Associate Director, Technical Project Management

Job Description

The Associate Director, Project Management — Pharma IT leads and delivers complex IT programs that support pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing, and commercial operations. This role combines technical program leadership, regulatory awareness (GxP), vendor and stakeholder management, and people leadership to ensure IT initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, on budget, and compliant with applicable regulations and quality standards.

Key responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of Pharma IT projects from initiation through closeout, including GxP systems (LIMS, ELN, clinical trial systems, manufacturing execution systems, data platforms), infrastructure, integrations, and digital transformation efforts.

• Define and enforce project governance, SDLC and validation-related processes, and reporting cadence; adapt and champion delivery methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid) appropriate to regulated environments.

• Develop comprehensive project plans, resource and capacity forecasts, risk and issue logs, dependency maps, and change-control processes aligned with quality and regulatory requirements.

• Oversee requirements management, vendor selection, contract execution, and third-party validation activities; coordinate with QA and validation teams to ensure compliance.

• Provide strong stakeholder engagement across R&D, Clinical, Manufacturing, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, IT Security, Data Governance, and Commercial functions; communicate status, risks, mitigation plans, and decision-ready options to senior leadership and steering committees.

• Manage financial aspects of projects: budget creation, tracking, variance analysis, and forecasting; ensure cost controls and value realization.

• Mentor, coach, and develop project managers and technical leads; establish clear performance expectations and career development plans.

• Lead risk management and contingency planning, including cybersecurity risk assessments and business continuity considerations for critical systems.

• Drive continuous improvement in project delivery, including lessons learned, metrics, and process optimization tied to compliance and quality outcomes.

• Facilitate regulatory readiness activities and audit support, prepare project artifacts for inspections, and ensure traceability of requirements, design, testing, and release records.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field.

• 5+ years of progressive IT project/program management experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership role in pharmaceutical or life sciences IT.

• Demonstrated experience delivering GxP-regulated systems, clinical systems (e.g., CTMS, eTMF), laboratory systems (LIMS, ELN), manufacturing systems (MES), or enterprise data platforms.

• Experience with both Agile and Waterfall methodologies and practical experience applying hybrid approaches in regulated projects.

• Proven vendor management experience with CROs, system integrators, and SaaS providers in pharma contexts.

• Excellent communication skills; experience presenting to senior leaders and supporting inspection/audit readiness.

• Strong financial acumen and experience managing project budgets and forecasting.

Preferred certifications

• PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, or equivalent project/program management certification.

• Certifications or training in GxP compliance, IT validation, or regulatory affairs are a plus.

Required Skills:

Accountability, Communication, Measurement Analysis, Portfolio, Programme, and Project Support, Program Management, Risk Management, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Team Management, Waterfall Model

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

The salary range for this role is

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

04/18/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.