New Product Introduction (NPI) Operational Readiness Lead (Senior Director)

The Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering; City of London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A pharmaceutical company in the City of London is seeking a Senior Director for New Product Introduction Operational Readiness. The role requires leading operational readiness for new products, ensuring sites are compliant and ready for production. Ideal candidates will have a relevant degree and at least 5 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector, with strong project management and communication skills. This is a hybrid role with on-site presence required.

Benefits

Career growth opportunities

Inclusive team environment

Equal Opportunity Employer

Qualifications

• At least 5 years’ experience in new product introduction or operational readiness.
• Experience working across multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Strong planning and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational readiness for new product introductions.
• Ensure the site is inspection‑ready and compliant.
• Drive capability development and process validation.

Skills

New product introduction

Operational readiness

Project management

Stakeholder management

GMP understanding

Excellent communication

Education

Degree in science, engineering, pharmacy, or related field

Tools

Electronic quality systems

Job description

New Product Introduction (NPI) Operational Readiness Lead (Senior Director)

Posting period will end on the 15th of December 2025.

Business Introduction

We manufacture and supply reliable, high‑quality medicines and vaccines to meet patients’ needs and drive our performance. Our network of 37 medicines and vaccines manufacturing sites delivered 1.7 billion packs of medicines and 409 million vaccine doses in 2024, helping make a positive impact on the health of millions of people.

Technology is transforming how we manufacture medicines and vaccines, enabling us to increase the speed, quality and scale of product supply.

We need the very best minds and capability to help us on our journey to make more complex products, harnessing the power of smart manufacturing technologies including robotics, digital solutions and artificial intelligence to deliver for patients.

Position summary

You will lead operational readiness for new product introductions across manufacturing and supply teams based at Barnard Castle. Working closely with manufacturing, quality, engineering, supply chain and regulatory colleagues, you will prepare sites for safe, compliant and timely product start‑up. You will oversee capital investment, technology transfers and site commissioning to ensure equipment, facilities and personnel are qualified and ready for commercial production.

Key responsibilities

Leadership Accountabilities

• Provide visible leadership and be accountable for capital investment and site capability‑building to enable development, launch and commercialisation of new assets.
• Set the vision and lead operational readiness for new product introductions, aligning manufacturing, quality, engineering, supply chain, regulatory functions on and off site to deliver safe, compliant and timely start‑up.
• Ensure the site is inspection‑ready and confident for regulatory reviews and pre‑approval inspections, driving a culture of compliance.
• Lead and drive cross‑functional governance, convening senior stakeholders to make aligned decisions at key readiness gates and to resolve strategic trade‑offs that impact timelines or product quality.
• Define, prioritise and be accountable for readiness initiatives and risk‑mitigation actions, allocating resources and empowering teams to close gaps while intervening decisively when escalation is needed.
• Champion and drive capability development, ensuring workforce competence through targeted development plans, role clarity and on‑the‑job coaching so individuals and teams can sustain NPI activities.
• Drive site commissioning, qualification and process validation programs, ensuring equipment, facilities and people meet commercial production standards and acceptance criteria.
• Translate operational readiness requirements into clear scope, timelines and acceptance criteria for handover to operations; be accountable for the end‑to‑end readiness outcome for assigned products and sites.
• Act as the senior escalation point with Global stakeholders and be accountable for resolving product‑ or process‑related issues, assessing their enterprise impact.
• Foster cross‑site collaboration and drive adoption of best practice across GSK NPI sites; create and lead a community of practice to continuously improve NPI capability and reproducibility.
• Partner with Quality and Regulatory Affairs to shape responses to regulatory questions and to drive a proactive inspection readiness agenda; be accountable for operational evidence and readiness.
• Align and drive Supply Chain, Procurement and Logistics with launch priorities to secure materials, components and packaging; resolve supply constraints that threaten start‑up execution.
• Lead and drive development of resilient supply continuity plans and oversee mitigation strategies for potential manufacturing disruptions.
• Use readiness metrics to drive leadership focus, track progress and ensure corrective actions are taken to protect timelines and product quality.
• Sponsor, drive and be accountable for process optimisation initiatives that deliver step‑change in yield, efficiency and cost‑effectiveness; ensure improvements are embedded sustainably.
• Define KPIs that reflect business‑critical readiness outcomes and use them to drive accountability, hold teams to account and celebrate delivery.
• Promote and drive a learning culture: capture lessons from introductions, translate them into improvements, and ensure these are adopted across sites.

Basic Qualifications

• Degree in science, engineering, pharmacy, manufacturing, supply chain or related field.
• At least 5 years’ experience in new product introduction, operational readiness, manufacturing or process transfer in the pharmaceutical or life sciences sector.
• Practical understanding of GMP requirements and quality systems.
• Experience working across multi‑disciplinary teams and managing stakeholders.
• Strong planning and project management skills, with experience tracking milestones and risks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with site commissioning, qualification and validation activities.
• Background in biologics or sterile manufacturing operations.
• Formal project management or continuous improvement qualification (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP, Lean Six Sigma).
• Experience working with regulatory submissions and readiness evidence.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cross‑functional decisions.
• Experience using electronic quality or batch record systems.

Working Pattern

This role is hybrid, with regular on‑site presence required to support sites in the United Kingdom. You will work closely with local site teams and global partners.

What we offer

You will join a team that values inclusion, active listening and development, gaining broad exposure across functions and the network. We support your career growth while you make a meaningful contribution to bringing new products into safe and reliable supply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.