Process Engineer II (238)

About the role

Critical shortages of essential generic injectable drugs are an ongoing crisis in U.S. healthcare and have reached an all-time high. Over 300 essential medications are currently reported to be in shortage, according to industry and FDA reports. Shortages put patients at risk and waste hospital resources.

Civica is a market-based nonprofit solution created in 2018 by health systems and philanthropies for the express purpose of preventing and mitigating drug shortages. Today, nearly 60 health systems have joined Civica, representing over 1,400 hospitals and approximately one-third of all U.S. hospital beds. Civica has also supplied the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile with essential medicines. Civica currently supplies medicines to health system members in 49 states.

Civica’s mission has expanded beyond the hospital setting to reach consumers directly through CivicaScript, which is dedicated to making quality outpatient generic medicines affordable and available. CivicaScript works with trusted manufacturing partners to develop quality generic medicines and has forged partnerships with like-minded payors, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies to enable significant cost savings to be passed along to their customers.

Civica’s new 140,000 square foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Virginia will soon produce a steady supply of more than three dozen sterile injectables, all drugs that are currently in or near shortage. The plant will also produce affordable biosimilar insulins, ensuring all Americans have access to lower cost, quality insulins, regardless of their insurance status.

The Civica Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that fosters philanthropic support for Civica’s work to manufacture and distribute affordable medications. The Foundation’s first commitment is to support Civica’s efforts to bring affordable insulin to all Americans. Leaders from nearly every corner of the diabetes ecosystem are partners in this initiative.

Civica is leading a movement for patients, not profits. Because eliminating shortages and stabilizing high prices are in the best interest of patients.

Join us. Learn more at www.civicarx.org

Job Description

The Process Engineer II will play a critical role in bringing the Civica Petersburg, VA facility into a production-ready state, and in facility and equipment design through commercialization for a newly announced facility expansion for biologics. Scope for the expansion includes a dedicated high-speed cartridge filling line, substantial upgrade to critical utilities services, and dedicated formulation and processing suites with Clean In Place (CIP) and Sanitize In Place (SIP) capabilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide technical expertise on CQV activities and ensures compliance to regulatory requirements, industry best practices, and Engineering standards.
• Participate directly in the Engineering process to develop and institute technical and procedural controls in the process design.
• Accountable for CQV activity for assigned systems, including all phases: identifying user requirements, validation planning, protocol generation, test execution, configuration documentation, and system release.
• Execute Engineering deliverables in a timely manner, planning and proactively pursuing details and elevating risks appropriately to ensure project completion without avoidable delays.
• Anticipate operational gaps (improvements to facility/equipment design, process inefficiencies, job hazards) rather than scrambling to fix issues in the project startup, leading to a smoother and safer transition to the Manufacturing team.
• Lead and participate in cross-functional groups to investigate and resolve technical issues, drive continuous improvement, and process optimization using tools such as DMAIC and FMEA.
• Interpersonal skills to manage interactions and drive results across a range of business functions, education levels, and cultural backgrounds within the site. Extends to external communication with system vendors.

Basic Qualifications and Capabilities

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required.
• Strong mechanical aptitude.
• Demonstrated ability to solve technical problems and implement projects.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and fluency in English.
• Self-directed with effective analytical and problem-solving skills. Must be able to deliver results on multiple complex assignments simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Interact well with other functions (e.g. Manufacturing, Automation, Quality Assurance, R&D) and must be able to take ownership of and follow through on assigned projects with minimal required direction from his/her supervisor.
• Willingness to adapt to changing priorities as project demands change.

Preferred

• 5+ years of experience in sterile injectables, drug-device combination products, or biologics.
• SME-level knowledge of drug product processing equipment (e.g. single-use mixers and stainless steel formulation vessels, parts washers, autoclaves, component processors, aseptic filling equipment – vials, pre-filled syringes, and cartridges – isolators with VPHP decontamination, filter integrity and isolator glove integrity testers).
• Direct experience ordering capital equipment, materials required for production, spare parts, and calibration and maintenance services.
• Familiarity with cleaning validation and/or process validation.
• Previous work at greenfield sites or substantial facility expansion projects.