Executive Director Technical Operations

The Executive Director Technical Operations is accountable for end‑to‑end operational leadership –from strategic planning and site selection through design, construction, commissioning, operational readiness, and ramp‑up to steady‑state operations at our Saratoga, NY location. This role sets the vision, establishes governance, and directs cross‑functional teams and external partners to deliver a world‑class facility that meets business growth objectives, ensuring local and global harmonization and collaboration. The Executive Director will translate enterprise strategy into executable roadmaps, ensure disciplined capital stewardship, and build high‑performing teams and processes that enable reliable, scalable operations from Day 1.

In this role, a typical day might include:

Strategic Site Development

• Leading site strategy and master planning, including location analysis, property acquisition/lease negotiations, and long‑range capacity planning for production, labs, offices, warehousing, utilities, and support services.
• Defining the operational vision (people, process, technology) and the phased roadmap from groundbreaking to commercial operations.

Capital Planning & Governance

• Collaborating with Senior Leadership on multi‑year capital planning and portfolio governance for large programs (e.g., $100M+), ensuring rigorous business cases, stage‑gate approvals, cost controls, and risk management.
• Establishing KPI dashboards for cost, schedule, safety, quality, and readiness; driving corrective actions to keep projects on track.

Program & Project Leadership

• Overseeing the full lifecycle: concept design, detailed engineering, permitting, construction, FAT/SAT, commissioning, qualification/validation (as applicable), and handover to Operations.
• Chairing the Program Steering Committee; managing scope, timelines, and change control across multiple workstreams (construction, utilities, process equipment, IT/OT, security).

Operational Readiness & Start‑Up

• Collaborating with key leadership and stakeholders to build the site operating model, organizational structure, staffing and shift plans, training curricula, standard work, and maintenance strategies.
• Leading start‑up readiness (materials, workflows, compliance, safety) and stabilizing operations to targeted throughput and quality metrics.

Regulatory, Quality & EHS Compliance

• Ensuring adherence to relevant regulations and standards (e.g., cGMP/GxP, OSHA, EPA, local codes); driving audit readiness and continuous improvement in quality and safety culture.
• Integrating quality by design into facility and process layouts; collaborating to develop and implement site policies and SOP frameworks.

Cross‑Functional & Executive Stakeholder Management

• Partnering with senior leaders across Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Finance, IT/OT, and HR to align site development with enterprise strategy.
• Communicating program status, risks, and decisions to executive leadership and the Board, as needed.

Technology & Infrastructure

• Championing resilient utilities (power, water, HVAC, compressed air), digital plant solutions (MES, EAM/CMMS, BMS/EMS, security), and data governance for real‑time performance management.
• Driving sustainability initiatives (energy efficiency, waste reduction, circularity) and ensuring infrastructure scalability.
• Developing state of the art facilities capturing and delivering on key initiatives such as paperless plant, digitization and modernization of facilities, zero manual transactions, sustainability.

Talent, Culture & Leadership

• Recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse, high‑performing team; setting clear accountabilities and succession plans.
• Fostering a culture of safety, integrity, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

This role might be for you if you:

• Have experience with and understanding of cGMPs, regulatory requirements, engineering, automation and validation principles

• Have experience managing capital improvement projects, fit out planning and construction, or related significant value ($30M+) projects, preferably in pharmaceutical / biotech operations
• Are adept at reading and understanding Architectural, Structural, Civil and related plans

Applicants must have a BS/BA in Construction Management, Engineering, Life Sciences or related field and 15+ years of relevant experience, including 12+ years of progressive management experience, preferably in pharmaceutical / biotech operations. Equivalent comb