Manager, Product Returns

The Manager, Product Returns leads day-to-day operations, compliance governance, and financial reconciliation for the product returns process, serving as a key gatekeeper of Gross-to-Net (GTN) accuracy and ensuring commercial policies, contract terms, and internal controls are consistently and accurately executed. As part of an integrated Customer Operations team spanning Customer Master Data, Order Management, Chargebacks, and Product Returns, this role balances daily volumes, resolves escalations, and directly supervises a team of analysts. The Manager also runs root-cause audits on recurring credit variances, fixing contract or master data errors at the source instead of correcting the same issue case by case, and partners with Finance, IT, and Master Data to close gaps before they resurface.

What The Customer Operations Team Does

The Customer Operations team protects contract integrity, prevents revenue leakage, and ensures transactional data precision across the order-to-cash lifecycle. Operating as a single, connected unit covering Returns, Chargebacks, Order Management, and Customer Master Data, the team:

• Secures Revenue: Validates, audits, and settles commercial transactions in alignment with commercial and government contracts.
• Advances Customer-Centric Operations: Streamlines processes and leverages systems to remove manual complexity, enabling consistent execution and strong cross-functional alignment.
• Drives System Integrity: Optimizes core platforms to support accurate pricing, reliable transaction processing, and seamless data flow across the organization.
• Shapes the Customer Experience: Interprets complex commercial policies, resolves disputes, and manages reverse logistics to ensure a consistent and trusted customer journey.

• Lead Day-to-Day Operations: Own escalation governance for the returns desk and balance daily volumes and workload across the team.
• Develop & Lead the Team: Manage performance, growth, and workload for direct reports, setting clear goals, giving regular feedback, and building bench strength through coaching and development planning.
• Own the Product Returns Lifecycle: Oversee validation, reconciliation, and disposition of product returns (return, replacement, or destruction), ensuring accurate financial and inventory outcomes.
• Govern Vendor Performance: Serve as primary business owner for the third-party reverse logistics vendor, leading structured MBRs/QBRs and holding the vendor accountable to SLAs.
• Audit Financial Variances: Maintain full accountability for vendor-reported metrics, and run root-cause audits on credit variances to fix contract or master data errors at the source.
• Secure Close & Audit Readiness: Partner with Corporate Finance to hit tight month-end and quarter-end close windows, and maintain accurate, complete transaction audit trails for internal reviews.
• Contribute to System Upgrades: Serve as the point of contact for product returns on cross-functional IT projects, helping with test cases, execution scripts, and SAP/Model N system validation.

• Experience: 5+ years of commercial operations, contract management, or supply chain experience within a regulated pharmaceutical or healthcare manufacturing environment.
• Team Leadership: Proven experience managing professional staff, tracking operational queues, and guiding individual performance cycles.
• Financial & Analytical Acumen: Comfortable working through complex transaction logs to translate raw numbers into clear, practical recommendations for leadership.
• Systems Fluency: Hands-on experience with SAP and Model N, including the ability to write targeted data queries and trace system exceptions.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field.

• A Strategic Thinker: Looks beyond daily transactions to identify macro trends, connecting upstream behaviors to downstream financial outcomes.
• A Team Builder: Develops talent through coaching and feedback, and builds a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
• A Clear Communicator: Articulates complex contract rules, enforces policy compliance, and resolves external account disputes with confidence.
• A Pragmatic Problem Solver: Navigates both vendor governance and detailed data auditing, performing effectively in fast-paced, high-volume environments.
• A Collaborative Partner: Builds strong cross-functional relationships, serving as a trusted bridge across Finance, Logistics, Sales, and Audit.