Associate Director, Governance & Portfolio Lead

About the role

This position is based in East Hanover, NJ and cannot be done remotely; only local candidates will be considered, and no relocation is provided. Reporting to the ED, US Strategy Prioritization & Governance Lead, the Associate Director, Governance & Portfolio Lead manages the operating mechanics of enterprise portfolio governance: intake, triage, portfolio analytics, decision preparation, dependency management, action tracking and follow-through across assigned strategic initiative domains. The role owns assigned portfolio segments or governance forums and is the operating backbone of the new US governance model.

Key responsibilities

• Manage initiative intake so submissions include problem statement, strategic rationale, expected value, resource ask, owner, risks, dependencies, decision needed and success metrics.
• Apply prioritization criteria consistently and surface weak cases, duplicative work, sequencing conflicts and capacity gaps.
• Prepare governance pre-reads, dashboards, executive summaries and decision logs for portfolio forums.
• Track portfolio health across milestones, risks, resource assumptions and strategic outcomes.
• Coordinate with project owners and Strategy Associates to maintain accurate portfolio data and follow-up actions.
• Escalate unresolved dependencies and decisions before they become delivery drag.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in a related field; advanced degree (MS and/or MBA) preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in portfolio management, strategic planning, program management, business operations, consulting, pharma commercial strategy or drug development operations.
• Experience preparing governance materials, project/portfolio dashboards, senior stakeholder updates and decision logs.
• Strong analytical, facilitation, project-management and written communication skills.
• Desirable: experience with pharma governance, portfolio processes or commercial strategy planning, and with portfolio tools, KPI dashboards, executive cadence management and dependency management.

What we offer

• Expected salary of $138,600 to $257,400 per year, depending on skills and experience, with periodic review after joining.
• Performance-based cash incentive and possible eligibility for annual equity awards.
• Benefits package including health, life and disability coverage, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and vacation, personal days and holidays.