Director Quality Assurance, Drug Substance Manufacturing

About the role

Build Our Future Together At Regeneron, we use science and innovation to develop life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases. We are seeking a Director of Quality Assurance to provide quality leadership for the startup and long-term operations of the Regeneron Drug Substance manufacturing facility located in Saratoga Springs NY, a greenfield biologics site scheduled to begin operations in 2028.

Responsibilities

• Lead the QA startup strategy for the Saratoga Drug Substance facility, including quality systems build-out, staffing, and readiness for design review, commissioning, qualification, and process validation
• Define the automation, systems integration, and data integrity requirements (e.g., MES, DCS/SCADA, historian, LIMS) needed to enable review-by-exception batch record disposition
• Partner with Automation, Engineering, and IT/Data Integrity functions to design exception-based quality control strategies, including electronic batch record rules, automated in-process checks, and real-time release criteria
• Build and execute a business strategy that translates vision and corporate goals into departmental objectives for a highly automated plant of the future
• Builds and maintains a high performing team of managers, providing effective alignment and communication with functional groups at the site and at other manufacturing sites, to successfully deliver on all commitments. Sets the course for the future- defines priorities, goals and objectives for quality team
• Provide direction, set performance standards, evaluate, develop performance and inspire direct reports
• Drive departments for optimal performance and constantly raises the bar, accountable for the performance and results of a department
• Ensure manufacturing quality staff are appropriately trained to support a highly automated, review-by-exception environment. Responsibilities include exception review, in-process testing oversight, batch record review, and quality-on-the-shop-floor responsibilities of first response to product quality issues in production
• Provide career development and training advice. Provide regular feedback to direct reports on company and departmental operations
• Directs the activities of resources, both internal and outside contractors/vendors/systems integrators, with similar technical or functional responsibilities supporting facility digital startup and automation design
• Lead cross functional teams and manages the deliverables for the assigned projects. Drives projects through completion within timeline, quality and budgetary constraints. Interfaces with senior management to report on project and program milestones and to present project needs
• Accountable for ensuring policies, procedures, and standards are established, consistently followed, and adhered to on a consistent basis; develops new quality systems appropriate for a fully automated facility
• Provide leadership and direction to ensure a constant state of inspection readiness for a newly commissioned facility
• Responsible for representing the Company and directly interfacing with auditors during regulatory body inspections, including inspections of automation and data integrity systems
• Ensures periodic informal audits are completed in production
• Leads teams for tracking of quality activities, metrics, CAPA tracking, etc. Reports metrics and assesses data trends to work with operating departments to facilitate process improvements
• Develops or supports program development for cell culture operations, centrifugation/harvest, chromatography, UFDF, viral clearance, and aseptic dispensing in an automated environment
• Provide leadership and direction to ensure a constant state of inspection readiness for a newly commissioned facility

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, or related field with at least 12+ years experience in a Quality Operations, Quality Management or manufacturing role, in cGMP biologics/Drug Substance manufacturing
• 4 + years experience in a leadership role
• Experience with facility startup, commissioning, qualification, and process validation for greenfield or new manufacturing facilities is required
• Experience with automation systems (MES, DCS/SCADA), data integrity requirements, and review-by-exception quality models is highly preferred
• Experience with cell culture, centrifugation, chromatography, UFDF, and aseptic dispensing operations is beneficial