Director, Program Manager

Pfizer•New York City, NY

16h•Hybrid

About The Position

Use Your Power for Purpose Technology impacts everything we do. Pfizer’s digital and ‘data first’ strategy focuses on implementing impactful and innovative technology solutions across all functions from research to manufacturing. Whether you are digitizing drug discovery and development, identifying solutions, or making our work easier and faster, you will be making a difference to countless lives. As the Director, your role will be pivotal in implementing innovative technology solutions that streamline our processes, enhance our capabilities, and ultimately contribute to the well-being of patients worldwide. The Program Director is responsible to lead and manage the Commercial Customer Facing Solutions Delivery Project Management team members in the delivery of end to end technology solutions with expertise in both waterfall and agile approaches. This position will perform that function in partnership and collaboration with Business Partner leaders, other technology service providers, and business team members stakeholders. The role is responsible for effectively leading team members from other Digital groups assigned to the program, overseeing vendor contractors, responsible for coaching and guiding multiple scrum teams in their adoption and execution of agile methodologies, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration and bringing to bear both superb management expertise and technology capabilities in the execution of project and program responsibilities. What You Will Achieve Ensure the delivery of project management deliverables as defined by the project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), implementation of Scrum and other agile practices that are appropriate for the size, scale, complexity and regulatory compliance of the assigned program(s) or project(s). Includes resource management and planning for employees and consultants as needed to achieve project milestones and business outcomes. Perform effective and clear stakeholder management communications and activities with a clear articulation of vision, direction and expectations; supervise project team members and their activities including supplier commitments. Effectively manage project and program resources including finances, commercial contracts, people, software licenses and assets, computing platform and intellectual property. Responsible for the value realization of business objectives including a general understanding of business processes and activities. In this role, you will: Prepare and own program proposals that are part of a large project portfolio to determine goals, time frame, funding, procedures for accomplishing project, staffing requirements and colleague resource planning. Develop project plans, specifying goals, staffing, scheduling, risks, contingency plans and allocation of available resources. Act as a servant leader, facilitating effective team meetings, ceremonies, and discussions, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. Oversee vendor resources assigned to project work including negotiating SOW terms, managing POWs, financial forecasting and reconciliation, invoice cost tracking and distribution, and demand management. Be accountable to work closely with Business Partners to ensure business and functional analysis activities (e.g. documenting functional requirements) for projects are clear and concise Collaborate with product owners and stakeholders to define and prioritize product backlogs, ensuring alignment with business goals and objectives. Effectively leverage all Governance and Portfolio Tools that support project, resource and financial management in accordance with technology standards Work with the Core Technologies Lead and Global Product Engineering team to ensure project solutions comply with technology standards Own key initiatives forward to achieve technical delivery cost savings targets through effective project estimation, vendor selection and negotiation, and project delivery efficiencies Direct and coordinate activities of project personnel to ensure project progresses on schedule and within budget. Remove impediments and roadblocks to help the team maintain focus and meet sprint commitments. Establish standards and procedures for project reporting and documentation. Prepare project status reports, and keep stakeholders informed of project status and related issues. Confer with project personnel to provide technical advice and resolve problems. Coordinate and respond to requests for changes from original specifications. Develop quality assurance test plans and ensure quality assurance testing. Work closely with Core Technologists and Service Managers to understand and put in the measures for meeting solution lifecycle objectives. Mentor and guide team members on agile principles, ensuring the team's understanding and adherence to agile best practices. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging teams to identify areas for enhancement and experimentation. Collaborate with other Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches to drive consistent agile practices and continuous learning across the organization. Provide insights and metrics on team performance, velocity, and other relevant agile metrics to inform decision-making. Participate in the development and improvement of agile methodologies within the organization. Provide leadership and motivation to project team members throughout the project life cycle.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with at least 8 years of experience
Proven track record of using knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, related industries, customer requirements, and the general business environment to define strategic actions for a global business unit
Demonstrated capabilities managing large complex global programs consisting of capital and operating expenses and virtual teams
Strong people management experience
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to establish relationships, influence outcomes, and deliver effective presentations to a variety of audiences
Experience in managing application support and maintenance, change management, configuration management, problem management, incident management, and lifecycle management
Demonstrated progressive experience successfully designing, delivering and maintaining IT business solutions for mid-to-scale organizations across multiple hardware and software platforms. Must have demonstrated competency / expertise in: Software Development Lifecycle management, including production system maintenance and operation
Agile principles and methodologies
Proven experience working with business teams developing and delivering strategy and operating plans with demonstrated competency in strategic thinking, and relationship management.
Technology solutions delivery in a pharmaceutical or regulated environment
Line management experience in a global organization with demonstrated career development and coaching expertise, including performance management, succession planning and new hire planning
Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent agile certification required; Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) or Certified Scrum Coach (CSC) is a plus.
Experience in financial stewardship for budgets and resources allocated to application support and management
Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to develop solutions to complex or unique problems
Experience in fostering an environment of continuous improvement and innovation in daily operations
Ability to manage talent and leadership development, participate in succession planning, and prepare for long-term development needs
Strong leadership skills to hold senior managers accountable for skill development and diversity
Experience using common AI tools, including generative technologies such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, to support problem solving and enhance productivity.
Demonstrated curiosity for exploring how these tools can improve outcomes and understanding of responsible AI practices, including risk management and ethical use
Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.
This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree with proven progressive experience as an Information Technology professional

Responsibilities

Prepare and own program proposals that are part of a large project portfolio to determine goals, time frame, funding, procedures for accomplishing project, staffing requirements and colleague resource planning.
Develop project plans, specifying goals, staffing, scheduling, risks, contingency plans and allocation of available resources.
Act as a servant leader, facilitating effective team meetings, ceremonies, and discussions, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
Oversee vendor resources assigned to project work including negotiating SOW terms, managing POWs, financial forecasting and reconciliation, invoice cost tracking and distribution, and demand management.
Be accountable to work closely with Business Partners to ensure business and functional analysis activities (e.g. documenting functional requirements) for projects are clear and concise
Collaborate with product owners and stakeholders to define and prioritize product backlogs, ensuring alignment with business goals and objectives.
Effectively leverage all Governance and Portfolio Tools that support project, resource and financial management in accordance with technology standards
Work with the Core Technologies Lead and Global Product Engineering team to ensure project solutions comply with technology standards
Own key initiatives forward to achieve technical delivery cost savings targets through effective project estimation, vendor selection and negotiation, and project delivery efficiencies
Direct and coordinate activities of project personnel to ensure project progresses on schedule and within budget.
Remove impediments and roadblocks to help the team maintain focus and meet sprint commitments.
Establish standards and procedures for project reporting and documentation.
Prepare project status reports, and keep stakeholders informed of project status and related issues.
Confer with project personnel to provide technical advice and resolve problems.
Coordinate and respond to requests for changes from original specifications.
Develop quality assurance test plans and ensure quality assurance testing.
Work closely with Core Technologists and Service Managers to understand and put in the measures for meeting solution lifecycle objectives.
Mentor and guide team members on agile principles, ensuring the team's understanding and adherence to agile best practices.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging teams to identify areas for enhancement and experimentation.
Collaborate with other Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches to drive consistent agile practices and continuous learning across the organization.
Provide insights and metrics on team performance, velocity, and other relevant agile metrics to inform decision-making.
Participate in the development and improvement of agile methodologies within the organization.
Provide leadership and motivation to project team members throughout the project life cycle.

Benefits

participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 20.0% of the base salary and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program
401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage

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