Sr. Director, Capital Projects & Program Delivery

Avid Bioservices • Costa Mesa, CA

95d • $230,400 - $288,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Capital Projects & Program Delivery leads the planning, execution, governance, and delivery of Avid Bioservices’ critical capital projects and strategic growth initiatives. The role provides enterprise owner-side leadership across complex, multidisciplinary programs supporting manufacturing expansion, development operations, infrastructure modernization, operational readiness, and long-term site development. It sets portfolio priorities and governance for the Airway Early-Phase Center of Excellence program, DBx expansion initiatives, Project AMPLIFY, and future assignments according to enterprise business priorities. The role is accountable for delivering programs safely, on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with regulatory, quality, safety, business, and operational-readiness requirements.

This is a full-time, on-site position supporting the Tustin and Costa Mesa locations. Standard business hours apply, though project milestones, shutdowns, inspections, commissioning, startup, and other critical activities may occasionally require work outside normal business hours. Occasional travel to vendor, contractor, partner, or project locations is expected, generally fewer than two days per month, with actual travel varying by project phase.

The role combines office and computer-based work with regular meetings and project-site activities. It requires moving through office, manufacturing, laboratory, warehouse, utility, and active construction environments; standing and walking during site reviews; using stairs and ladders when necessary and authorized; and wearing required personal protective equipment. Potential site conditions include noise, airborne particles, temperature variation, wet or humid conditions, chemicals, electrical or mechanical hazards, and other conditions typical of regulated manufacturing and construction environments. Reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with differing abilities to perform essential job functions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Life Sciences, Architecture, or a related technical field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 15 or more years of progressive capital-project and program leadership experience, including significant leadership of enterprise-scale capital portfolios in life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, CDMO, regulated manufacturing, or comparable advanced-manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated responsibility for individual capital projects of $20 million or more or aggregate project portfolios of $100 million or more.
• Demonstrated owner-side leadership of complex capital projects from planning through design, construction, commissioning, qualification, startup, and operational handover.
• Experience managing EPC firms, construction managers, design consultants, commissioning partners, equipment vendors, developers, landlords, and cross-functional owner teams.
• Demonstrated ability to set direction across multiple concurrent programs, resolve enterprise-level priorities, and lead through competing stakeholder needs, resource constraints, budgets, schedules, and business objectives.
• Strong working knowledge of project controls, risk management, capital governance, contract management, and executive reporting.
• Ability to work effectively in regulated manufacturing and project-site environments and communicate clearly with technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Ability to move through office, manufacturing, laboratory, warehouse, utility, and active construction environments; stand and walk during site reviews; use stairs and ladders when necessary and authorized; and wear required personal protective equipment.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• PMP, Professional Engineer, architecture, construction-management, or comparable professional credential.
• Experience with biologics, CDMO operations, GMP manufacturing, clean utilities, laboratories, warehouses, and campus-development programs.
• Experience with facility master planning, stage-gate governance, commissioning, qualification, validation, and operational-readiness programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead large-scale capital projects from concept development through detailed design, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, startup, and operational handover.
• Provide portfolio-level leadership across Airway, DBx, AMPLIFY, and other manufacturing, laboratory, infrastructure, warehouse, utility, and campus-development initiatives.
• Establish project-execution strategies and governance structures, manage stakeholder communications, and implement project-control processes suitable for GMP capital programs.
• Lead cross-functional project teams spanning Engineering, Facilities, Manufacturing, Process Development, Quality, Validation, Supply Chain, IT, EHS, Finance, Regulatory Affairs, and external partners.
• Develop and manage project budgets, forecasts, cash-flow plans, funding requests, and contingency plans.
• Drive integrated project schedules, identify critical-path risks and dependencies, and implement mitigation and recovery plans.
• Lead selection and oversight of architects, engineers, construction managers, commissioning and qualification partners, equipment vendors, developers, landlords, and other delivery partners.
• Ensure project decisions and deliverables support GMP, quality, safety, regulatory, commissioning, qualification, data-integrity, and operational-readiness expectations.
• Provide executive reporting on project performance, risks, decisions, budget, schedule, quality, safety, and operational readiness.
• Advise executive and functional leaders on capital strategy, portfolio prioritization, investment sequencing, governance decisions, and enterprise tradeoffs to align capital delivery with company priorities.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package including base salary and performance-based bonuses.
• Health insurance.
• Dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• 401(k) matching.
• Paid time off.
• Opportunities for career growth and development.
• Supportive and inclusive work environment.

What This Job Offers

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