Operational Readiness Project Manager

Blackfield Associates are currently partnered with a global pharmaceutical manufacturer to support their search for an Operational Readiness Project Manager to join their project based in Indiana on an initial 12-month contract.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of operational readiness strategies to support successful facility startup and operational handover.
• Partner with site leadership, SMEs, and functional teams to define readiness requirements, deliverables, and implementation plans across all business areas.
• Develop and maintain integrated operational readiness schedules aligned with construction, commissioning, qualification, and startup milestones.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across Engineering, Facilities, Operations, Automation, Quality, EHS, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to ensure timely readiness execution.
• Monitor progress against readiness plans, providing status updates, performance metrics, and reporting to project stakeholders and site leadership.
• Identify operational readiness risks, develop mitigation strategies, and drive actions to ensure project objectives are achieved.
• Support the development and implementation of startup processes, business systems, operating procedures, training plans, and organizational readiness initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement of readiness frameworks, tools, and processes to improve efficiency and execution performance.
• Facilitate stakeholder alignment, issue resolution, and decision-making across multiple project and business functions.
• Promote project management best practices and provide leadership and guidance to readiness teams throughout the project lifecycle.

Experience Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Life Sciences, or a related technical discipline.
• Sufficient experience in project management within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or regulated manufacturing environments.
• Experience supporting operational readiness, facility startups, commissioning, qualification, or large-scale capital projects.
• Strong understanding of project management principles, operational readiness methodologies, and startup planning processes.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams across engineering, operations, automation, quality, facilities, and EHS functions.
• Proven ability to develop integrated schedules, manage competing priorities, and drive execution in fast-paced project environments.
• Strong risk management, problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience with project scheduling and tracking tools, including Smartsheet or similar platforms.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Experience supporting pharmaceutical facility startups, operational handovers, or manufacturing readiness programs is highly desirable.