Director, Manufacturing - Cell Therapy

We are looking for a visionary and execution-driven Director of Cell Therapy Manufacturing to lead and scale GMP manufacturing operations across our Santa Monica and Tarzana sites overseeing clinical and commercial manufacturing of autologous and/or allogeneic cell therapy products. You will be both strategic and hands-on—accountable for building and sustaining world-class operations that deliver high-quality, life-saving cell therapies to patients globally.

You will be responsible for site readiness, operational execution, team leadership, and cross-functional integration to ensure delivery of safe, high-quality therapies to patients.

The Director will be an important member of the Site Leadership Team, driving network readiness, operational excellence, and cross-site alignment to support an expanding clinical and commercial pipeline. You will report to General Manager of Santa Monica and Tarzana location site.

Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end GMP manufacturing across Santa Monica and Tarzana sites, ensuring execution of clinical and commercial production goals.

• Improve accountability for safety, compliance, and product quality while promoting a culture of excellence and ownership.

• Translate enterprise manufacturing strategy into site-level execution, ensuring seamless integration of new product introductions (NPIs), scale-up activities, and capacity expansions.

• Design and evolve site governance, organizational structures, roles, and interfaces to support growth, multi-product operations, and a scaling commercial pipeline.

• Contribute to global capacity planning through modeling, resource forecasting, and scenario-based planning.

• Lead operating model implementation across both sites, including change management, communication, and team agreement.

• Be a voice in long-range planning (LRP), network optimization, and facility readiness plans.

• Use data and operating model to inform strategic decisions on staffing, capacity, and technology deployment.

• Lead and mentor a high-performing team of manufacturing leaders; build leadership bench strength and succession readiness.

• Cultivate a high-engagement environment through empowerment, recognition, and performance management.

• Partner with MS&T, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Regulatory Affairs to lead seamless tech transfers, scale-up, and process robustness.

• Champion Lean principles and continuous improvement across both sites—driving efficiency, cost competitiveness, and throughput gains.

• Ensure inspection readiness and support health authority interactions (e.g., PAI, HA responses).

• Identify and mitigate risks through deviation management, CAPA oversight, and quality culture reinforcement.

• Apply lessons learned across sites and contribute to network standardization and continuous improvement efforts.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, or related field; Master's or MBA.

• 10–15 years of progressive leadership experience in GMP biologics or cell/gene therapy manufacturing, with multi-site or network exposure.

• Experience leading clinical and commercial operations through scale-up, tech transfer, or launch readiness.

Leadership & Technical Skills:

• Enterprise mindset with a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on execution.

• Expertise in GMP compliance, batch execution, capacity planning, and change management.

• Financial and business acumen; experience with budget ownership and cost optimization.

• Experience leading operations during site build-out, expansion, or digital transformation.

• Familiarity with MES, LIMS, and ERP platforms in a regulated manufacturing environment.

• Prior success working in a matrixed global organization with cross-site responsibility.

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $162,682.40 - $244,023.60. However, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles), to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles), and commission payment eligibility (sales roles).

Our Benefits:

Benefits offered include:

• A qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]

• Paid vacation, holidays, and paid leaves

• Health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverag