Operational Quality (OQ) Manager

The Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering; North East; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading biopharmaceutical company is seeking an Operational Quality Manager in North East England. This role involves managing a team to ensure compliance with GMP standards. The ideal candidate will have a degree in a relevant field and considerable experience in operational quality within a highly-regulated environment. Responsibilities include conducting quality oversight and fostering a proactive quality culture among teams. The position operates on a 24/7 shift pattern, requiring effective management skills and the ability to influence others.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in an operational quality role at a highly-regulated manufacturing site.
• Experience in a sterile manufacturing environment is a distinct advantage.
• Ability to influence people to achieve objectives.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team ensuring GMP processes and personnel adherence to procedures.
• Perform spot-checks of GMP activities for compliance.
• Review trends from Quality Oversight to ensure timely actions.

Skills

People management

Communication skills

Quality compliance

Continuous improvement mindset

Education

Degree in Scientific, Technical or Engineering discipline

Job description

Job Description

Site Name: UK - County Durham - Barnard Castle

Posted Date: Dec 16 2025

The Quality function promotes quality and compliance through the product life‑cycle within the wider manufacturing and production operations at GSK Barnard Castle Manufacturing Site. The Quality function at GSK plays a critical role in ensuring our products meet the highest standards of safety, efficacy, and compliance. As part of this team you will uphold our commitment to delivering high‑quality medicines and vaccines, and healthcare products to patients and consumers around the world.

Job Purpose

Reporting into the site's Operational Quality Lead, the Operational Quality Manager manages a team that is responsible for ensuring adherence to GMP standards and procedures through independent oversight of processes via Quality Oversight. The wider remit of the role is to improve the effectiveness of quality in preventing, identifying and addressing quality issues by encouraging a proactive quality culture (including continuous improvement). The role maintains presence and is accountable for key quality‑related decision‑making and/or quality escalations, as well as ensuring the frequency and detail of quality oversight process reflects the risk and potential impact of the different processes being overseen.

Direct Reports

As team‑manager you will have approximately 4 direct reports.

Key Responsibilities

• Management of a team responsible for ensuring GMP processes and operational personnel adhere to local or area specific procedures, minimising risk of non‑compliance and always maintaining inspection readiness.
• Perform spot‑checks of activities across GMP areas (including but not limited to production, warehouse, utilities and laboratory areas) to ensure compliance with quality standards.
• Review trends from the Quality Oversight process to ensure timely completion of identified actions and implementation of changes to oversight frequency or methods.
• Partnering with area management to ensure Quality Oversight process is supported by department owners.
• Keep the Quality Oversight risk assessment current based on identified trends and process changes.
• Ensure adherence to frequency of oversight mandated in the Quality oversight schedule.
• Check that facilities are being maintained in line with local housekeeping standards and any deviation from the standards are escalated with associated actions addressed (within a timely manner).
• Role‑model the GPS standards, participating through tiered accountability meetings (for example, production change over meetings).
• Foster the Quality Starts With Me (QSWM) culture by providing coaching to employees on the importance of following procedures, doing the right thing and explaining the impact non‑compliance can have on product quality and patient safety.

Shift Pattern

Please note that this role operates on a 24/7 shift pattern (4 days on & 4 days off). The shift includes night and weekend work.

About You

As this role is multi-faceted and includes liaising with a wide variety of on-site production and operations teams, you will be a self‑motivated person who has strong experience of working in an operational quality role at a complex highly-regulated manufacturing site. You should have people‑management experience. You will be resilient and calm under pressure, with strong people skills and a proven ability to influence people to achieve objectives and drive performance. You will have a strong continuous improvement mindset. Effective written and verbal communication and excellent interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to organise and prioritise workload are considered essential skills.

Please note that experience of working in a sterile manufacturing environment (in a Quality Assurance, Manufacturing or Technical role) would be a distinct advantage.

About Barnard Castle

GSK Barnard Castle is a key secondary manufacturing site. We have invested heavily in industry 4.0 state‑of‑the‑art bespoke equipment to support sustained new product introductions and volume increases. As a key supplier of some of GSK's blockbuster products the site contributes revenues of approximately $2 Bn annually.

Closing Date for Applications

Monday 5th of January 2026 (COB).

Basic Qualifications

• Degree in relevant Scientific, Technical or Engineering discipline (or equivalent experience, ideally gained working in a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility or similar highly-regulated industry).
• Relevant Operational Quality (OQ) experience.
• Team management experience.
• Knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements.
• Knowledge and application of Quality Management Systems (QMS).

What we value

We welcome people who bring curiosity, humility and a practical approach. We are committed to inclusion and to creating a supportive environment where everyone can grow. If you enjoy solving real problems, delivering measurable results, and helping teams succeed, we encourage you to apply. If you would like to learn more about our company wide benefits and life at GSK we would suggest looking at our webpage ‘Life at GSK | GSK’.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

Equal Opportunity Employer

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

Agile Working Culture

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Adjustments and Accommodations

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities, contact us at [e-mail] where you can also request a call. Please note that should your enquiry not relate to adjustments, we will not be able to support you through these channels. However, we have created a Recruitment FAQ guide.

Recruitment FAQ

We have created a Recruitment FAQ guide. It contains answers to multiple questions we receive.

Information to Employment Businesses / Agencies

GSK does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact GSK's commercial and general procurement/human resources department to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to GSK. The obtaining of prior written authorization is a condition precedent to any agreement (verbal or written) between the employment business / agency and GSK. In the absence of such written authorization being obtained any actions undertaken by the employment business / agency shall be deemed to have been performed without the consent or contractual agreement of GSK. GSK shall therefore not be liable for any fees arising from such actions or any fees arising from any referrals by employment businesses/agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site.

US Licensed Healthcare Professional Note

Please note that if you are a US Licensed Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Professional as defined by the laws of the state issuing your license, GSK may be required to capture and report expenses GSK incurs, on your behalf, in the event you are afforded an interview for employment. This capture of applicable transfers of value is necessary to ensure GSK's compliance to all federal and state US Transparency requirements. For more information, please visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/.