MES Systems Manager

GSK•Zebulon, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We manufacture and supply reliable, high-quality medicines and vaccines to meet patients’ needs and drive our performance. Our network of 37 medicines and vaccines manufacturing sites delivered 1.7 billion packs of medicines and 409 million vaccine doses in 2024 to help make a positive impact on the health of millions of people. Our supply chain is not just core to our operations; it’s vital to bringing our innovations to patients as quickly, efficiently and effectively as possible. Technology is transforming how we manufacture medicines and vaccines, enabling us to increase the speed, quality and scale of product supply. We need the very best minds and capability to help us on our journey to make more complex products, harnessing the power of smart manufacturing technologies including robotics, digital solutions and artificial intelligence to deliver for patients. You will lead the management, improvement, and support of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) across operations at the GSK manufacturing site in Zebulon, NC. This role represents the site’s interests and is accountable for ensuring local MES instances are used appropriately, remain compliant/validated, and deliver reliable execution for shop-floor users. You will work closely with manufacturing operations, quality, engineering, IT, and external partners to prioritize site needs, coordinate support, and drive continuous improvement. This role leads a small site MES solutions team that designs and implements simple to medium-complexity changes locally, and coordinates larger changes with central platform teams and/or third-party partners. We value clear communicators who solve problems with practical, user-focused solutions. You will help unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, information systems, or related technical field, or equivalent experience.
5+ years’ experience supporting and/or managing MES in a regulated manufacturing environment.
Functional understanding of pharma manufacturing processes.
Experience with MES platforms (e.g. eBRS, Weigh & Dispense, IPC, Serialization) including design, configuration, administration and troubleshooting.
Familiarity with electronic batch records (eBRS) solutions.
Experience with computer system validation. and supporting validated systems.
Knowledge of system interfacing technologies/concepts (e.g., ERP, LIMS, historians, or PLC/SCADA systems).
Stakeholder management and experience working across operations, quality, engineering, and IT.
Experience leading process improvement initiatives and coaching colleagues to adopt new ways of working.
Experience leading a small team and/or leading through influence in a matrix environment (including prioritization, coaching, and performance management).

Nice To Haves

Experience with MES implementations, upgrades and lifecycle management in pharmaceutical or highly regulated industries.
Demonstrated experience leading system improvement cycles using Agile methodologies.
Demonstrated people leadership experience (hiring, coaching, development, and performance management).
Experience managing external vendors and service contracts.
Experience with process control systems, or industrial automation technologies.
Hands-on experience with query and scripting languages and/or continuous process trending tools, to support reporting and process automation.
Advanced degree in engineering, computer science, or related field.

Responsibilities

Represent the site with central platform teams to ensure reliable MES operations, appropriate prioritization, and clear decision-making on defects/enhancements. Serve as the primary site advocate to secure timely incident support (including off-hours escalation as needed).
Lead site incident, problem, and change management for MES (triage, root cause, and corrective/preventive actions). Own and drive CAPAs to completion with non-negotiable due dates.
Facilitate and/or participate in rapid-improvement workshops (kaizen/accelerator events) to improve MES-supported processes and usability.
Lead the site MES solutions team in designing and improving eBRS workflows. Configure, test, and deploy simple to medium-complexity changes within the site instance(s); coordinate more complex changes with central platform teams and/or third-party partners.
Manage site MES initiatives (upgrades, integrations, new deployments, and retirements), coordinating engineering, production, quality, and IT stakeholders through requirements, testing, validation, cutover, and hypercare.
Ensure MES compliance, validation, and data integrity in alignment with applicable regulations and internal standards. Maintain required documentation (e.g., risk assessments, test evidence, release approvals) and serve as a technical/functional SME during audits and regulatory inspections.
Coach and mentor site users and technical staff on MES best practices, training, and continuous improvement. Most customers are operations personnel; success requires regular shop-floor engagement (seated workspace will be in an admin area).
Provide on-call/escalation support as required to ensure business continuity, including occasional evening and weekend work aligned to site support models and critical manufacturing schedules.
Own the site MES demand/roadmap: collect and translate user needs into requirements, support prioritization, and ensure alignment to global templates and site business priorities.
Oversee MES user access and role management (including segregation of duties), ensuring appropriate controls, periodic reviews, and timely provisioning/deprovisioning in coordination with IT/security processes.
Establish and track operational performance metrics (e.g., uptime, incident trends, release quality, cycle-time impacts) and communicate status, risks, and priorities to site leadership and platform partners.
Manage site vendor engagements as applicable (service requests, statements of work, scheduling, and deliverable acceptance) and support budget/forecast inputs for MES-related site work.
Lead and develop a small site MES solutions team: set priorities, assign work, ensure quality and compliance of deliverables, and support capability building and succession planning.