Senior Director, Technical Operations

oxfordbiom•Durham, NC

6d•Onsite

About The Position

At OXB, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We’re on a mission to enable life-changing therapies to reach patients around the world—and we’re looking for passionate individuals who embody our core values every day: Responsible, Responsive, Resilient, and Respectful. Following the expansion of our US footprint with the acquisition of a new commercial-scale viral vector facility in Durham, North Carolina we have some new opportunities to join us. We are recruiting a Sr Director, Technical Operations to join the Durham Leadership Team. Reporting directly into the Durham Site Head, this role will provide strategic and operational oversight for Manufacturing, MSAT, and Engineering, ensuring the reliable, compliant, and efficient delivery of clinical and commercial gene therapy programs. Partnering closely with the Bedford Process Development team, colleagues across the OXB network, and site leadership, this role will drive operational excellence, strengthen site capabilities, and enable future growth while delivering high-quality viral vector manufacturing solutions that improve patient lives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Business, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
15+ years progressive experience in biopharmaceutical manufacturing or technical operations leadership.
5+ years leading leaders (Director-level or equivalent leadership teams).
Significant experience operating within clinical and commercial cGMP manufacturing environments, ideally within gene therapy, viral vectors, cell therapy, biologics, or other advanced therapy modalities.
Proven success leading multi-functional technical operations organisations, including manufacturing and engineering functions, within highly regulated FDA and EMA environments.
Deep understanding of GMP manufacturing operations, technical operations infrastructure, engineering systems, and manufacturing support functions, with experience supporting site growth, scale-up, or operational transformation.
Demonstrated ability to drive strategic planning, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and manufacturing performance through effective leadership, decision-making, and risk management.
Strong commercial and financial acumen, including budget ownership, resource planning, and cost management, combined with excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
External applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership across Manufacturing, MSAT, and Engineering, ensuring technical operations are aligned with business objectives and optimized to support pilot, clinical, and commercial manufacturing activities.
Lead, develop, and empower a high-performing technical operations organisation, fostering a culture of safety, quality, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Build and scale manufacturing capabilities through effective capacity planning, resource allocation, workforce development, and infrastructure investment to support current operations and future business growth.
Ensure reliable, compliant, and efficient GMP operations by establishing robust manufacturing and engineering systems, maintaining regulatory compliance, and driving effective technical troubleshooting and operational problem-solving.
Partner closely with Client Project Management, Technical Excellence, Process Development, Quality, Program Management, and Supply Chain teams to enable successful process transfers, manufacturing readiness, and delivery of client commitments.
Drive operational excellence and business performance through lean methodologies, performance management, budget oversight, infrastructure optimisation, and strategic initiatives that improve productivity, efficiency, and cost effectiveness.