Program Manager (Life Sciences) | India req.

Job Description – Program Manager (Life Sciences)

Experience: 12+ Years
Role: Program Manager – Life Sciences
Industry Experience: Life Sciences / Pharmaceutical – Mandatory

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Program Manager with strong Life Sciences industry experience to lead large-scale technology and business transformation programs for pharmaceutical or biotechnology clients.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of managing multiple projects, leading cross-functional teams, coordinating business and IT stakeholders, and ensuring successful program delivery within scope, budget, and timelines. Experience working in regulated Life Sciences environments is mandatory.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead and manage complex, multi-project programs within the Life Sciences or Pharmaceutical domain.

- Own program planning, execution, governance, budgeting, resource allocation, and delivery outcomes.

- Manage program roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, risks, issues, and mitigation plans.

- Coordinate cross-functional teams across IT, business, quality, regulatory, operations, and external vendors.

- Manage senior stakeholder relationships and provide regular updates to executive leadership.

- Drive digital transformation, application modernization, cloud migration, data management, and enterprise technology initiatives.

- Establish program governance, steering committee meetings, status reporting, and KPI tracking.

- Ensure alignment with business objectives, regulatory requirements, quality standards, and organizational policies.

- Identify delivery risks, resolve escalations, and ensure timely decision-making across teams.

- Manage vendor performance, contracts, budgets, and resource planning.

- Oversee change management, communication, and adoption activities across the program.

- Ensure appropriate consideration of applicable Life Sciences compliance requirements, including GxP, FDA regulations, and Computer System Validation (CSV), where relevant.

Mandatory Qualifications

- 12+ years of overall IT program/project management experience.

- Mandatory Life Sciences / Pharmaceutical industry experience.

- Proven experience managing large, complex programs involving multiple projects and stakeholders.

- Strong expertise in program governance, planning, risk management, budgeting, and delivery oversight.

- Experience managing cross-functional and geographically distributed teams.

- Strong executive stakeholder management and communication skills.

- Experience with program reporting, RAID management, dependency tracking, and escalation management.

- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver business outcomes within agreed timelines and budgets.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience working with global pharmaceutical or biotechnology clients.

- Knowledge of GxP, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, CSV, and regulated technology environments.

- Experience in enterprise application modernization, cloud transformation, data and analytics, or integration programs.

- Experience managing global vendors, consulting partners, and offshore delivery teams.

- PMP, PgMP, or equivalent program management certification.