Launch Project Manager 12 months FTC

Launch Excellence PMO - CVRM
AstraZeneca UK BBU Commercial (Cardiovascular Renal & Metabolism)
12 Month Fixed Term Contract
Location: Pancras Square London

Introduction to Role

This is a pivotal opportunity to shape a bestinclass launch for our product in the UK. As Launch Excellence PMO you will orchestrate the endtoend launch plan drive crossfunctional execution and embed disciplined governance that accelerates launch trajectory while protecting quality compliance and patient impact. You will be the integrator across medical market access marketing sales digital regulatory supply and analyticsproviding clarity cadence and accountability. The ideal candidate brings a consulting or advanced project management background in pharma succeeds through influence without authority and can hold teams to account while enabling high performance.

Key Accountabilities Launch Strategy Planning and Governance

• Integrated Launch Plan (ILP): Build own and continuously refine the ILP covering pre at and postlaunch phases (strategy evidence and insight generation value/access regulatory milestones HCP and patient engagement field readiness supply digital omnichannel and analytics). Establish critical paths interdependencies and phase gates.
• Operational Planning & Governance: Design and run the launch governance model (steerco xfunctional workstreams decision logs). Set the meeting cadence agendas and decision rights; ensure clear outcomes and risk management.
• Readiness & Certification: Define crossfunctional Day 0 readiness criteria and checklists; run readiness reviews mock launches and go/nogo processes; coordinate materials VVPM approval tracking in accordance with ABPI and AZ standards.

CrossFunctional Leadership and Influence

• Stakeholder Alignment: Align medical market access marketing sales regulatory supply chain finance procurement and digital partners around shared goals timelines and measures of success.
• Influencing without Authority: Drive delivery from senior and peer stakeholders by establishing clear commitments transparent status reporting; resolve dependencies and remove blockers.
• External Interfaces: Coordinate with global/region launch excellence teams and external agencies to ensure coherence local execution plan.

Execution Excellence and Performance

• Milestones & Critical Path: Track progress to key launch milestones (e.g. HTA submissions and outcomes pricing approvals supply release field force certification promotional material approval golive activities). Maintain forwardlooking risk registers with mitigations and owners.
• Metrics and Insight: Define and monitor KPIs spanning prelaunch readiness launch uptake and early postlaunch performance (e.g. local formulary status HCP activation channel performance adoption supply). Provide insight and recommendations.
• Issue Resolution & Escalation: Lead crossfunctional scenario planning as needed; escalate and drive timely decisions; ensure lessons learned are captured and translated into actionable improvements.

Communications and Change

• Narrative & Engagement: Craft concise compelling updates for senior leadership and future field teams linking activities to patient outcomes and commercial objectives. Curate a consistent red thread through all launch forums and materials.
• Change Management: Partner with functional leads to prepare teams for new processes tools and ways of working; enable adoption through training plans comms and feedback loops.

Tools Processes and Ways of Working

• PMO Tooling: Implement pragmatic tooling for planning RAID logs dashboards and document control (e.g. MS Project/Planner Power BI Teams/SharePoint). Ensure single source of truth and version control.
• Standards & Compliance: Embed ABPI information governance promotional compliance and medical governance checkpoints into the plan. Coordinate with Medical Legal and Compliance to ensure timely approvals.

Budgeting and Resourcing

• Budget Tracking: Coordinate workstream budget inputs track spend versus plan manage change requests and flag variances with options and recommendations.
• Vendor & Agency Coordination: Support scope definition onboarding deliverable tracking and performance management for agencies supporting launch activities.

Confidentiality & Professionalism Operate with discretion and integrity maintaining strict confidentiality and upholding AstraZeneca values.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Project management background: Experience delivering crossfunctional projects or workstreams in pharmaceuticals or life sciences consulting with familiarity with common PM methodologies (e.g. Prince2 Agile PMP preferred but not required). Demonstrated ability to manage timelines dependencies and RAID for defined scopes.
• Pharmaceutical launch exposure: Handson experience supporting a UK (or comparable) pharma launch or major brand initiative with working knowledge of medical governance ABPI HTA milestones pricing and market access processes and field readiness activities.
• Influence and delivery through others: Proven ability to coordinate and influence peer and workstream stakeholders secure clear commitments and drive followthrough via transparent status reporting and issue tracking; escalates effectively when needed.
• Strategytoexecution translation: Able to interpret brand and access strategies provided by senior leads and convert them into detailed workplans deliverables and metrics within assigned workstreams or components of the Integrated Launch Plan.
• Clear concise communication: Strong written and verbal communication; capable of preparing stakeholder updates actionoriented summaries and meeting materials that enable timely decisions by senior leaders.
• Analytical and digital proficiency: Proficient with MS Office and Teams/SharePoint; comfortable building trackers and simple dashboards or reports (e.g. PowerPoint Excel Power BI basics) to translate data into actionable next steps.
• Sound judgement and resilience: Reliable prioritisation and attention to detail; stays organised under time pressure; anticipates risks within scope and proposes practical mitigations.
• AZ/UK ecosystem familiarity: Experience collaborating within a UK affiliate or global/region team across medical market access marketing sales regulatory and supply functions with an understanding of how these teams interact during launch.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Therapy Area Experience: Background in cardiovascular renal or metabolic therapy areas and/or rare/orphan launches with complex access dynamics.
• Project Management: Prince2 Agile Prosci or equivalent accreditation; experience running project teams or sprints.
• Data & Omnichannel: Exposure to omnichannel launch approaches CRM enablement content factory operations and digital measurement frameworks.
• DegreeLevel Education: Bachelors degree required; advanced degree (MBA Life Sciences) advantageous.

What We Offer

• Contract: 12month Fixed Term Contract at E grade with the opportunity to establish as a permanent role based on launch success and evolving business needs.
• Environment: Highimpact role at the heart of a flagship launch with senior visibility and crossfunctional collaboration.

Date Posted

Closing Date