build consensus, and manage conflict in challenging situations.
• Represents the organization at internal meetings and acts as an interface between the organization and other groups at Acadia.
• Maintains a high compliance posture and ensures adherence to company policies, quality system requirements, as well as other legal and regulatory directives.

Education/Experience/Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in health care, business administration, program management or related field; Master’s degree preferred. Certificates/certifications in PMP, Scrum highly desirable. 8 years of pharmaceutical industry or related experience with project management and launch planning experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Launch experience including commercialization of new therapeutic products required, Rare Disease, Neuroscience and global experience a plus.
• Understanding of the commercial process and the principles, concepts, practices, and standards of pharmaceutical program/project management.
• Capability for strategic and critical thinking that results in significant business value. Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• Strong influence skills while not having formal authority.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills ensuring consistent and quality communications with key stakeholders.
• Highly organized with a strong attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively multi-task, prioritize, and deal effectively with ambiguity while working under heavy deadlines and multiple priorities.
• Ability to effectively collaborate across the organizations; interacts within and across the matrix to manage deliverables and timelines across the organization; manage department contribution to operating reviews.
• Advanced knowledge of and proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), and PMP tools. Demonstrated ability and experience with project management methodologies, budgets, and resource management.
• Exceptional project management skills with demonstrated experience in leading enterprise projects.
• Work effectively in a team as well as oversee and motivate others in a fast-paced matrix environment to achieve organizational goals and add business value.
• Recognized as a strong individual contributor that gets things accomplished, with the ability to influence without authority. Works with abstract ideas or situations that may affect other functional areas of the business and where analysis of situations or data requires collaboration and an understanding of the impact on other functional areas, business strategies, and the company's overall goals. Works on issues of diverse scope which require evaluation of a variety of factors and an understanding of functional area objectives and trends. Erroneous decisions or failure to achieve results may add to costs and impact the short-term and long-term goals of the organization.

Physical Requirements:

This role involves regular standing, walking, sitting, and the use of hands for handling or operating equipment. The employee may also need to reach, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and maintain visual, verbal, and auditory communication in a standard office environment and while working independently from remote locations. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. This position requires the ability to travel independently overnight and/or work after hours as required by travel schedules or business needs.

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