Associate Director, Project Manager
Fifth Element · New York, New York, United States · $135K–$150K/yr
Advertising Services · 51-200 employees
About the role
Lead complex, cross-functional project management initiatives across pharmaceutical and healthcare accounts from kickoff to delivery. Manage timelines, budgets, and regulatory review processes while fostering collaboration across creative, strategy, and production teams.
What they look for
Requirements
Requires 8+ years of project management experience within a regulated agency environment, specifically in pharmaceutical or healthcare marketing. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in project management software and possess a strong understanding of MLR and regulatory review workflows.
Full description
We are seeking a highly organized, proactive, and solutions-oriented Associate Director, Project Management to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives across pharmaceutical and healthcare accounts. This role is responsible for driving projects from kickoff through final delivery while ensuring timelines, quality standards, budgets, and regulatory requirements are consistently met.
The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced agency environment, can confidently manage multiple priorities simultaneously, and serves as a trusted operational partner across Account, Creative, Medical, Strategy, Production, and Leadership teams.
Responsibilities • Lead day-to-day project management across multiple pharmaceutical brands and campaigns
- Build and manage timelines, budgets, scopes, and resourcing plans
- Partner closely with creative, account, strategy, medical, and production teams
- Manage projects through MLR/legal/regulatory review processes with accuracy and attention to detail
- Anticipate project risks, resource constraints, and operational challenges early and proactively identify solutions
- Run status meetings, track deliverables, and communicate updates clearly to both internal teams and clients
- Help improve workflows and processes that make the agency smarter and faster
- Assist with project scoping, estimating, and timeline development as needed
- Support financial tracking and operational reporting where applicable
- Ensure routing, approvals, documentation, and version control processes are properly maintained
- Maintain consistency in project management standards, operational workflows, and best practices
- 8+ years of project management experience within a pharmaceutical advertising, healthcare communications, or regulated agency environment
- Strong understanding of pharmaceutical marketing workflows, including MLR/regulatory review processes
- Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously in fast-paced environments
- Excellent organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
- Strong attention to detail with the ability to balance strategic thinking and day-to-day execution
- Experience collaborating across multidisciplinary teams and managing competing priorities
- Ability to remain calm, flexible, and solutions-oriented under pressure
- Proficiency in project management tools like Workfront, Asana, Monday.com, Jira, or similar
Pay Range: $135,000- $150,000
