Sr Manager/Associate Director, Engineering

Bristol, PA

Facilities & Engineering – Engineering /

Full Time /

On-site

With extensive experience in developing biologics and bioconjugates, we offer a seamless service delivered by fully integrated teams, from early discovery to commercial manufacturing.

Forward-thinking and committed, we find the best solution and use the right technologies to design, develop and manufacture your products to ensure we get vital medicines to patients quickly and safely.

We are dedicated to quality excellence. We are driven to get better treatments to market, efficiently and responsibly by reducing timelines and delivering the highest quality products and services.

We are Abzena. More than a CDMO, we are a responsible and dedicated partner that takes care of your products from concept to patient.

The Associate Director, Engineering and Facilities is accountable for the strategic leadership, reliability, and compliance of all facility, utility, and engineering systems supporting cGMP bioconjugation manufacturing operations. This role ensures uninterrupted execution of manufacturing through robust facility performance, lifecycle asset management, and engineering excellence.

This position owns site infrastructure, including GMP utilities, cleanroom environments, process equipment, and building systems. The Associate Director establishes and drives a reliability-centered maintenance program, capital project execution, and long-term infrastructure strategy to support clinical and commercial manufacturing.

The role operates as a core member of the site leadership team and is directly responsible for eliminating facility-related execution risk, ensuring inspection readiness, and enabling right-first-time manufacturing performance.

Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership

Lead Engineering teams, including maintenance, calibration, metrology, and facilities operations

Build a culture of accountability, technical ownership, and urgency aligned with manufacturing needs

Establish clear roles, expectations, and performance management across the organization

GMP Compliance and Inspection Readiness

Ensure facilities and engineering systems operate in full compliance with cGMP, FDA, EMA, and global regulatory expectations, own deviation investigations, CAPAs, change controls, and engineering-related quality systems

Lead facility and utility support during internal, client, and regulatory inspections

Ensure all systems are maintained in a validated state, including qualification and requalification activities

Bioconjugation Process Support

Ensure facility and equipment design supports safe handling of high-potency compounds and complex conjugation processes

Support containment strategies, environmental controls, and cleaning systems specific to ADC and bioconjugation manufacturing

Partner with MSAT and Manufacturing to troubleshoot process-related equipment issues and optimize performance

Ensure alignment between process requirements and facility capabilities

Financial and Resource Management

Develop and manage Engineering budgets, including maintenance, capital, and contracts

Optimize resource allocation to balance cost, risk, and operational performance

Build workforce plans aligned with site growth and operational complexity

Continuous Improvement and Strategy

Establish KPIs and Tier escalation for Engineering performance

Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on reliability, efficiency, and compliance

Implement industry best practices in maintenance, asset management, and digital systems

Develop long-term infrastructure strategy to support commercial readiness and scale

Qualifications

5+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing, with significant experience in engineering and facilities leadership

Proven experience supporting cGMP operations, including biologics or bioconjugation manufacturing environments

Demonstrated leadership of engineering, maintenance, and facilities teams in a regulated environment

Deep understanding of GMP utilities, cleanroom design, and facility operations

Strong experience with capital project execution, including equipment and facility commissioning and qualification

Expertise in CMMS systems, asset lifecycle management, and reliability engineering principles

Strong knowledge of regulatory expectations (FDA, EMA) related to facilities and engineering systems

Ability to operate at both strategic and tactical levels, driving execution while setting long-term direction

Strong problem-solving capability with a focus on root cause and sustainable solutions

Effective communicator with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior leadership

FLSA: Exempt

Abzena is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, and training.

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