Pfizer Limited Posted September 24, 2026

[PGS] Sr.Manager, External Supply Operations Lead

Japan Field, Japan Full time
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Pfizer Limited is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

POSITION SUMMARY:

・This position will be part of Pfizer ES Global Biopharmaceuticals Group (1) and will be responsible for oversight of CMOs that supply products.

・This position is responsible for managing business relations, operations and performance from a portfolio of Contract Manufacturers Organisations (CMOs) and Partners located in Japan; with accountability and full P&L responsibility for significant external spend. This position works closely with other ES Operations Leaders, Supply Chain Planners, ES Quality, GTE and Customers at Business Units and Markets with global responsibility for quality, supply and cost from an assigned base of Contractors and Partners. The ES Operations Leader develops and manages implementation of the strategy and tactical execution to ensure timely supply of Drug Products and to achieve cost targets as well as all other key metrics for External Supply Emerging Markets & China (ES EMC). He/she also strongly contributes to the development and execution of ES EMC Virtual Site strategies.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

-The ES Operations Lead is responsible for the relationship, and for the performance of the CMOs and Partners in his/her area of portfolio which are located primarily within Japan . Short-term tactics as well as long-term strategies must ensure that every CMO contributes to achieving ES EMC Integrated Manufacturing Excellence metrics and strategic objectives.

-Lead Virtual Site Operations Teams (VSOTs) and provide matrix leadership to all members of the VSOT including but not limited to ES Quality, PPLs, BSLs, supply chain planners, procurement and GTE project leads. The ES Operations Lead is accountable for the results of the VSOT. The activities and responsibilities of the VSOT include:

Manage global stakeholders including but not limited to Product Portfolio Leaders, Brand Supply leaders and Commercial and PGS leadership

Have P&L responsibility for a complex selected portfolio including direct accountability for contract negotiations and external relationship management at CEO level with the contractor base

Development and execution of manufacturing and supply plans and meet market demand for product and meet or exceed supply performance target; this includes supply of APIs, raw materials and components where appropriate.

Development and execution of tactical plans for continuous improvement of CMO shop floor performance in the areas of product quality, EH&S, compliance, customer service and cost.

Review of the status of deviations which impact or may affect product supply. The ES Operations Lead is responsible to secure correct and timely closing of relevant deviations, and when necessary, lead closure of investigations that have not been properly addressed by the CMO.

-  Oversee and secure timely execution of new product introduction, product changes (including changes of materials and API), product enhancement, localization and product transfer programs. Lead implementation teams where required.

-Ensure that product supply, quality, compliance and cost issues at CMOs are adequately addressed by making extensive use of Operational Excellence tools and mobilizing the necessary resources for support in all required areas. Lead these cross-functional teams where required.

-Collaborate with EH&S to ensure compliance with environmental, health and safety regulations and Pfizer requirements.

-Ensure effective communication of key product supply issues to stakeholders,  communication with CM Site Leads and Vice Presidents, with PGS PPLs, and with ES Leadership.

-Partner with ES Quality to ensure CMOs comply with regulatory requirements, cGMP’s, Pfizer Quality Standards and Standard Operating Procedures.

-Manage the cost reduction program:

Identify cost reduction opportunities with CMOs

Validate the financial impact and secure the opportunities are captured and reported in the Long Range Plan and the Operational Plan

Oversee execution and implementation, lead the team for execution as appropriate

Meet or exceed annual budget cost reduction target

-Maintain awareness of potential new sourcing opportunities and identify strategic sourcing partners for the manufacture/packaging/testing of pharmaceutical products who share common vision/values with PGS.

-Ensure compliance with Legal Requirements of the “My Anti-corruption Policy & Procedures (MAPP)” and related other legislation as directed by the relevant Pfizer Corporate Policies. The ES Operations Lead is accountable for appropriate documentation of compliance with all requirements.

-Support and actively participate in ES initiatives to drive the business and to enable delivery of key metrics

-Lead assigned project and initiatives for his/her portfolio of contractors including but notlimited to:

Serialization

Business Continuity Plans

Supplier Network Collaboration

Environmental Sustainability

-20 - 25% travel required (primarily across Japan).

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS:

1.Supply performance: meet the targets set under ES Integrated Manufacturing Excellence balanced scorecard.

2.Product cost reduction.

3.Quality: no rejects or recalls due to contract manufacturer errors.

TECHNICAL SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

Level of Education: Minimum Bachelor’s degree (Science, Engineering, Pharmacy, Economics, Business); MBA preferred.

Experience: Minimum 9 years experience (with advanced degree) in Pharmaceutical Operations (especially in API, vaccines, sterile injectables and/or solid-oral dose) Global Technology, Engineering and Launch (GTEL),

Supply Chain or Quality Operations. External Supply, Procurement, R&D and or Project Management experience is also highly desirable.

Languages: Must be able to communicate in written and spoken Japanese and English

Other Specifics & know-how: Excellent verbal and written communication skills including a demonstrated ability to lead and participate in teams at all levels of management required. Well-developed interpersonal skills (leadership, integrity, team orientation, flexibility, creativity; experience in projects that require collaborative approaches; strong analytical skills; ability to understand business issues and processes; knowledge and understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes and regulatory requirements.

Bonus Points If You Have (Preferred Requirements)

A Master’s degree coupled with significant pharmaceutical experience

Familiarity with industry standards for Good Manufacturing Practices in drug product manufacturing operations.

Strong understanding of Supply Chain discipline

Excellent negotiation skills for managing essential contracts and agreements

Ability to influence and drive teams towards achieving division targets

High degree of adaptability and problem-solving skills in complex project environments

Experience using common AI tools, including generative technologies such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, to support problem solving and enhance productivity. Demonstrated curiosity for exploring how these tools can improve outcomes and understanding of responsible AI practices, including risk management and ethical use

Pfizer is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable equal employment opportunity legislation in each jurisdiction in which it operates.

To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on  Pfizer Careers .

Manufacturing

Job details

Seniority
Manager
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Japan Field, Japan
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 493 comparable Manager Manufacturing & CMC roles across 72 biopharma companies.

493Comparable roles tracked
443Currently active
72Companies hiring similar roles
31Countries represented

Salary context

150 of 493 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Associate Director, Digital Scientific Workflows · Merck $0/hr – $0/hr (≈ $0–$0/yr)
Highest disclosed · Regional Manager - Megasys · Merck KGaA $220,000/yr – $250,000/yr
Peer group range $0 – $235,000 (median $151,700)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 493 comparable roles

United States300
India65
United Kingdom16
Ireland15
Netherlands13
Japan9

+ 25 more countries

Seniority mix

493 of 493 peers have a known seniority level

Manager264
Associate154
Associate Director75

Therapeutic area mix

4 of 493 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Rare Disease2
Vaccines & Infectious Disease2

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Amgen K.K. Tokyo, Japan Manager
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60%similar
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60%similar
Boehringer Ingelheim Higashine, Japan Manager
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60%similar
Merck KGaA Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Manager
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60%similar
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60%similar
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Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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Novartis · Sasayama, Japan · Manager
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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.