Associate Manager - R&D Project Management

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!

Main Purpose of Position:

This role drives the application and integration of key project management processes and tools across teams and/or subsets of teams to deliver assets and portfolio value with quality on time, on budget and within scope. This role will implement sound project management process across product development teams and partners as needed with other project management functions in Elanco to deliver global, sustainable solutions in project management. The individual in this role is expected to exhibit key leadership behaviors which enable innovative solutions, a positive and motivating work environment, ultimately accelerating Best in Innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Planning & Execution

• Coordinate with R&D project teams in planning and executing key deliverables using MS Project, Project Online (POL), Project Management principles, risk management tools and other PM tools.

• Monitor project timelines, budgets, and risks, ensuring proactive communication of changes or delays.

• Maintain up-to-date project plans, milestones, and documentation in business systems.

• Ensure deliverables are completed on schedule and within budget, escalating deviations appropriately.

Budget & Resource Management

• Partner with Project Teams and Procurement to update, track and manage project budgets using POL, SAP and other systems.

• Contribute to forecasting and variance analysis, providing insights into cost drivers and resourcing needs.

Stakeholder Communication

• Facilitate regular project meetings, document decisions, and follow up on key actions.

• Communicate project progress, risks, and dependencies to stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment.

• Build effective relationships with internal functions including Research and Development, Regulatory, Quality, Manufacturing, Innovation Strategy, Marketing, Finance and other key stakeholders.

Risk & Quality Oversight

• Lead risk identification and mitigation planning to ensure proactive management of potential project issues.

• Maintain accurate, phase-appropriate project documentation in compliance with internal quality standards and governance processes.

Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to PMO process improvement initiatives to enhance consistency and efficiency.

• Promote a culture of operational discipline, collaboration, and continuous improvement within R&D teams.

Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Biotechnology, or a related technical field.

• PMP or equivalent certification preferred.

Experience

• 5-6 years of project management experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or R&D organizations.

• Experience with project and financial management tools (MS Project, Excel, SAP, Ariba).

• Familiarity with R&D, clinical, or regulatory processes is preferred.

• Working knowledge of Power BI or similar visualization tools. Familiarity with AI or digital productivity tools in project management is an advantage.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to manage cross-functional interactions.

• Analytical mindset with attention to detail and follow-through.

• Ability to prioritize, manage multiple tasks, and adapt to changing priorities.

• Agile learner with comfort navigating ambiguity.

• Demonstrated teamwork, accountability, and problem-solving capabilities.

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