Director Program Manager, Product Launch (Rare Disease)

Key Responsibilities

• Leads, facilitates, coordinates and guides all aspects of the Launch Plan, working closely with the Launch Team Leader (s) to enable a program to market.
• Serve as the central point of coordination and communication to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the launch plan, its defined activities, timelines, and interdependencies.
• The role will coordinate daily between the PMO and Commercial team Chief of Staff, maintaining and aligning the launch plan. The role will closely monitor tasks and deliverables, measuring variances, outlining risks and adjusting the plan to reflect change.
• Supports cross-functional launch team meetings and ensure clear ownership, alignment, and accountability of tasks, milestones and deliverables in the Launch plan.
• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports, and KPIs to track launch readiness and identify risks, gaps, and mitigations, supporting the consolidation and input into the enterprise PMO.
• Support decision-making by ensuring timely escalation of critical issues and alignment with senior leadership.
• Drive adherence to program governance, PMO best practices, and change control processes while working within the culture of the teams and company to obtain by in.
• Build strong, trust-based relationships with functional leaders and project team members to drive collaboration and transparency.
• Provide program management support to post-launch transition activities as needed.
 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MS) preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in program or project management in the biopharmaceutical industry, with at least 3 years leading or supporting a commercial launch and/or pre-commercial readiness activity in rare disease.
• Demonstrated familiarity / working knowledge of key commercialization functions in conduct of a rare disease product launch; Experience in rare disease, specialty products, or first-launch environments strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, cross-functional projects and align diverse stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of commercialization processes and timelines in the life sciences industry.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, MS Project) and collaboration platforms.
• PMP or related certification a plus.

 

Key Competencies

 

• Strategic and structured problem solver with strong critical thinking.
• Highly collaborative and able to influence without authority.
• Able to thrive in ambiguity and adapt quickly to changing priorities.
• Results-driven with a sense of urgency and accountability.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.