Sr Director Operations

Pfizer • McPherson, KS

7d • $214,900 - $358,100 • Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight of pharmaceutical drug product manufacturing operations across formulation, aseptic filling, inspection, and packaging at the McPherson site. Accountable for delivering safety, quality, supply reliability, compliance, and financial performance objectives while ensuring adherence to current GMP requirements and continuous inspection readiness. Serves as a key member of the Site Leadership Team, partnering cross-functionally to shape and execute site strategy, advance operational excellence initiatives, and drive a culture of continuous improvement. Attracts, develops, and retains top talent while fostering an inclusive, high-performing organization capable of meeting current and future business needs.
In this role you will:
Ensure that manufacturing methods / environment will meet contemporary industrial, Regulatory and Pfizer standards. Work with direct reports to ensure that teams are properly staffed to meet production requirements, to create and monitor budgets, to monitor and control production variances and ensure a safe working environment.
Embed and sustain IMEX processes and tiered governance, empowering teams to deliver continuous improvement and operational performance. Support and foster Supportive Leadership among people leaders within Operations through active coaching.
The position will be responsible for interacting with the site quality assurance, quality control, validation, engineering, technical services, supply chain, digital/automation and finance departments in order ensure that regulatory standards, company policies and site processes are met.
Cultivate and reinforce Pfizer values, norms, and behaviors while providing strategic leadership for talent development, organizational effectiveness, performance management, and leadership capability. Build a high-performing organization through succession planning, colleague development, coaching, and the advancement of inclusive leadership practices.
Responsible for Operations planning and scheduling and for achieving schedule attainment and cycle time targets.
Develop and execute manufacturing strategies that strengthen operational capabilities, optimize asset utilization, support current and future capacity requirements, and position the site to meet evolving business, network, and customer needs through long-term planning and investment priorities.
Working with PC1 & Business Development to cultivate and build strategic customer relationships and ensure that the customer perspective is a driving force behind all value-added business activities.
Serve as a member of the Site Leadership Team, contributing to the development and execution of site strategic objectives. Drive achievement of operational, quality, supply, safety, and financial performance goals while balancing short-term business needs with long-term site capability development.
Identify, assess, and mitigate operational, compliance, supply, and business continuity risks. Develop and implement strategies to ensure uninterrupted product supply while maintaining safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.
Champion a culture of accountability, inclusion, psychological safety, colleague engagement, and high performance. Develop leadership capability throughout the organization and build a strong succession pipeline to support current and future business needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree and 12+ years of experience; OR a master’s degree and 10+ years of experience; OR a PhD and 7+ years of experience.
• Experience managing direct reports including leaders of leaders
• Strong knowledge of cGMPs (US & EU), OSHA, ISO, and other regulatory agency standards and requirements applicable to a pharmaceutical production facility
• Demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.
• Leading Through Change: Demonstrated experience leading leaders and teams through complex change, including navigating ambiguity, influencing across stakeholders, and sustaining performance during transformation.
• Digital Literacy and AI Fluency: Strong digital literacy, including practical experience leveraging data, digital tools, and AI‑enabled solutions to drive innovation, efficiency, and better decision‑making.
• End‑to‑End Process Thinking: Proven ability to think and operate end‑to‑end, connecting strategy to execution across functions and anticipating downstream impacts to deliver integrated, enterprise‑level solutions.
• Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer.
• This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

Nice To Haves

• 10+ years of experience leading direct reports
• Demonstrated ability to communicate (oral and written) effectively with diverse individuals/groups; foster trust and understanding; empower and enable colleagues; and build customer relationships.
• Strong analytical, presentation and relationship management skills
• Proven track record of delivering results consistently while being a role model for the Pfizer Leader Behaviors.
• Demonstrated strategic focus and strong business acumen are required.
• Must have track record of strong customer focus.
• Must have proven track record of leading change, as well as managing in a rapidly changing environment.
• Must demonstrate personal agility and innovation as well as cultivating similar behavior in team members.
• Must have ability to evaluate risk and make rapid decisions where necessary.
• Experience leading teams including responsibility for performance management and talent development of team members required.
• Ability to address conflicts as necessary and build highly effective, diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Providing strategic leadership and oversight of pharmaceutical drug product manufacturing operations across formulation, aseptic filling, inspection, and packaging at the McPherson site.
• Delivering safety, quality, supply reliability, compliance, and financial performance objectives while ensuring adherence to current GMP requirements and continuous inspection readiness.
• Serving as a key member of the Site Leadership Team, partnering cross-functionally to shape and execute site strategy, advance operational excellence initiatives, and drive a culture of continuous improvement.
• Attracting, developing, and retaining top talent while fostering an inclusive, high-performing organization capable of meeting current and future business needs.
• Ensuring that manufacturing methods / environment will meet contemporary industrial, Regulatory and Pfizer standards.
• Working with direct reports to ensure that teams are properly staffed to meet production requirements, to create and monitor budgets, to monitor and control production variances and ensure a safe working environment.
• Embedding and sustaining IMEX processes and tiered governance, empowering teams to deliver continuous improvement and operational performance.
• Supporting and fostering Supportive Leadership among people leaders within Operations through active coaching.
• Interacting with the site quality assurance, quality control, validation, engineering, technical services, supply chain, digital/automation and finance departments in order ensure that regulatory standards, company policies and site processes are met.
• Cultivating and reinforcing Pfizer values, norms, and behaviors while providing strategic leadership for talent development, organizational effectiveness, performance management, and leadership capability.
• Building a high-performing organization through succession planning, colleague development, coaching, and the advancement of inclusive leadership practices.
• Operations planning and scheduling and for achieving schedule attainment and cycle time targets.
• Developing and executing manufacturing strategies that strengthen operational capabilities, optimize asset utilization, support current and future capacity requirements, and position the site to meet evolving business, network, and customer needs through long-term planning and investment priorities.
• Working with PC1 & Business Development to cultivate and build strategic customer relationships and ensure that the customer perspective is a driving force behind all value-added business activities.
• Contributing to the development and execution of site strategic objectives as a member of the Site Leadership Team.
• Driving achievement of operational, quality, supply, safety, and financial performance goals while balancing short-term business needs with long-term site capability development.
• Identifying, assessing, and mitigating operational, compliance, supply, and business continuity risks.
• Developing and implementing strategies to ensure uninterrupted product supply while maintaining safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Championing a culture of accountability, inclusion, psychological safety, colleague engagement, and high performance.
• Developing leadership capability throughout the organization and building a strong succession pipeline to support current and future business needs.

Benefits

• 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution
• paid vacation, holiday and personal days
• paid caregiver/parental and medical leave
• health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage
• Relocation support available
• Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

What This Job Offers

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