Sr. Director, Global Pharmaceutical Program Manager - Late Stage Development

Alcon - Fort Worth, TX

Full-time - Senior

Fort Worth, TX

Miscellaneous Manufacturing

About the position

The Senior Director, Pharma Program Management at Alcon is responsible for leading critical development projects, ensuring successful execution of technical, commercial, and strategic deliverables. This role emphasizes collaboration and accountability, driving project milestones while navigating challenges effectively. The position reports directly to the Global Franchise Head and plays a central role in project leadership and innovation reporting.

Responsibilities

• Define and manage the project's execution path in alignment with governance requirements.
• Collaborate with functional stakeholders and senior management to design, develop, and launch products that meet customer needs and business objectives.
• Ensure Core Team members and relevant stakeholders are aligned to project strategies.
• Resolve conflicts within the team and with stakeholders to ensure smooth project execution.
• Drive team accountability for deliverables, managing cross-functional dependencies.
• Lead project reviews and discussions with senior management, governance bodies, and Innovation Boards.
• Oversee project budgets, risk management, and issue escalation with proactive problem-solving.
• Prioritize business-critical activities that drive value, balancing time, quality, and risk factors.
• Participate in selecting Core Team members and managing their performance.

Requirements

• Deep expertise in marketing, commercial, regulatory, and manufacturing processes, with an advanced degree in science preferred.
• Proven experience leading global product launches or comparable projects.
• Strong understanding of product development processes, tradeoffs, and technical/scientific knowledge.
• Strategic project management skills, including budgeting, timeline management, and resource allocation.
• Proven problem-solving abilities with a history of innovation in technical environments.
• Demonstrated experience as a leader in matrix environments, driving cross-functional teams to success.
• Excellent communication skills and executive presence with the ability to motivate teams and manage key stakeholders.
• Ability to build strong networks across the organization and influence senior leadership.
• Expertise in managing complex project risks and resolving issues.
• Ability to project confidence and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.

Nice-to-haves

• 5+ years of experience successfully leading multiple, complex, high visibility and strategically important medical device projects and product launches, with an annual spend greater than $10m per project.
• Advanced understanding of, and project leadership experience across, the full medical device new product development lifecycle, from initiation to launch.
• Significant experience leading broad cross-functional teams with heavy and diverse engineering and scientific membership.
• Advanced degree in relevant discipline.

Benefits

• Diversity and inclusion initiatives
• Equal opportunity employment
• Reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities