Director, Steriles Operations
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Summary
The Director, Operations – Steriles provides site-level leadership for sterile manufacturing operations within a large, multi-product pharmaceutical facility. This role is accountable for safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
Job description
The Director translates divisional strategy into operational execution, ensuring compliant, efficient, and customer-focused manufacturing performance. This position leads through managers, supervisors, and partners cross-functionally to achieve site objectives within established financial and governance frameworks.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead sterile manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, service, and cost objectives while driving performance against key operational metrics.
- Develop and execute operational plans aligned with site and divisional strategy, ensuring regulatory compliance and inspection readiness.
- Manage site-level operational budgets, resource planning, and capital needs to support production and growth requirements.
- Lead, coach, and develop managers and supervisors to build organizational capability and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
- Partner cross-functionally with Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, and Commercial teams to deliver customer commitments and improve operational effectiveness.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations Management, Life Sciences, or related field required (or equivalent experience).
- 10+ years of progressive operations leadership experience in pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical manufacturing, including sterile manufacturing in a regulated environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing through managers within a matrixed organization and driving operational performance improvements.
- Strong understanding of cGMP and regulatory requirements, with the ability to analyze complex operational challenges and implement effective solutions.
- Strong leadership, financial acumen, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations Management, Life Sciences, or related field required (or equivalent experience).
- 10+ years of progressive operations leadership experience in pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical manufacturing, including sterile manufacturing in a regulated environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing through managers within a matrixed organization and driving operational performance improvements.
- Strong understanding of cGMP and regulatory requirements, with the ability to analyze complex operational challenges and implement effective solutions.
- Strong leadership, financial acumen, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Company overview
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of approximately $40 billion. The company's mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. With over 100,000 employees globally, Thermo Fisher provides an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience, and pharmaceutical services through its industry-leading brands including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon, and PPD. The company serves customers across healthcare, life sciences, applied markets, and pharmaceutical sectors, offering solutions that accelerate research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, and increase laboratory productivity. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Thermo Fisher operates globally, delivering critical scientific products, services, and workflow solutions that support researchers, organizations, and companies in addressing some of the world's most pressing issues.