Senior Program Manager

The Opportunity:

At Avantor, people are the most important part of our success because they drive our global performance. That’s why our Operations, Lab Services, Sales, and many other Avantor teams rely on our talent acquisition initiatives to attract, engage and hire the right talent. Avantor’s R&D Projects & Portfolio vertical is a crucial part of this mix, enabling all our internal teams worldwide to grow beyond their limits.

The Senior Program manager, New Product Introductions, is responsible for the cross-functional planning and execution of new technology platforms and/or product line extensions from concept to launch. This position is entrepreneurial in nature. He/she will align the organization around NPI project execution and deliverables. A successful candidate will be expected to take a hands-on role in various commercial, technical, and operational activities as needed to drive their programs forward. This role will report into the R&D Project and Portfolio team.

The Biopharma production business provides a broad range of raw material and consumable solutions to the Biopharmaceutical industry. Product lines supported include (but are not limited to) proteins and amino acids, resins, excipients, salts, acids, and bases.

This position reports into the Director, Portfolio & Projects and be located at our Bridgewater, NJ innovation center.

What we’re looking for:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in scientific discipline such as (but not limited to) chemistry, biological sciences, engineering is required
• Experience: 3-5 years of applicable experience in project management.
  • Experience using IT tools (including AI) to improve project management efficiency will be a key differentiator.
  • Diversity of experience will be a key differentiator.  Position will be key interface between multiple departments including R&D, manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, marketing, quality, finance, and legal.
  • Project Management and/or Six Sigma certifications are a plus.

Who you are:

• Excellent communications and facilitation skills to build relationships and foster trust at all organizational levels
• Proficient in the methods, techniques and tools for planning, resourcing and monitoring of project activities including advance use and knowledge of MS Office
• Ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and prioritize workload
• Ability to interact with all levels of the organization and cooperate successfully with staff from different countries and thus from different cultures
• Ability to teach and transfer skills to team leaders, team members, and general audiences

How you will thrive and create an impact:

• Manage all aspects of new product introductions through each phase of our stage-gate process utilizing established work processes based on lean methodology.
• Co-development of program technical, operational, and commercial objectives
• Track progress of project execution and escalate process bottlenecks, anticipated delays, and other project completion risks.
• Integrate IT tools and AI into project management process to improve program efficiency
• Act as key interface between R&D and commercial organization. 
• Support market analysis and business case development
• Drive and monitor key activities within each business / functional.
• Lead capital requests as needed
• Prepare and coordinate communications and report outs for key internal stakeholders, customers, and suppliers as appropriate.
• Organize program management and update meetings as needed
• Develop project specific KPI and milestones
• Support continuous improvement of new product introduction process
• Ensure that projects are sustainably transitioned to appropriate business and operations owners
• Contribute to continuous improvement of existing work processes to drive project execution efficiency.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Coordinate and manage execution of activities at external partners to drive NPI project
• Develop and update standard work for managing NPI project execution activities including external partners

Disclaimer:
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Why Avantor?

Dare to go further in your career.