Director, Manufacturing - Cell Therapy

AstraZeneca • Santa Monica, CA

80d • $162,682 - $244,023

About The Position

Are you ready to lead and shape the future of life-saving cell therapies? We are seeking a visionary and results-oriented Director of Cell Therapy Manufacturing to oversee and scale GMP manufacturing operations across our Santa Monica and Tarzana sites. This role offers a unique opportunity to make a direct impact on patients’ lives by delivering high-quality autologous and allogeneic cell therapy products globally. As a key member of the Site Leadership Team, you will combine strategic vision with hands-on leadership to build and sustain world-class operations. You will drive site readiness, operational excellence, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant manufacturing of innovative therapies.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, or related field; Master’s or MBA preferred.
• 10–15 years of progressive leadership in Cell/ Gene therapy manufacturing or GMP biologics, including multi-site or network exposure.
• Proven track record in clinical and commercial operations, tech transfer, scale-up, or launch readiness.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach to execution.
• Deep expertise in GMP compliance, batch execution, capacity planning, and change management.
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing budgets and cost optimization.
• Experience leading operations through site build-outs, expansions, or digital transformation.
• Familiarity with MES, LIMS, and ERP systems in regulated manufacturing environments.
• Successful in matrixed, global organizations with cross-site responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end GMP manufacturing at both sites, delivering on clinical and commercial production goals.
• Drive a culture of accountability, safety, compliance, and quality, fostering ownership and excellence across teams.
• Translate enterprise manufacturing strategy into site-level execution, including new product introductions (NPIs), scale-up, and capacity expansions.
• Design and evolve site governance, organizational structures, and operational interfaces to support multi-product operations and a growing commercial pipeline.
• Contribute to global capacity planning, resource forecasting, and scenario-based planning.
• Lead operating model implementation across sites, including change management and effective communication.
• Partner across functions—MS&T, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Regulatory Affairs—to ensure seamless tech transfers, scale-up, and process robustness.
• Champion Lean principles and continuous improvement, driving efficiency, throughput, and cost competitiveness.
• Ensure inspection readiness and support health authority interactions.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing team of manufacturing leaders, building succession readiness and a culture of engagement.
• Apply lessons learned across sites to support network standardization and continuous improvement initiatives.

Benefits

• A qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]
• Paid vacation, holidays, and paid leaves
• Health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees