Portfolio / Program Manager - Operational Readiness (New Facility Introduction)

GSK•Marietta, PA

About The Position

GSK is embarking on the development of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, representing an $800M+ investment in advancing pharmaceutical innovation. This project offers an exciting opportunity to be part of a transformative initiative that will shape the future of manufacturing and operational excellence. The Portfolio & Program Manager – Operational Readiness is accountable for end-to-end operational readiness planning and execution for a new facility introduction. The role integrates cross-functional workstreams into a single executable readiness plan, drives schedule acceleration opportunities, ensures governance discipline, and enables “operational excellence from day one” through GPS and digital foundations. The role operates in parallel with construction/commissioning activities to ensure the site is ready to accept handover and achieve successful PPQ / facility approval readiness through robust SOPs, training, tech transfer alignment, incoming materials readiness, procurement execution, and risk controls.

Requirements

BS/BA in Engineering, Life Sciences, Operations, Supply Chain, or related field (MS/MBA helpful for seniority)
4+ Years of experience in project, portfolio or program management.

Nice To Haves

Program/Project credential (PMP, PgMP, or equivalent)
Change management certification (Prosci) can be a plus if org design/training adoption is heavy
Demonstrated program/portfolio management experience (integrated schedules, dependencies, critical path, governance cadence).
Experience leading cross-functional readiness, launch, or operationalization programs in regulated manufacturing environments.
Strong risk/issue management discipline (risk registers, mitigation ownership, escalation).
Executive-ready communication skills: concise dashboards, narrative updates, and decision framing.
New facility introduction / expansion experience; operational readiness executed in parallel with construction/commissioning.
Familiarity with tier-based management systems and shopfloor GPS cadence.
Lean / Six Sigma experience, especially if the role is expected to embed GPS/continuous improvement
Exposure to digital manufacturing foundations (e.g., MES/eBR readiness coordination).

Responsibilities

Build, maintain, and govern the integrated operational readiness schedule across workstreams (SOPs, Tech Transfer, GPS, Incoming Materials, Procurement) aligned to the Integrated Master Schedule and critical path.
Drive schedule convergence and acceleration: identify dependencies, sequencing conflicts, resourcing gaps, and pull-forward actions; run weekly lookahead planning and escalation for overdue/at-risk deliverables.
Establish readiness stage-gates and define entry/exit criteria with stakeholders to confirm readiness at critical milestones.
Coordinate prioritization, drafting, field shakedown, review, and approval of SOPs to enable shopfloor readiness.
Ensure clear document strategy and ownership (e.g., what lives in SOP vs eBR vs local instructions) and maintain a document tracker integrated into the master schedule.
Oversee the tracking and management of closure for safety, HAZOP, and risk assessment open items, ensuring all actions are completed in a timely manner.
Coordinate effectively across teams to guarantee proper resolution and communication of outstanding safety and risk-related tasks.
Ensure operational readiness deliverables and timing remain aligned to Tech Transfer plans, donor site inputs, and QC method transfer planning.
Integrate key Tech Transfer and QC readiness milestones into site reporting and governance.
Oversee change control processes to ensure they are fully aligned with regulatory requirements, optimized for efficiency, and consistently executed according to established schedules.
Continuously evaluate and refine change management practices, promoting accountability and timely decision-making to support project objectives and operational excellence.
Drive operational excellence foundations: tier governance cadence, GEMBA/self-inspection routines, and readiness operating model embedded from the start.
Enable stable execution through standard work, performance management, and continuous improvement rituals.
Coordinate supplier transparency setup, material master data readiness, BOM redlines, and incoming materials strategy/list development.
Ensure materials readiness is linked to eBR/MES needs, procurement lead times, and commissioning/start-up sequencing.
Track procurement readiness for key packages and readiness blockers; coordinate mitigations where procurement timing threatens critical path.
Partner with Engineering/Project teams to ensure procurement deliverables support FAT/SAT, start-up, and operational readiness needs.
Ensure the integration of smart manufacturing technologies and digital solutions across operational readiness workstreams to enhance process visibility, data-driven decision-making, and automation.
Collaborate with IT, engineering, and operations to deploy advanced manufacturing systems such as IoT sensors, real-time analytics platforms, and digital twins, ensuring alignment with the operational readiness schedule and critical milestones.
Own the operational readiness risk & issue management rhythm: identification, assessment, mitigation planning, and escalation.
Maintain and govern the project risk register; ensure mitigations have owners, due dates, and are integrated into the readiness schedule.
Facilitate recurring risk reviews and ensure lessons learned feed back into schedule, training, and readiness deliverables.
Build and maintain readiness dashboards (tier boards/scorecards) for Safety, Quality, Supply, and schedule conformance; drive consistent weekly reporting.
Define and implement KPI reporting discipline for monthly leadership updates; ensure data integrity and clear action linkage.
Track readiness KPIs such as Right-First-Time execution, conformance to schedule, and critical path adherence; drive countermeasures through tier governance.
Ensure operations is embedded with the project team and prepared for handover through early training exposure and readiness deliverables tied to system lifecycle activities.
Promote a strong ownership and learning culture; leverage best practices and lessons learned from sister sites or prior launches where applicable