Program Manager Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Digital Transformation

Job Title: Program Manager Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Digital Transformation

Location: Canonsburg, PA 15317 -Hybrid

Duration: 12+ Months

Detailed Job Description:

A consulting firm is currently leading the strategy, road mapping, and process optimization efforts across supply chain and manufacturing areas, working closely with client's process owners. As part of this exercise, they are seeking support from IT partners who can actively participate in these discussions. The profiles we provide will effectively serve as the eyes and ears for the client IT SMEs, ensuring alignment and continuity throughout the program.

These individuals will play a critical role in shaping the overall program direction and the Program Director profile will be interviewed directly by the CIO.

Please note that candidates must have relevant domain backgrounds such as lab operations, quality, energy/sustainability, engineering, and manufacturing. Without the appropriate experience and understanding, they will not be able to add value or meet the expectations of this engagement. This was the clear ask from the client.

Required Experience:

Must demonstrate proven delivery of manufacturing/pharma digital transformation programs including:

• Shall have experience leading minimum 3 multi-workstream transformation programs, preferably in pharmaceutical manufacturing, spanning operations performance, lab management, quality systems, and engineering digitalization.
• Managed global programs combining exploratory proof-of-concepts with active implementation projects through full lifecycle governance.
• Experience in coordinating cross-functional stakeholders across operations, quality, laboratories, engineering, maintenance, and IT leadership across multiple regions.
• Experience establishing 2+ year program governance frameworks with executive steering committees and standardized RAID/benefits tracking.
• Delivers measurable business outcomes
• Navigates regulated environments ensuring compliance, cybersecurity standards, data governance, and validated system deployments.
• Has demonstrated experience delivering solutions with real-time KPI tracking and downtime analytics across multiple sites
• Experience implementing advanced production planning systems integrated with enterprise ERP platforms and dynamic resource allocation capabilities.
• Proven delivery of lab digitization initiatives including automated scheduling, analytics dashboards, and statistical process monitoring.
• Shall have executed quality management automation projects covering process optimization, compliance monitoring, automated reporting, and investigation of workflow enhancements.
• Shall have directed multiple technology vendors/system integrators ensuring seamless integration across manufacturing execution, ERP, data platforms, and analytics solutions.
• Proven experience with geographically distributed teams (U.S., EU, India, other) managing multicultural communication.
• Delivered programs using hybrid Agile/waterfall methodologies for implementation projects and stage-gate governance for all workstreams/ initiatives.
• Established enterprise integration patterns connecting operational systems, quality platforms, lab instruments, and energy meters to central data platforms.
• Created executive dashboards translating technical KPIs into business metrics (throughput improvement, compliance rate, cost savings, etc.).
• Led crisis management for high-impact issues (vendor insolvency, SME attrition, scope conflicts) maintaining program timelines and budget commitments.
• Conducting change management activities for awareness of changes that are happening due to Serialization implementation.

Key activities that will be in-scope for the implementation would include:

1. Program Planning & Governance

• Work with client workstream Leads to develop an overall transformation strategy, identify cross-workstream prerequisites, and develop consolidated program roadmap with backup/contingency planning.
• Establish program governance framework including change management processes, risk management protocols, and decision forums.
• Create a master schedule with inter-project dependencies, resource capacity planning, and milestone tracking across all workstreams.

1. Portfolio Execution & Coordination

• Facilitate workshops with business and IT teams to ensure business requirements are clearly understood, documented, and verified.
• Coordinate with workstream PMs for technical execution across multiple vendors and internal teams.
• Deliver all tasks in Project execution starting from exploratory and planning phase to end of Production support.
• Oversee PM duties and ensure alignment across manufacturing, lab, quality, and engineering workstreams.
• Verify cross-system data integrity, integration testing, and performance optimization across all deployed solutions.

1. Testing & Validation Oversight

• Develop master test strategy and coordinate creation of test plans/scripts for new digital functionalities across all workstreams.
• Oversee unit testing, end-to-end integration testing, regression testing, and formal validation following enterprise validation standards.
• Coordinate creation/modification of work instructions, user guides, and training documentation for all new capabilities.

1. Change Management & Training

• Coordinating with PMs for creation of change controls, update and approval process as per client processes.
• Develop comprehensive training strategy and coordinate delivery of training programs for site SMEs, business users, and end users across regions.
• Ensuring communication and alignment with stakeholders/RUN teams with training plans.

1. Data Management & Migration

• Ensure enterprise data quality standards across all workstreams with coordinated validation activities.
• Oversee data migration planning and execution ensuring seamless transition between legacy and new digital platforms.
• Coordinate data governance reviews ensuring compliance with data privacy and retention policies.

1. Go-Live & Deployment Management

• Coordinate with workstream PMs for program-wide cutover planning for each workstreams including downtime management, business communication, and stakeholder alignment.
• Lead go-live orchestration, go-no-go decisions across multiple sites and workstreams
• Provide executive-level communication, go-live support coordination ensuring rapid issue resolution and deployment

1. Post-Production Transition & Support

• Manage knowledge transition to enterprise run/support organizations with comprehensive hand over documentation.
• Coordinate 4-week post-production hyper care ensuring issue resolution, performance optimization, and application stabilization.

Adhering to all program and project timelines, constant communication with business and IT team and updating the program's progress. Weekly, monthly, quarterly executive reporting for all workstreams and projects and as requested by client team.

The Selected partner is responsible:

• Deliver all tasks in Project execution starting from Pre-upgrade planning phase to end of Production support.
• Deliver all validation documentation as requested from IT Quality and CSV teams
• Creation of change control, update, and route for approval process as per client process.
• Responsible for being in touch with business and IT team continuously and updating the project progress.
• Responsible for adhering to project timelines and sending the Daily, Weekly, and Monthly reports as requested by the client team.