Deputy Director, Automation Site Support- Vaccines

Job title: Deputy Director, Automation Site Support- Vaccines

Location: Swiftwater, PA

We deliver 4.3 billion healthcare solutions to people every year, thanks to the flawless planning and meticulous eye for detail of our Manufacturing & Supply teams. With your talent and ambition, we can do even more to protect people from infectious diseases and bring hope to patients and their families.

This position will be responsible to provide Subject Matter Expert (SME) level support of all automated process control systems used in licensed manufacturing (including dedicated clean utilities) of the site.  The position will be the Automation Site Support interface with Operations personnel, QA Compliance, Information Systems, Engineering, Maintenance and the site wide Automation Support technicians. This role will interface with the technician team and Automation engineers in either individual contributor or management level.

We are an innovative global healthcare company that helps the world stay ahead of infectious diseases by delivering more than 500 million vaccine doses a year. Across different countries, our talented teams are exploring new technologies to protect people and promote healthy communities. We chase the miracles of science every single day, pursuing progress to make a real impact on millions of patients around the world.

Main Responsibilities:

• The Automation Site Support Manager must exhibit strong customer communication skills and have in-depth technical knowledge of process control systems and equipment used in biotech/ pharmaceutical manufacturing and utility systems. This position will support the highly complex automated systems installed in the new and existing manufacturing facilities, security and its support systems.

• Expected results from this position would include hands-on support of automated system in manufacturing (excluding Building Automation Systems), troubleshooting of automated process equipment and process systems, coordination of contractors, execution of site change controls, aiding in the investigation of process deviations and providing expertise for process evaluation and product improvements for better quality and yields. The position will provide improved response time to failures in manufacturing and implement site automation standard procedures and Global Engineering Practices.

Significant aspects:

• The normal operation of this position requires the understanding of the technical and non-technical processes of varying automated systems installed at Sanofi.  Automation Site Support personnel must adhere to regulatory requirements, high product quality standards and ensure minimized downtime.  This group will conduct hands-on maintenance and support of automated systems.  This position can provide representation to project teams requiring automation expertise, technical review, vendor coordination, site integration and implementation of long-term support plan.

Challenges:

• One main obstacle is to develop an implementation plan to support many different systems including new buildings & existing facilities.  Another major challenge is to get integrated into any site automation projects to ensure a smooth transition from project work to support during routine production, while still providing support for existing facilities.

• This position is one of the key component to address the automation support requirements of manufacturing, process & product development, data acquisition, system site integration, automation standards, reports, user data access and automation technology management. 

• Position scope regarding purchasing & budgetary requirements is very limited. Coordination and alignment with other global automation processes and activities is very important.  This will help ensure to implement a global open platform for seamless integration of automation and data systems and common standards & practices.  This can be developed as the corporate processes are more defined and implemented.

• This position will be responsible for hands-on troubleshooting and maintenance of the automation systems in manufacturing and facility systems, provide technical consultation to engineering, validation and system owners, develop and implement automation related site change controls and aid in the investigation of process related deviations.

• Travel will be limited to technical off-site training and occasional automation system user conferences.

About You