Senior Utility Engineer

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation • Durham, NC

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About The Position

The Senior Utility Engineer owns and manages site utility, electrical, and HVAC systems to support reliable, compliant manufacturing operations. The role provides hands-on engineering oversight for installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of critical facility assets, and leads changes to utility and facility equipment to preserve validated and qualified system states.

The engineer develops and approves operational procedures, maintenance plans, drawings, and technical specifications; analyzes complex equipment issues; and implements solutions that reduce risk and downtime. The position supports regulatory inspections and internal audits, addresses observations with corrective actions, and ensures compliance with good manufacturing practices, Code of Federal Regulations, and internal quality standards. It also oversees vendors and service providers and drives reliability, efficiency, and continuous improvement across utilities.

This is a nine-month position in Durham, North Carolina, with a stated pay range of $68.00–$71.00 per hour on W2, all-inclusive and without benefits. Lifting up to 30 pounds is required.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering and at least five years of relevant experience; OR an associate degree, diploma, or certification in an engineering or skilled technical field and at least seven years of relevant experience; OR equivalent work experience of nine or more years supporting engineering, maintenance, or automation systems in regulated industries.
• Demonstrated experience supporting utility, HVAC, electrical, or facility systems in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or similar regulated environments.
• Proven ability to own, maintain, and improve equipment and systems in a validated state.
• Strong technical writing skills and experience creating, reviewing, and approving regulated documentation.
• Applied knowledge of root cause analysis and structured problem-solving to resolve complex technical issues.
• Hands-on experience with equipment troubleshooting, building management systems, and industrial programmable logic controllers.
• Project management capabilities and experience leading projects from initiation through completion.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to collaborate across technical and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage site utility, electrical, and HVAC systems to ensure reliable, compliant manufacturing operations.
• Provide hands-on engineering oversight for installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of critical facility assets.
• Lead and control changes to utility and facility equipment to maintain validated and qualified system states.
• Create, review, and approve operational procedures, maintenance plans, drawings, and technical specifications.
• Analyze complex equipment issues and deliver engineering solutions that minimize risk and downtime.
• Support regulatory inspections and internal audits, responding to observations with effective corrective actions.
• Ensure compliance with good manufacturing practices, Code of Federal Regulations, and internal quality standards.
• Oversee external vendors and service providers to ensure safe, high-quality, and timely work execution.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance reliability, efficiency, and operational excellence across utilities.
• Monitor equipment performance and implement maintenance and reliability strategies aligned with site and global standards.

What This Job Offers

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