At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!
As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.
At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.
Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!
Position Description:
This team role is responsible for conducting, leading and overseeing project management activities for Global Marketing Launch projects. The individual in this role partners with FA and PH Global Launch Leader(s) and Global Marketing Leaders and works closely with team members in Regulatory, Manufacturing, Quality, Research & Development, Finance, New Product Planning, Innovation Strategy and Affiliate Commercial teams to ensure that robust project plans are designed/ developed and risks are proactively identified and monitored to meet Elanco Launch Excellence requirements and enable Elanco to provide our customers with timely high quality products.
Functions, Duties, Task:
Scope
Independently manages project management activities for prioritized Launch initiatives in major geographies.
Provides input on strategy for implementing the Launch plan, developing realistic Launch milestones and deliverables
Leads a team to develop and maintain appropriate launch scope documentation; update launch plan at least annually, or after major modifications in scope, resources or timeline and secure team/leadership alignment around the new launch plan and deliverables
Utilizes external inputs and ideas, leveraging business process knowledge to drive transformation within the scope of Launch Excellence
Timeline
Partners with cross-functional team to develop and maintain up-to-date Launch timelines (using Microsoft Project) and process maps (if appropriate)
Identifies, communicates and manages the critical path and leading indicators of the team’s progress to major Launch milestones
Monitors and reports performance to plan and works with Global Launch Leader(s) to drive team action when plan is not being achieved
Manages upcoming team-related activities, key milestones, and decisions as well as to proactively identify updates to the Launch schedule; initiate Launch schedule updates on a regular basis and revise schedule as appropriate.
Drives data completeness and accuracy within business systems by team, functions, and geographies
Budget
Partners with Financial, functions and geographies, to manage the overall Launch budget for the team
Consults with Launch team to understand variances to the plan/forecast and reasons for the discrepancies. Drives re-forecasts
Provides the team and leadership an understanding of the cost of Launch scenarios
Risk
Leads assessment of Launch risks, mitigation/contingency planning and assignment of ownership. Independently identifies and triggers when those plans should be implemented
Proactively identifies and communicates to the team the risks that may affect the Launch critical path and impact portfolio milestones, and proactively takes action to mitigate or avoid those risks.
Quality
Applies “quality mindset” to completion of all study and project tasks. Liaises with Global Launch Leader(s) to escalate of issues.
Communication & Team Management
Influences and works with quality mindset across the development team by documenting key decisions, actions and key modifications in Launch scope, resources and timeline; ensuring accurate collection and communication of development metrics
Ensures coordination of Launch meeting logistics and provision of timely meeting agendas and meeting minutes
Capacity Planning/Management
Through conducting risk assessment and creating contingency plans for Launch projects, will immediately understand the impact of any resource “roadblocks” that may affect timelines
Assesses impact of Launch scope changes and provides recommendations to the team regarding the resource/budget implications of these changes
Application/Improvement of Processes (Shared Learning)
Generates ideas for new processes and drives process improvement within functions to enhance Launch Excellence.
Ensures the utilization and consistency of documented business processes
Identifies and shares learning opportunities and process improvements with the team and function in order to streamline the effectiveness/efficiency of conducting Launches; identify methods to decrease cycle time from Approval to Launch
Liaises across Project Management groups to identify, share, and incorporate best practices into future iterations of processes, tools, training, or guidance.
Solution-oriented, seeking input from people with first-hand knowledge of issues, along with gathering data on past Launches, etc. to help resolve issues and determine best future options to improve Launch Excellence
Leads and participates in retrospective project/process review meetings (i.e. after action reviews) to identify issues and strengths and help capture and implement learning. Assure that shared learning is made available
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences / Pharmacy / Biotechnology / Engineering / Business (or equivalent).
At least 5 years of experience in the pharmaceutical / biotech industry in roles involving product launch, commercialization, or new product introduction
Proven track record of managing cross-functional projects (e.g., coordinating Marketing, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Supply Chain) in a matrix environment.
Strong project management skills: defining launch timelines, milestones, risk mitigation, budget oversight.
Excellent communication (oral & written) and influencing skills to engage stakeholders globally and locally.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with changing priorities and global time-zones
Additional Skills
Strategic mindset: ability to translate market insights (competitive environment, access / reimbursement, customer needs) into actionable launch plans.
Strong analytical capability: able to interpret data (market, sales, forecasting), build business cases and inform decision-making
Experience in end-to-end launch readiness: from pre-launch planning to operational readiness (supply, logistics, pricing)
Excellent stakeholder management: ability to partner with functional leads (e.g., Commercial, Supply, Regulatory, Medical)
Agile and adaptive approach: able to lead through ambiguity, change, and scale-up scenarios.
Digital fluency / comfort with tools (launch dashboards, forecasting models, project management software).
Leadership ability: while the role may or may not have direct reports, must be able to motivate, influence, coach and lead teams across functions.
Problem-Solving: Proactive problem-solver with the ability to anticipate challenges and develop effective mitigation strategies.
Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, suitable for presenting complex information clearly to diverse audiences.
Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status