External Manufacturing Operations Lead

UCB - Union Chimique Belge

Bulle, Switzerland

About the role

As the External Manufacturing Operations Lead for Drug Substance, you will be responsible for the overall performance of contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) and key suppliers within your portfolio (here in identified as third parties). Your focus will be on ensuring reliable supply, prompt issue resolution, and strong partnerships with stakeholders. You will guide the UCB vendor team (a team dedicated to management of given third party) and act as the primary contact and relationship manager with third parties, maintaining strong connections to ensure sites meet expectations and UCB needs.

Who you’ll work with

In this role, you will collaborate closely with cross-functional and matrix teams within UCB, as well as with third parties leadership teams and strategic vendors. Your daily interactions will include internal stakeholders from various UCB functions, external business partners, and senior management members of third parties. Through these partnerships, you will foster effective communication, drive operational excellence, and ensure that all parties are aligned toward achieving shared goals.

What you’ll do

Support reliability, robust processes, prompt issue resolution, and strong partnerships with vendors and internal stakeholders
Guide third parties vendor teams, coordinating cross-functional and inter-company activities
Participate in projects to foster operational excellence within UCB external manufacturing
Maintain governance structures and facilitate regular meetings between CMOs and UCB teams
Conduct operational performance evaluations and management processes for third parties
Provide operational expertise to support effective processes and optimized capacity utilization
Lead troubleshooting and investigations in collaboration with third parties, coordinating corrective actions
Identify and deliver continuous improvement projects to enhance quality, cycle times, and cost efficiency
Ensure compliance with regulatory standards and industry regulations
Prepare business and operations plans, defining operational management based on commercial strategy
Manage risks, including capacity availability and potential supply chain disruptions
Monitor third parties capacities and implement long-range product plans
Share technology knowledge, market intelligence, and product knowledge

Interested? For this role we’re looking for the following education, experience and skills

Master’s degree or PhD in life sciences with at least 7 years of relevant experience
Knowledgeable in technical and manufacturing aspects related to the portfolio area
Ability to lead multi-functional teams, motivate others, ensure responsibility, and focus on goals
Skilled in managing external business partners and relationships
Basic knowledge in financial and business knowledge. Capable of developing and analyzing business cases
Able to clarify complex technical and manufacturing performance issues
Capable of summarizing and presenting scenarios to support decision-making
Experience in crisis management and related communication
Strong problem-solving, project management and strategic thinking
Experience in operational excellence is a plus
Fluent in English (written and spoken), French is a plus