Head of Operations Clinical Bioconjugation

About the role

Lonza is looking for an experienced and strategic Head of Operations Clinical Bioconjugation to lead a large-scale manufacturing organization operating as a Site-in-Site within its Visp site. You will have end-to-end accountability for a dedicated manufacturing unit of about 400-500 employees, covering operational performance, safety, quality, compliance, customer delivery, financial efficiency and asset management. You report to the Global Head of Operations Advanced Synthesis and sit on the Advanced Synthesis Visp Site Leadership Team.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the manufacturing unit and define operational strategies aligned with business priorities, optimizing capacity, productivity, workforce planning and resource allocation.
• Foster a safety and quality culture adhering to GMP, data integrity and regulatory expectations.
• Drive production performance, reliability and right-first-time execution through Lean, automation and process optimization.
• Own operational budgets and controllable costs, oversee asset lifecycle strategies and sponsor capital investments.
• Develop a multidisciplinary leadership team, including talent development and succession planning.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, MSAT, Supply Chain, Project Management and site leadership.
• Represent Operations in business discussions, customer interactions, audits and regulatory inspections.

Required profile

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Technology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or a related field; an MBA or Executive MBA is an advantage.
• 10+ years in pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical manufacturing operations, ideally drug substance manufacturing, with exposure to process development and technology transfer.
• Proven senior leadership of large, multilayered manufacturing organizations in matrix environments.
• Experience managing operational budgets, capital investments, asset strategies and organizational transformation.
• Fluent English; German is an advantage.

Required skills

• Strong understanding of GMP, regulatory compliance and manufacturing performance management.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, automation or continuous improvement experience is highly valued.