R&D Associate Manager, Resource Management Administration

Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs approximately 5,000 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2006 sales were nearly $2.2 billion. Merial Limited is a joint venture between Merck & Co., Inc. and sanofi-aventis.  For more information, please see www.merial.com.

 

Manager, Resource Planning Systems

 

The Manager of Resource Planning Systems is responsible for supporting Product & Portfolio Management in order to optimize resource allocation in R&D. Resman stands for Resource Management, which is a collection of efforts to assign, quantify, and track the resources of the functional groups within R & D which are devoted to the development of new product candidates. The Resman function will track the resources in relation to the timelines of the development projects and helps identify and anticipate bottlenecks in resources. The Resman Tool consists of systems and software (e.g. OPX2) to assign, quantify, and track the resources. The incumbent will be responsible for the optimal use of the Resman tool, including driving system configuration and rights management, ensuring data quality, and driving process improvement.

Major responsibilities include the following:

- Administer the OPX2Tool, including system configuration and access rights management;
- Initially define and continuously improve project planning and resource management processes;
- Ensure OPX2 is used appropriately, define standards;
- Continuously improve standard planning templates;
- Anticipate resource allocation conflicts and bottlenecks, and work with project planners and functional planners to help resolve them. Escalate resource conflicts as appropriate;
- Prepare periodic or ad hoc reports for senior management on resource allocation and optimization issues;
- Ensure consistency and coordination of RESMAN processes across all departments involved (R&D, business, industrial, etc.);
- Perform portfolio simulations to analyze resource needs at short, medium and long term coordinate capacity planning exercise;
- Maintain list of projects, project attributes, reference tables, in OPX2;
- Manage change management process for OPX2 system.

 

Qualifications include the following:

 

Educational background
- MS or equivalent in organization/project management and minimum of 4 years relevant experience
- Life Sciences background preferred
Functional experience
- Project management experience (ideally in pharmaceutical R&D)
- Information technology experience
- OPX2 training and experience
Management and leadership skills
- Effective communicator with excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills and the ability to form productive working relationships at all levels across disciplines and nationalities
- Solid knowledge of basic science and the drug development processEEO/AA/M/F/D/V