Launch Planning Manager

AstraZeneca•Gaithersburg, MD

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Are you ready to turn complex, cross-functional launches into coordinated moments that bring medicines to patients faster? As Launch Planning Manager, you will orchestrate high-stakes, highly visible launches that enable our Commercial teams to complete with precision and pace, ensuring the right activity happens at the right time to achieve impact. You will partner with Franchise Heads, Brand Directors, Medical Affairs, Market Access, and Commercial Excellence to align plans, remove blockers, and keep momentum. This role sits at the center of how we power the enterprise—connecting diverse experts, setting clear ways of working, and ensuring every milestone lands on time. Can you bring clarity, pace, and confidence to moments that matter most?

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
5-7 years of proven experience in project management, preferably in a launch planning or commercial operations capacity within the pharmaceutical or a related industry.
Demonstrated excellence in stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, with experience working effectively in a complex matrix environment.
Strong ability to deliver complex, highly visible projects against tight deadlines.
Proficiency in project management practices and methodologies.
Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to prioritize tasks in a high-pressure environment.
A self-motivated, resilient, and proactive approach.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and leadership skills.
Experience with risk management, change control, and dependency management.
Self-motivated, resilient, and highly organized; with an understanding of how to prioritize effectively
Managing and driving excellence and continuous improvement
Ability to work in a team matrix environment
Able to work in a changing environment as no two launches will be the same!
Ability to think quickly and work well under pressure

Nice To Haves

Professional certification such as PMP, PgMP, or PRINCE2
Experience leading pharmaceutical product launches across multiple indications or markets
Familiarity with Medical, Legal, Regulatory (MLR) review processes and tools such as Veeva Vault PromoMats or equivalent
Proven ability to build critical metric dashboards and leverage analytics to track readiness and performance
Experience coordinating Day 0 command centers and field readiness across sales and operations
Knowledge of diagnostics, labeling, and supply readiness dependencies
Lean or Six Sigma training focused on continuous improvement
Advanced degree in business, life sciences, or a related field

Responsibilities

Establish the core launch plan and ways of working with cross-functional partners; align on activities, dependencies, tracking, and critical metrics; and onboard team members quickly so everyone is ready to deliver from day one.
Serve as the primary point of contact for the brand launch team; run cadence meetings and Launch Readiness Reviews; communicate milestones and risks to senior leaders; and keep collaborators engaged and accountable.
Coordinate across medical, diagnostics, labeling, market access, marketing, sales, and operations to drive alignment and commitment; manage change control and risk governance; and ensure Day 0 tasks are sequenced and tracked for flawless execution.
Proactively identify bottlenecks and interdependencies; develop mitigation plans; and make timely decisions that protect critical paths and launch dates.
Contribute to our Launch Excellence Community by sharing insights; lead post-launch reviews and lessons learned; and translate findings into actionable improvements and playbooks that set the standard for future launches.
Deliver launches that are on-time, customer-ready, and field-ready; improve visibility of progress and risks; and create repeatable frameworks that help teams move faster and more effectively launch after launch.