Director, Commercial Launch Management

Fresenius Kabi USA•Lake Zurich, IL

21d•$170,000 - $195,000

About The Position

The Director of Commercial Launch Management is responsible for leading the end-to-end commercial planning and execution of launches for the Pharmaceutical business in the United States. This role serves as the central integrator and project manager across Commercial functions to ensure successful launch execution. The Director partners closely with their respective product Marketing colleagues and other cross-functional SME’s such as Portfolio, Business Unit Launch Management, Tech Ops, Regulatory, Legal, Supply Chain, Quality, Medical Affairs, and Finance to ensure profitable product launches in complex institutional markets. Similarly, the role is responsible for project managing product discontinuations. The individual is also responsible for managing and evolving launch processes, tools, and governance. This role is accountable not only for individual product launches, but also for building, standardizing, and continuously improving launch excellence in the Pharmaceuticals business. The Director is responsible for tracking, integrating, and reporting pre-launch activities and interdependencies across commercial functions, ensuring launch readiness against regulatory, manufacturing, supply, and commercial milestones. Post-launch, the role oversees progress tracking, performance reporting, and issue resolution to ensure successful market uptake and operational stability.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
12+ years of experience in pharmaceutical commercialization, launch management, marketing, or commercial strategy.
Strong experience with generic pharmaceuticals and/or sterile injectable products.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives without direct authority.
Deep understanding of institutional pharmaceutical markets, including hospitals, GPOs, IDNs, and wholesalers.
Experience building or formalizing launch processes and governance models.
Familiarity with FDA ANDA approvals and sterile injectable manufacturing constraints.
Experience managing both product launches and discontinuations in competitive generic markets.
Solid interpersonal and effective communication skills (verbal and written) with internal stakeholders and outside agencies, partners, and vendors.
Proficient with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook), and other database/ERP concepts (i.e., SAP, Salesforce.com).
Travel is required to attend meetings (external and internal)/tradeshows/customer visits/trainings (approximately 10-15%) and is based on business need (via public transportation: air/auto); may require overnight travel.
Able to manage and prioritize multiple complex projects with demonstrated time management skills.
Excellent organizational skills accompanied with strong project management, and planning skills.
Must possess strong analytical skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
Demonstrated ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
Ability to collaborate effectively with all employees and external business contacts while conveying a positive, service-oriented attitude.
Highest level of integrity and good judgment, with the ability to effectively deal with highly sensitive, confidential information.
Ability to maintain complete confidentiality and discretion in business relationships and exercise sound business judgment.
Ability to work flexible hours and weekends to meet business/customer needs.

Responsibilities

Launch Strategy & Execution Lead cross-functional planning and execution for new product launches from pre-approval through post-launch stabilization.
Partner with Marketing owners and Business Unit Launch Management to develop integrated launch plans aligned to regulatory milestones, manufacturing readiness, supply availability, and commercial priorities.
Proactively identify launch risks (regulatory timing, supply constraints, competitive intensity, pricing pressure) and lead mitigation planning along with Marketing and Business Unit Launch Management and Portfolio colleagues.
Launch Process Management, Improvement & Training Own the commercial launch management framework, including standardized processes, tools, templates, timelines, and governance.
Continuously evaluate and improve launch processes based on feedback, performance, post-launch learnings, and evolving business needs.
Develop and deliver launch management training for cross-functional stakeholders to ensure consistent understanding of roles, expectations, and best practices.
Chair cross-functional launch and lifecycle governance forums, driving alignment, escalation, and decision-making.
Manage and update pre-launch trackers and reporting mechanisms for both project teams and senior leadership.
Launch Readiness Partner with Marketing, Sales and National Accounts, Contracting/Pricing, Customer Service and Trade Relations and Market Access teams to ensure customer-facing strategies are fully launch-ready.
Ensure launch strategies are properly connected to tactical plans and fully ready to execute at launch, including pricing, contracting, channel load, sales tools and Marketing programs.
Supply Alignment & Launch Execution Collaborate closely with Marketing, Supply Chain and Manufacturing to align demand forecasts, allocation strategies, and launch sequencing.
Support commercial decision-making in constrained supply environments, including customer prioritization and phased launch strategies.
Monitor early launch performance and rapidly address service, supply, or execution issues.
Product Discontinuation & Lifecycle Management Lead the commercial planning and execution for line extensions and product discontinuations in partnership with Marketing, including cross-functional coordination, customer communication, and risk mitigation.
Ensure discontinuations are managed in a compliant, customer-focused, and financially responsible manner.
Partner with Sales, National Accounts, Customer Service, Supply Chain, Quality, and Regulatory to align timing, inventory run-down, and external notifications.
Launch & Lifecycle Reporting Develop and maintain new product launch and lifecycle reporting, including readiness dashboards, launch KPIs, and post-launch performance tracking.
Monitor metrics such as uptake, revenue, gross margin, customer penetration, service levels, and forecast accuracy.
Provide clear, concise launch updates and insights to senior leadership to support decision-making and prioritization.
Lead post-launch reviews and ensure learnings are captured and embedded into future launch processes
Attends local, national, and global meetings as needed.
Completes all training requirements, including all department-specific, compliance training, etc.
Participates in any and all reasonable work activities as assigned by management.
All employees are responsible for ensuring the compliance to company documents, programs and activities related to the Health, Safety, Environment, Energy, and Quality Management Systems, as per your roles and responsibilities.