Director, Production Operations

Curia • Springfield, MO

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Curia is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with over 30 years of experience partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide life-saving treatments to patients. At Curia, we are on a mission to advance our customers’ therapies from curiosity to cure and ultimately to improve patients’ lives. The Director, Production Operations is a key member of the Springfield leadership team, responsible for managing, planning, directing, and coordinating manufacturing processes across our large scale, pilot plant, and technical services organizations. This leader ensures our operations are safe, compliant, cost-effective, and positioned for growth. This is a role for a proven leader who brings both strategic vision and operational discipline. The Director contributes to the development of business and functional strategies, communicates them clearly across the site, and translates them into action. Working cross-functionally with Quality, Regulatory, and other departments, this leader drives high performance in cGMP compliance, schedule adherence, and customer satisfaction. As much as this role is about operational outcomes, it is also about people. The Director identifies and develops the next generation of leaders within the organization, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration that reflects the Curia Way.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field
• Minimum 5–10 years of mid to senior management experience in a manufacturing or process environment
• Demonstrated understanding of the responsibilities and functions of key departments within a pharmaceutical or industrial manufacturing facility
• Strong knowledge of cGMP compliance, technical operations, and quality systems within a manufacturing environment
• Proven ability to identify, develop, and inspire leaders at multiple levels of the organization
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to present strategy and performance clearly to site and functional leadership
• Must pass a background check
• Must pass a drug screen
• May be required to pass Occupational Health Screening

Nice To Haves

• Experience with API development and manufacturing processes
• Certification in Lean manufacturing or Six Sigma

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement short and long range goals and objectives that align with business growth and profitability targets.
• Set strategic leadership goals for key section heads within the large scale, pilot plant, and technical services organizations.
• Review operational plans to assess manufacturing capacity requirements and make recommendations to improve capacity utilization and support business development planning.
• Develop, implement, and maintain Key Performance Indicators and monitoring systems to drive high levels of performance within the department and across the organization.
• Oversee manufacturing operations to ensure safety, quality, productivity, and efficiency, working collaboratively with the management team to prevent and resolve operational, quality, financial, and facility issues.
• Partner with Quality and Regulatory departments to drive high performance in cGMP compliance and ensure operations meet organizational requirements for quality management, health and safety, legal, and environmental standards.
• Ensure proper planning and effective execution of production activities to minimize downtime and maximize output per the production schedule, working closely with supporting departments to maintain schedule adherence.
• Proactively lead local efforts to prepare for and execute productive customer visits.
• Analyze activities, costs, operations, and forecast data to assess progress toward goals and initiate corrective action as needed to meet business and financial objectives.
• Perform other related duties as may be reasonably assigned in the course of business.
• Perform all documentation in compliance with ALCOA++ principles and site SOPs.
• Adhere to applicable cGMP documents including SOPs, batch records, protocols, change controls, and controlled forms.
• Keep all required cGMP training current and escalate quality concerns along with proposed solutions to the Quality department.

Benefits

• Generous benefit options (eligible first day of employment)
• Paid training, vacation and holidays (vacation accrual begins on first day of employment)
• Career advancement opportunities
• Education reimbursement
• 401K program with matching contributions
• Learning platform

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director