Director, CMC Commercial Planner

Celldex Therapeutics

$176K — $229K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Life Sciences, Business, or related field required; MBA or MS preferred.
  • 12+ years experience in pharmaceutical/biotechnology supply chain and commercial planning.
  • Proven track record in supporting product launches and translating forecasts into strategies.
  • Experience engaging senior executives in cross-functional decision-making.
  • Deep understanding of biologics manufacturing and supply chain risk mitigation.
  • Strong analytical skills for assessing demand forecasts and inventory management.

Responsibilities

  • Own and enhance commercial demand planning processes as liaison between Commercial and Technical Operations.
  • Translate forecasts into actionable manufacturing and supply plans for uninterrupted availability.
  • Lead the creation of rolling demand and supply plans that support launch readiness.
  • Manage capacity planning and strategic inventory strategies to avoid supply issues.
  • Conduct risk assessments and scenario planning for demand variability and market expansion.
  • Collaborate across teams to ensure alignment on forecast assumptions and operational impacts.

Benefits

  • Annual discretionary bonus and long-term incentives.
  • Employer-contributed 401(K) plan.
  • Comprehensive healthcare options for employees and families.
  • Generous paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.
Full Job Description
Overview

The  Director, CMC Commercial Planning serves as a strategic leader connecting Commercial, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Finance, and external manufacturing partners to ensure alignment of commercial demand, manufacturing strategy, and supply continuity. This individual will be responsible for translating commercial demand forecasts into integrated manufacturing, inventory, and supply plans that support product availability, launch readiness, and long-term business objectives.

This role will establish and lead commercial demand and supply planning activities, oversee inventory and supply planning strategies, manage key CDMO and manufacturing partner relationships, and drive cross-functional planning processes that align commercial demand with manufacturing capacity. This includes oversight of capacity planning and network strategy, CDMOs Procurement, and inventory management. The successful candidate will play a highly visible role in supporting Celldex's transition to commercialization and ensuring supply continuity for current and future products.

Responsibilities

Commercial Demand & Supply Planning

  • Own and evolve the commercial demand planning process and serve as the primary liaison between Commercial Forecasting and Technical Operations.
  • Translate commercial forecasts into manufacturing and supply requirements to ensure uninterrupted product availability.
  • Develop and maintain rolling demand, supply, and inventory plans supporting launch readiness and ongoing commercial operations.
  • Lead capacity planning, network strategy, CDMOs Procurement, and inventory management
  • Lead strategic scenario planning activities and risk assessments to evaluate demand variability, market expansion opportunities, and supply chain risks.
  • Partner with Commercial, Finance, and Market Access teams to understand forecast assumptions and assess operational impacts.
Manufacturing & Inventory Strategy
  • Define and oversee  inventory strategies that balance patient supply, service levels, working capital, and enterprise risk.
  • Establish inventory targets, safety stock requirements, and replenishment strategies across the supply network.
  • Monitor inventory levels across drug substance, drug product, packaging, and finished goods.
  • Identify and proactively mitigate supply constraints, capacity limitations, inventory risks, and manufacturing challenges.
  • Provide strategic oversight to ensure manufacturing plans align with commercial demand, launch timelines, and lifecycle management activities.
CDMO & Vendor Management
  • Serve as the Key business lead for contract manufacturers, CDMOs, and key supply chain partners.
  • Co-Lead regular business reviews with the key Celldex SMEs to assess manufacturing performance, capacity planning, inventory positions, and service levels. This includes monitoring vendor performance against contractual commitments and operational KPIs.
  • Provide leadership and governance across production planning activities across multiple manufacturing sites and external partners.
  • Partner with Operations, Quality, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams to support vendor selection, onboarding, and ongoing governance.
  • Escalate and resolve manufacturing, supply, and inventory issues impacting business continuity.
Launch Readiness & Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Support commercialization planning by ensuring manufacturing and supply capabilities align with launch requirements.
  • Chair cross-functional supply planning discussions supporting launch readiness, commercialization strategy, and long-term supply continuity.
  • Lead Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes.
  • Provide leadership with visibility into forecast accuracy, inventory health, manufacturing readiness, and supply risks.
  • Support new indication planning, lifecycle management activities, and future product launches.
Operational Excellence
  • Establish enterprise-level dashboards, metrics, and reporting to monitor forecast accuracy, inventory performance, vendor effectiveness, and supply continuity.
  • Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, inventory management practices, and supply chain efficiency.
  • Support implementation and optimization of planning tools, ERP systems, and supply chain technologies.
  • Establish scalable planning processes and governance to support organizational growth.
Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Life Sciences, Business, or related field required. MBA, MS, or other advanced degree preferred.
  • 12+ years of progressive experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology supply chain, commercial planning, manufacturing planning, technical operations, or CMC operations, including leadership responsibility for cross-functional planning initiatives.
  • Demonstrated experience supporting commercial product launches and translating commercial forecasts into manufacturing and inventory strategies.
  • Demonstrated experience influencing executive stakeholders and leading complex cross-functional decision-making in support of commercial launches and supply strategy.
  • Proven experience leading relationships with CDMOs, contract manufacturers, and external supply chain partners.
  • Strong understanding of biologics manufacturing, inventory planning, capacity management, and supply chain risk mitigation.
  • Experience leading Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Integrated Business Planning (IBP), or similar cross-functional planning processes.
  • Demonstrated ability to influence and align stakeholders across Commercial, Technical Operations, Finance, Quality, Regulatory, and Supply Chain functions.
  • Experience developing inventory strategies, safety stock models, and supply continuity plans supporting commercial operations.
  • Strong analytical and forecasting capabilities with experience evaluating demand scenarios, inventory positions, manufacturing capacity, and supply risks.
  • Experience working within regulated biotechnology or pharmaceutical environments.

 

Compensation

The expected base salary range for this position is $176,659 to $229,427

We are committed to compensating employees equitably based on several factors including experience, education, licensure/certifications, skill level, location of the position, and availability of similar talent in a competitive market.

Compensation for this role includes base salary, annual discretionary bonus, long term incentive, 401(K) plan with employer contribution, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. A summary of our benefits can be found on our careers page.

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