Senior Manager, Clinical Program Planning

At Pacira, innovation meets purpose.

Pacira BioSciences, Inc. is a pioneer in non-opioid pain management and regenerative health solutions. Today, we're building on that legacy with next-generation innovations for chronic, postsurgical, and musculoskeletal pain. Our culture is built on collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to helping patients recover faster. We are redefining what's possible in pain management-and we can't do it without talented people like you.

Why Join Us?

At Pacira, every career is more than a job. Our mission drives us, and every day, we challenge ourselves to achieve the extraordinary. Integrity is at the core of who we are. We value diverse perspectives and the collective strength of a unified team. Join the team in making better possible for patients everywhere.

Summary:

The Clinical Project Planning Senior Manager provides strategic oversight and expert project management across the full lifecycle of clinical programs, ensuring alignment, efficiency, and delivery excellence across Clinical Affairs subfunctions, including Clinical Development Operations, Publications, HEOR, Pharmacovigilance, and Late-Stage Research.

This role delivers expertise in project management, strategic initiative execution, and related systems and tools, enabling leadership to track program progress. A key accountability is to design and maintain tools and frameworks that provide transparent visibility into program timelines, risks, and critical path activities, bridging clinical and commercial planning functions to support data-driven decision-making.

Reporting to the Director, Clinical Strategy and Operations, the Clinical Program Planning Senior Manager collaborates with trial leads, functional leaders, and executive stakeholders to drive operational governance, milestone achievement, and process optimization across the clinical enterprise.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Clinical Program Oversight

• Develop and maintain clinical program roadmaps, dashboards, and KPIs to provide leadership with visibility into progress, risks, and strategic opportunities.
• Support governance activities, including portfolio operational reviews and clinical executive meetings.
• Partner with clinical trial leads/ functional leads to ensure coordinated oversight of clinical studies/ program timelines from planning, start-up through close-out. Monitor and report milestones across all study phases (Phase 1-4), ensuring that dependencies and critical path activities are proactively managed.
• Identify and escalate operational risks and delays, ensuring timely mitigation and leadership awareness.
• Drive data-informed decision-making by providing accurate milestone and resource-tracking insights.
• Facilitate engagement forums that promote transparency, collaboration, and a culture of operational excellence.

Operational Excellence, Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

• Design, implement, and oversee comprehensive tracking systems for all Clinical Affairs sub-functions.
• Integrate sub-functional plans into a unified portfolio with a view to enable data-driven portfolio management and performance tracking.
• Ensure all tools and trackers maintain inspection readiness and meet internal quality and compliance standards.
• Standardize processes and develop playbooks that drive efficiency, consistency, and scalability across programs.
• Apply project management methodologies (e.g., risk management, scenario planning, change control) to strengthen operational delivery.
• Lead or contribute to process improvement initiatives, promoting the adoption of digital PM tools (e.g., MS Project/ Project Online, Planisware, Smartsheet) and data visualization dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, Spotfire etc.).

Cross-Functional and External Collaboration

• Collaborate with internal and external partners to ensure seamless cross-functional execution.
• Translate complex clinical and operational information into executive-level presentations, supporting strategic decision-making.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Business, Engineering, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum of 6 years of progressive experience in clinical program management, clinical development or clinical operations within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
• Proven track record in leading cross-functional clinical programs or strategic operations initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience in managing end-to-end clinical program delivery, including clinical stage-gate planning, protocol development through CSR, regulatory submission, and publications, with proven expertise in timeline management, project planning, and milestone tracking across all clinical phases.
• Strong background in developing project tracking systems, dashboards, or governance tools that enhance visibility and accountability.
• Experience leading or mentoring cross-functional project teams and applying structured change management practices.

Certifications (Preferred)

• PMP certification or equivalent project management training.
• Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification preferred.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proven leadership and influence in managing cross-functional teams and aligning stakeholders across clinical and corporate functions.
• Advanced organizational and project management skills with a focus on operational rigor and execution.
• Strategic and analytical mindset, leveraging data and insights to optimize planning, identify risks, and enhance operational performance.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor technical, clinical, and strategic information for scientific and executive audiences.
• Agile and resilient in navigating ambiguity and adapting to evolving priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Project, Outlook), Smartsheet, and project management systems (MS Project/ Project Online, Planisware, Smartsheet) and data visualization dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, Spotfire etc.).
• Travel up to 20% as needed.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, move between spaces, reach with hands and arms. Close vision and the need to focus on computer screen, use of hands, fingers, and wrist to type on keyboard and manipulate mouse.

Work Environment:

Typical office setting, office' will be a cubicle, noise level is moderate with consistent printer, telephone ringing, and conversation. Hybrid work environment and employee is required to work in the Pacira office at least three days a week.

• Medical, Prescription, Dental, Vision Coverage
• Flexible Spending Account & Health Savings Account with Company match
• Employee Assistance Program
• Mental Health Resources
• Disability Coverage
• Life insurance
• Critical Illness and Accident Insurance
• Legal and Identity Theft Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Fertility and Maternity Assistance
• 401(k) with company match
• Flexible Time Off (FTO) and 11 paid holidays
• Paid Parental Leave

The base pay range for this role is $120,000 per year to $165,000 per year. The range is what we reasonably expect to pay for this role. The range considers a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to: geographic markets, business or organizational needs, skill sets, experience, training, licensure, and certifications.

EEO Statement: Pacira is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), veteran status, disability or genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. At Pacira we are committed to intentionally cultivating a culture of inclusion where all feel welcomed and valued for their background, perspectives, and experiences. We hold one another accountable to promote trust and transparency in support of our communities and collective purpose.
Agency Disclaimer: Pacira Biosciences, Inc. (Hereafter, Pacira) does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies in response to the Pacira Careers page or a Pacira social media post. Pacira will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee relating to unsolicited resumes. Pacira explicitly reserves the right to hire said candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Pacira.