Project Risk Manager

Project Risk Manager

Overview

Planet Pharma is partnering with a confidential large-scale pharmaceutical capital program in Lebanon, Indiana to identify two (2) Project Risk Managers. These are owner's-side, contingent professional services roles embedded within the Project Controls Organization, reporting directly to the Project Controls Lead on one of the most significant pharmaceutical API construction programs currently underway in the United States.

This is not a passive reporting role. The right candidates are seasoned risk practitioners who can lead structured risk identification sessions, protect contingency and schedule float, hold risk owners accountable, and influence program decision-making at the leadership level. They will work collaboratively with fellow Risk Managers and the PMO Risk Lead to ensure end-to-end risk coverage across the overall program.

CONTRACT DETAILS

Location

Lebanon, Indiana

Positions Available

Two (2)

Duration

12 months with potential renewal

Schedule

~40 hours/week

Start Date

As soon as possible — immediate review welcomed

Candidate Submission Deadline

April 20, 2026

WORK LOCATION & SCHEDULE

This role operates on a hybrid model following an initial onboarding period:

• On-site in Lebanon, Indiana for the first two (2) weeks — full-time onsite during onboarding and program immersion
• Hybrid/remote thereafter, with a minimum of one (1) week on-site per month for risk workshops, progress reviews, and program governance activities
• Additional on-site presence may be required during key program milestones, risk escalations, or governance reviews
  
  

Candidates must be available and willing to commit to the on-site schedule as described. Remote work is only available after successful onboarding.

PAY RANGE

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. Pay rate expectations are as follows:

• W2 (Hourly): $95/hr max - depending on experience and qualifications
• 1099 / Corp-to-Corp (All-In): $110/hr max - depending on experience and qualifications
  
  

The higher end of the range is reserved for candidates with direct pharmaceutical or life sciences capital program risk management experience and demonstrated mega-project credentials.

Key Responsibilities

Risk Identification & Assessment

• Lead the identification, assessment, and prioritization of project risks, issues, threats, and opportunities across all phases of the project lifecycle — including schedule, cost, execution, safety, quality, and performance dimensions.
• Facilitate structured risk, issue, and opportunity identification workshops with cross-functional project teams to ensure early visibility and comprehensive coverage.
• Ensure all risks and issues are clearly defined, appropriately quantified, and aligned to cost, schedule, safety, quality, and performance impacts.
• Proactively identify and develop opportunities that improve project cost, schedule, or delivery outcomes.
  
  

Mitigation & Tracking

• Develop, coordinate, and monitor effective risk and issue mitigation strategies in collaboration with the Project Manager, Project Director, and project team.
• Validate mitigation actions, owners, and due dates — tracking effectiveness and escalating residual risk where required.
• Protect project contingency and schedule float through early identification and proactive management of emerging threats.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and governance-compliant risk, issue, opportunity, and lessons-learned data within Unifier and other program systems.
  
  

Reporting & Governance

• Interface with project controls, cost, and scheduling teams to ensure risk impacts are properly reflected in schedule risk analysis, forecasting, and contingency management.
• Produce clear, actionable risk reporting, dashboards, and trend analysis for project leadership and governance forums.
• Provide regular, structured reporting to the Project Director and PMO Risk Lead on risk exposure, mitigation effectiveness, and emerging trends.
• Align with and follow the Risk Management Plan defined by the PMO Risk Lead — supporting end-to-end program-level risk governance and standards.
  
  

Coaching & Continuous Improvement

• Coach risk owners across the project team to build capability in understanding, managing, and effectively mitigating risks.
• Capture, analyze, and share lessons learned to support continuous improvement and program-level knowledge transfer.
• Act as a trusted advisor to project leadership — embedding risk-based thinking into decision-making while upholding HSE requirements and client values.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• 7 years of experience in risk management or project controls on major capital projects — pharmaceutical, life sciences, or highly regulated industrial environments strongly preferred.
• Strong expertise in qualitative and quantitative risk assessment, risk register management, and mitigation planning.
• Proficient in Primavera P6, Oracle Unifier, and the integration of risk data with cost and schedule controls systems.
• Skilled facilitator of cross-functional risk workshops with demonstrated ability to drive clear action ownership and accountability.
• Strong analytical capability — ability to identify trends, systemic risks, and root causes from complex program data.
• Experienced in executive-level risk reporting and governance dashboard development.
• Excellent communication, coordination, and stakeholder management skills — comfortable presenting to Project Directors and program leadership.
• Coaching and leadership capability — ability to build risk awareness and management capability across diverse project teams.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience on large-scale pharmaceutical, biotech, or API manufacturing capital programs — greenfield experience highly preferred.
• Experience on mega-projects ($500M ) with complex multi-discipline, multi-contractor program structures.
• Familiarity with EPCM-led delivery models and owner's team risk governance structures.
• PMI-RMP (Risk Management Professional), PMP, or equivalent project management certification.
• Experience working alongside project controls teams on cost forecasting, ETC/EAC, schedule float analysis, and contingency drawdown reporting.
• Background in GMP or FDA-regulated construction environments — understanding of compliance risk as a distinct risk dimension.
• Demonstrated experience protecting schedule float and contingency on high-velocity, schedule-driven capital programs.
  
  

About Planet Pharma

Planet Pharma is a life sciences project delivery and staffing firm with deep expertise supporting pharmaceutical and biotech capital programs. We are an approved vendor partner to leading organizations including Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Regeneron, and Genentech, with a track record of delivering highly qualified, thoroughly vetted professionals for owner's-side capital program roles. All candidates presented through Planet Pharma are vetted for technical alignment, project scale, availability, and work authorization prior to submission.