Director, Sterility Assurance

About the role

Life changing therapies. Global impact. Bridge to thousands of biopharma companies and their patients. We are PCI. Our investment is in People who make an impact, drive progress and create a better tomorrow. Our strategy includes building teams across our global network to pioneer and shape the future of PCI.

Responsibilities

• Manages the Aseptic Core Monitoring (ACM) program, which ensures highly technical aseptic SMEs are witness to all aseptic processes in the production areas.
• Develops technical acumen and decision-making skills in direct reports and the wider Quality team, specifically related to contamination control and aseptic practices.
• Oversees the execution of PCI’s standard EMPQ and APS processes and ensures any local or customer-driven requirements are included.
• Supports audits, deviations and CAPAs with risk assessments and other well-developed tools or data.
• Performs trending and reporting for all contamination control and environmental data; discusses data with area owners and helps build action plans where required.
• Provides data or systems that allow for the retrieval of data for QMRs and the Tier process.
• Owns the cleaning and disinfection programs for the site; works closely with industry experts to ensure Cleaning and Disinfection is effective and efficient.
• Aligns with EHS to drive down environmental impact from cleaning and disinfection activity.
• Demonstrates a commitment to being on the production floor with Operators and raising awareness of the importance of quality culture.
• Accountable for a team that provides 24/7 coverage and should prioritize connecting with all shifts on a routine basis.
• Exhibits professional behavior with both internal and external business associates that reflects positively on the company and is consistent with the company’s policies and practices.
• Embodies PCI Pharma’s cultural values and aligns daily actions with department goals and company culture.

Special Demands

• The employee must be physically capable to perform the duties listed below with or without reasonable accommodations which may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment

• Constantly required to sit, and to reach to use computers and other office equipment.
• Constantly stand for extended periods of time, up to four (4) hours/time.
• Required to gown into cleanrooms or into aseptic spaces on a regular basis.
• Frequently required to lift up to 20 pounds.
• Constantly required to view objects at close and distant ranges with hand and eye coordination.
• Frequently required to communicate with others.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a bachelor degree, with preference for those in life sciences, engineering or other science disciplines; an advanced degree is desirable.
• Approximately 12+ years’ experience in a similar organization with at least five of those years in a management role, with the vast majority of this experience gained in an aseptic or sterile production environment; contract manufacturing experience is a plus.
• Formal background in Industrial Microbiology and Contamination Control is desired.
• Advanced knowledge of global regulatory guidance including, but not limited to, CFR 210 and 211, 820, cGXP, ICH Q8, Q9 and Q10, and EU/Eudralex (including Annex 1) related to Aseptic Manufacturing and testing; ability to interpret other global regulations as necessary (e.g., WHO, ANVISA, etc).
• Hands-on experience with QMS data management software (eQMS), process mapping tools, risk assessments, data analysis, and software for presentation of all of these is required.
• Ability to communicate the compliance status as well as measure it.
• Cross-functional leadership and influence necessary for leading process risk assessments, program improvements, and other activities that require input from multiple stakeholders with multiple priorities.
• The Director of Sterility Assurance will ensure the site is always inspection-ready on the shop floor and will develop their team continuously to present PCI’s compliant state on the floor or in the conference room.