Head of Technical Project Leads

Roche•Indianapolis, IN

12d

About The Position

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters. The Position Doing now what patients need next. The customer area Near Patient Care (NPC) unites Roche’s Point of Care and Diabetes Care portfolios. Our ambition is to improve disease management by enabling critical answers and personalized care, closer to the people we serve. With our passion we bring testing closer to patients and empower people to better monitor their own health and help healthcare professionals make faster, more confident decisions closer to the patient. Within NPC Operations, we are globally accountable for the end-to-end production of solutions for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), blood glucose monitoring (BGM), and insulin delivery (IDS), as well as Point-of-Care (POC) products. The most relevant internal manufacturing sites are Mannheim in Germany and Indianapolis in the USA. Your new team As Manufacturing Science and Technology in NPC Operations, we bridge the gap between development and manufacturing. With around 200 colleagues across Mannheim, Indianapolis, and Rotkreuz, we lead technology strategy, product design industrialization, and collaboration with external partners throughout the product lifecycle. As a project-based organization, we enable scalable product designs ready for mass production, ensure robust processes and equipment for excellent yields, and ensure scalable QC processes. Partnering with external networks, we secure competitive manufacturing costs and reliable production. We are committed to building a global, diverse and inclusive team, bringing together various perspectives and skills to foster innovation and create a great place to work for all. The Opportunity As Head of Technical Project Leads, you will lead the global unit of Technical Project Leads within the Near Patient Care MSAT organization. In this role, you will take on the central leadership role in the realization of our highly complex production facilities and manage both the technological direction and the operational excellence of our projects. You are the interface between engineering, process development, and serial production and ensure that requirements for budgets, product quality, output, yield, cycle time, and machine availability are met.

Requirements

Completed technical or scientific degree, ideally with a PhD in Physics, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering, or similar.
You have several years of experience in the disciplinary leadership of technical teams or project teams, ideally in an engineering or production environment.
You possess profound knowledge in a regulated environment (Medical Devices) and are familiar with GMP guidelines, ISO 13485, and process validation.
You bring long-term practice in the planning, procurement, and commissioning of automated production facilities and assembly lines.
You can demonstrate success in managing complex investment projects; certifications (e.g., PMP, IPMA, Prince2, Scrum) are an advantage.
You have the ability to translate complex technical facts into strategic decisions and sustainably optimize processes (Lean Management / Six Sigma).
You speak business-fluent English and possess excellent communication skills.
As a born team player, you work effectively with various stakeholders and have a talent for conveying complex topics clearly and understandably.
You demonstrate a "hands-on" mentality coupled with diplomatic strength in dealing with suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

You can demonstrate success in managing complex investment projects; certifications (e.g., PMP, IPMA, Prince2, Scrum) are an advantage.

Responsibilities

You lead and develop a team of technical project managers, foster talent, and ensure efficient resource planning for parallel projects.
You are responsible for the technical management of internal and external development, construction, and realization of automated production facilities – from concept to handover to serial production.
You coordinate and supervise the development and validation of complex manufacturing processes (e.g., bonding, coating, laser material processing, joining) that are integrated into the facilities.
You manage internal and external equipment construction activities and development partners, conduct technical negotiations, and ensure that specifications and quality standards are strictly adhered to.
Together with your team, you ensure a smooth transfer of the equipment and processes into production (Ramp-up) and ensure technical availability and process stability.
You monitor project budgets (CAPEX), timelines, and risks and report regularly to senior management on project status and KPIs.
You act as a central link between R&D, Quality, Production, Purchasing, and internal or external special machine construction to proactively solve technical challenges.
You define and optimize standards for project management, technical documentation, and equipment specifications to increase efficiency and repeatability.
You create a work environment and a team culture that encourages and enables exceptional results.
You actively drive change initiatives and empower everyone in your area to understand, embrace, and advance the change.