Senior Associate, Congress Execution Lead

Key Responsibilities

Congress Planning and Execution

• Independently manage assigned congress workstreams across planning, onsite execution, and post-congress closeout activities.
• Develop and manage workstream timelines, milestones, deliverables, and dependencies to support successful congress execution.
• Coordinate cross-functional inputs across Project Management, Logistics, Opinion Leader Engagement (OLE), Commercial, Medical, Procurement, and external partners.
• Drive operational readiness for assigned workstreams by ensuring materials, systems, vendors, and stakeholders are prepared to support successful execution.
• Monitor workstream progress, identify operational risks and issue, develop mitigation plans within scope, and escalate appropriately to maintain execution timelines.
• Ensure timely completion of assigned deliverables while maintaining alignment across cross-functional teams.
• Lead assigned post-congress activities, including reporting, financial reconciliation, documentation, and lessons learned, while coordinating with relevant stakeholders.
• Capture operational insights and recommend improvements to enhance future congress planning and execution.

Stakeholder Coordination and Communication

• Serve as the primary executional point of contact for assigned workstreams and represent operational status, risks, dependencies, and progress to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and external vendors to ensure aligned execution.
• Facilitate project meetings by preparing agendas, documenting decisions, tracking action items, and driving timely follow-up.
• Communicate project milestones, deliverables, risks, dependencies, and key decisions in a clear, timely, and proactive manner.
• Foster collaboration, accountability, and effective communication across teams to support successful congress delivery.

Systems, Tools, and Process Governance

• Maintain accurate and timely project information across congress management systems, trackers, and reporting tools.
• Ensure data integrity, completeness, and consistency across systems and platforms.
• Apply and support standardized processes, templates, workflows, and governance requirements in accordance with company policies, SOPs, and established best practices.
• Utilize project management tools and reporting dashboards to provide visibility into workstream progress and operational performance.
• Support the adoption and optimization of new systems, tools, and process enhancements that improve operational efficiency.

Execution Excellence and Continuous Improvement

• Deliver high-quality execution while ensuring compliance with organizational policies, regulatory requirements, and established timelines.
• Analyze operational metrics and execution outcomes to identify opportunities for improved efficiency and effectiveness.
• Recommend and support the implementation of process improvements that reduce rework, improve stakeholder experience, and enhance operational consistency.
• Provide practical input to improve congress planning templates, playbooks, and best practices based on execution experience.
• Support continuous improvement efforts by sharing operational insights, recommending refinements to tools and workflows, and helping apply standardized practices across assigned congress workstreams.

Leadership and Capability Development

• Demonstrate leadership through ownership, accountability, collaboration, and proactive problem-solving while serving as a trusted operational partner across congress workstreams.
• Exercise sound judgment and make informed operational decisions within the scope of assigned responsibilities.
• Anticipate operational needs, identify potential risks, and proactively recommend solutions to maintain execution momentum.
• Share best practices and provide peer guidance to support consistency and effective execution across the team.
• Support cross-functional initiatives that enhance congress operations capabilities, ways of working, and organizational effectiveness.
• Continuously expand knowledge of congress operations, project management methodologies, governance requirements, compliance expectations, and industry best practices.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5–8 years of experience in congress operations, event management, project management, commercial operations, or related pharmaceutical or healthcare functions.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional projects within pharmaceutical congresses, medical meetings, or large-scale events preferred.
• Experience working with external vendors and stakeholders in a matrixed organization.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously while meeting deadlines in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Skills

• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to independently manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to identify operational risks, recommend mitigation strategies, and drive issue resolution within assigned responsibilities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• High attention to detail with a strong commitment to quality and operational excellence.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and experience using project management, event management, or congress planning platforms.
• Ability to analyze operational data and leverage reporting tools to support informed decision-making.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical compliance requirements, congress operations, and industry standards preferred.

Personal Attributes

• Demonstrates a strong sense of ownership, accountability, and follow-through.
• Proactive, resourceful, and solutions-oriented with the ability to anticipate business needs within assigned responsibilities.
• Highly organized with excellent planning, prioritization, and execution capabilities.
• Adaptable and resilient in a dynamic, evolving, and fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative, customer-focused, and committed to delivering shared business outcomes.
• Continuous learner with a growth mindset and passion for operational excellence, innovation, and process improvement.