Program Manager, Vaccine Development
- United States - New York - Pearl River
Why Patients Need You
Pfizer Worldwide Medical and Safety colleagues play a key role in connecting evidenced based, medical decision support with colleagues and stakeholders to enable better health and treatment outcomes. Whether you are creating framework necessary to ensure our evidence is scientifically sound, providing unbiased, medically necessary expertise or investigating how to close gaps in data, our mission is simple. Empower healthcare decisions regarding the safe and appropriate use of medicines for patients.
ROLE SUMMARY
- Supports the Program Director in providing overall project management for Vaccine Research and Development (VRD) program teams in the development of new vaccines from Research through product registration to ensure alignment of strategic and operational objectives.
- A Program Manager possesses a comprehensive knowledge of vaccine/drug development, resource management concepts, associated business processes, and project planning software and applies skills and general vaccine/drug development knowledge to contribute to the achievement of team or department goals.
- A Program Manager typically works within a cross-functional team environment but may lead/co-lead moderately complex sub-team initiatives.
- A Program Manager plays a key supportive role in scenario planning, supports several clinical or regulatory workstreams/ timelines within a program.
- May lead operational subteams to ensure that the operational deliverables of the program are achieved on or ahead of schedule and within cost standards such that they meet the desired product profile (i.e. quality standard, value), business deliverables and/or key decision required.
- A Program Manager is expected to use a variety of communication methods and reporting/analytical tools to communicate critical project information to Portfolio Operations, asset, development/project and protocol teams, partner lines and others to support information updates to enable team, line and portfolio decision making.
ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
Program Strategy:
- Collaborates with Program Leader(s) and Program Director to develop program plan that encompasses the overall strategy for the development of the vaccine in all indications ensuring alignment among the overall strategic, operational and line plans
Program planning:
- Applies technical, team and line knowledge along with comprehensive scheduling knowledge to contribute to the achievement of work team deliverables.
- Translates team’s strategic objectives into operational plans; provides insight into operational feasibility of proposed strategies
- Drives cross-functional and cross-geographic alignment with strategic plans and goals
- Identifies and flags internal or external risks/impacts to strategies and plans; leads subteams in characterizing the impacts and revises plans, as appropriate
- Monitors progress of project activities towards next project milestone, anticipates and highlights potential variances, supports line/team in critical path analyses and understanding the impact, and partners with the Program Director and the program team to identify/recommend solutions to schedule risk
- Ensures development plans for all indications in a program are in place and kept current
- Ensures operational plans align with and support strategic plans
- Ensures that cost, time and quality parameters are clearly outlined in the plans
- Ensures plans/timelines are up to date in Pfizer systems (Planisware, Snapshot, Glue)
- Drives creation of development plans, ensuring discrete deliverables are well characterized with associated timing, resources, quality parameters, interdependencies across lines, and risk and mitigation plans in collaboration with Program Director
- Ensures plans are realistic in terms of time and resources required
- Supports the process for evaluation, optimization and planning of alternative operational options
- Performs scenario planning of project timelines to ensure efficient delivery of project milestones.
- Ensures cross-functional team commitment to the plans
- Supports negotiations in the allocation of line resources to support the endorsed development plan.
- Partners with Program Director to develop the VRD budget for the vaccine development plans, in partnership with the program team and VRD Operations
Program Execution and Delivery:
- Supports delivery of development plans in alignment with the program team strategies
- Partners with key team members (Clinical, Vaccine Research, BioTx Pharmaceutical Sciences, Regulatory, DSRD, Commercial Development, Clinical Operations, etc.) to manage the program to achieve key milestones within time, cost and quality parameters.
- Helps drive and monitor the delivery of the plans, anticipating and managing issues that arise and bringing forward options for resolution
- Contributes to risk management through the identification of operational and project/program risks for discussion with appropriate team leadership. Proposed solutions or options to de-risk projects may require developing new options to resolve moderately complex issues
- Supports Program Director to work with program teams in operational risk/opportunity and mitigation identification and ensures that such activities are conducted regularly
- Documents risk plan and communicates to all stakeholders
- Facilitates and supports program team, extended team and subteam functioning
- Coordinates and publishes agendas, minutes, and general program team meeting support
- Manages communications for the program team
- Manages meetings and communications of cross-functional subteams, as appropriate
- Participates in team goal setting and monitors progress on team goals
- Knows how to obtain information for the team on company, BioTxPS and VRD processes related to program planning
- Understands governance requirements and facilitates program team interactions with governance, as appropriate
- Monitors team performance, identifies issues and partners with Program Leader(s) and/or Program Director to recommend and develop appropriate action
Information & Communication Management:
- Communicates program and project plans to program team members, governance and VRD leadership, as appropriate
- Provides timely information related to the plans to the program team members
- Utilizes available reporting and visualization tools to support governance and team reporting needs (e.g. Onepager, Think-cell, PowerPoint, etc.).
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree required in one of the disciplines related to vaccine/drug development or business; advanced scientific or business degree is desirable.
- Knowledge of the project management discipline and its application to vaccine/drug development is desirable
- PMP is preferred
- In general candidates for this job would have the following levels of experience:
- BS 5+ years
- MS 3+ years
- At least 3 years of applicable experience in project management and at least 5 years of applicable pharmaceutical industry experience, including:
- Experience with negotiating the environment of a highly matrix-based organization to deliver against moderately complex program plans
- Knowledge of processes associated with executing vaccine/drug development plans
- Knowledge of issues that drive development of vaccine/drug products
- Demonstrated ability to effectively implement the tools and techniques of the project management discipline
- Record of achievement and delivery of personal and team goals
- Technical experience in a discipline associated with vaccine/drug development
- Experience in budgetary management
Technical Skills:
- Possesses scientific/technical knowledge in vaccine development; Required to establish credibility with program team members and senior management
- Has ability to understand:
- Organization
- Business
- Program
- Internal processes
- External processes
- Proven track record of effective team management skills
- Demonstrated oral and written communication skills.
- Must be able to create an environment for collaborative work necessary for the team to be effective (e.g. appreciating different points of view).
- Knowledge of project management discipline and its application to vaccine development
- Proven track record of planning or managing moderately complex projects
- Experience with relevant project management tools (e.g. Microsoft Project, Planisware)
- Proficiency in the use of word processing, Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint.
- People skills - Required to achieve the program goals in a matrix team setting
- Motivation without direct authority
- Collaborative skills
- Influence/negotiation
- Project management, e.g., facilitation
Other Job Details:
- Eligible for Relocation Package
- Eligible for Employee Referral Bonus
- #LI-PFE
Relocation support available
Work Location Assignment: Hybrid

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $99,200.00 to $165,400.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 12.5% of the base salary and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life’s moments. Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site – U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States.




Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer.
U.S. work visa sponsorship (such as TN, O-1, H-1B, etc.) is not available for this role now or in the future.

Sunshine Act
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EEO & Employment Eligibility
Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.
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Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives
Research confirms what intuition tells us: that purpose-driven companies perform better, are more innovative, attract and retain the best people, and know how to unleash the power of those people. Pfizer’s purpose—Breakthroughs that change patients' lives—fuels everything we do and reflects our passion for building on our legacy as one of the greatest contributors of good to the world.
Each word in our purpose has meaning and reflects the value we strive to bring to patients and society:
“Breakthroughs” - These are the innovations, scientific and commercial, that we seek to deliver every day. All colleagues, regardless of role, level or location, strive for breakthroughs every day.
“Change” - We want to do more than simply improve patients’ medical conditions; we want to dramatically change their lives for the better.
“Patients’ lives” - We consider not only patients, but everyone they touch—including their families, caregivers, and friends—and everything they love to do. It’s an intentionally holistic view.
Our purpose ensures that patients remain at the center of all we do. We live our purpose by sourcing the best science in the world; partnering with others in the healthcare system to improve access to our medicines; using digital technologies to enhance our drug discovery and development, as well as patient outcomes; and leading the conversation to advocate for pro-innovation/pro-patient policies.
Every decision we make and every action we take is done with the patient in mind—and to nurture an environment where breakthroughs can thrive.
Our Values
To fully realize Pfizer’s purpose, we have established a clear set of expectations regarding “what” we need to achieve for patients and “how” we will go about achieving those goals.
The “how” is represented by four simple, powerful values—courage, excellence, equity, and joy—that define our company and our culture.
Courage: Breakthroughs start by challenging convention, especially in the face of uncertainty or adversity. This happens when we think big, speak up, and are decisive.
Excellence: We can only change patients’ lives when we perform at our best together. This happens when we focus on what matters, agree who does what, and measure our outcomes.
Equity: We believe that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and cared for. This happens when we are inclusive, act with integrity, and reduce healthcare disparities.
Joy: We give ourselves to our work, but it also gives to us. We find joy when we take pride, recognize one another, and have fun.
Pfizer Research & Development
Pfizer Research & Development serves as the beating heart of Pfizer's trailblazing product pipeline, the essence of our mission to bring life-changing medicines to the world.
With an unwavering commitment to innovation, we use a multidisciplinary approach that blends scientific expertise, cutting-edge technologies, and strategic collaborations, igniting a powerful engine that propels groundbreaking discoveries into life-saving treatments for patients in need.
Through our relentless pursuit of progress, we envision a future where cutting-edge medicines pave the way to healthier, happier lives worldwide.
Benefits at Pfizer
Pfizer offers competitive compensation and benefits programs designed to meet the diverse needs of our colleagues. Our Pay for Performance Philosophy and Practices reward colleagues based on the contributions they make to our business.
Our Competitive Benefits Programs help our colleagues by:
- Promoting Health and Wellness to help colleagues maintain and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Pfizer offerings include health and disability insurance, preventative health programs, medical screenings, free or reduced-cost vaccinations, discounts on Pfizer products, mental health support, nutrition and fitness counseling and more.
- Strengthening Colleagues’ Financial Security by providing company contributions to retirement plans, life insurance and financial planning education to help colleagues achieve their financial goals.
- Providing Benefits and Time off for the Moments that Matter to ensure Pfizer colleagues have the time away from the office to recharge, recover and return to work as the best version of themselves. Vacation, Holiday time and Sick time are just the beginning, with a 12 week parental leave policy for both parents of a new born, 10 day of caregiver leave for those times when your family needs you whether it’s a child, spouse or parent, bereavement leave, and additional country-specific programs.
- And so much more, depending on your country and site, Pfizer offers childcare facilities or discount programs, on-site health and/or fitness centers, movement and mindfulness solutions, “Log in for your Day” work flexibility and so much more.
For U.S. based jobs, view an overview of Pfizer’s U.S. benefits program (opens in a new window)