Senior Manager of Quality

The Opportunity:

Avantor is looking for a dedicated and passionate multi-site leader to manage our Manufacturing Quality organization, advocating for customers and collaborating with internal and external partners to achieve business and operational metric success.    

You will have the opportunity to lead continuous improvement activities to achieve a compliant, effective, and efficient Quality Management System. The position scope includes all elements of the Quality Management System, Quality Assurance, and the Quality Control Laboratory throughout the product lifecycle. If you have experience managing and upholding quality and cGMP compliance of products manufactured and distributed – let’s talk! 

This role will be a full-time position based out of our Phillipsburg, New Jersey site with ~10% travel to our Bridgewater, NJ site.  

The team    

Avantor’s Quality team is part of our Quality Assurance business unit. This team supports development and quality maintenance of products and processes by creating and implementing quality standard programs for existing products and services.   

What we’re looking for   

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree required 

• Experience: Minimum 8 years of Quality experience in a cGMP (Part 210/211, ICHQ7, IPEC, ISO) chemical manufacturing environment is required    

• Quality experience includes: audit management, qualification and validations, supplier management, incoming inspection, non-conformance management, material review board, QC analytical testing, batch release, customer feedback, field actions, CAPA, risk management., management of change, documentation management, training, and development. 

• Minimum 5 years of experience managing people 

• Minimum 5 years of experience leading Quality transformational change or continuous improvement 

• Collaboration Tool: Microsoft Teams experience preferred   

• Preferred Qualifications:   

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry, Life Science(s), Quality, or related field 

• People management in a union environment 

• Membership in Quality related industry associations (e.g. American Society for Quality) 

• Certification in - ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, ASQ, iPEC, Lean, Six Sigma 

How you will thrive and create an impact   

• Strong Quality operations leadership, management, and knowledge 

• Strong Quality control background, knowledge of QC lab operations and processes in a regulated environment 

• Strong people, systems, and process leadership skills 

• Excellent interpersonal skills, peer collaboration, negotiation and influencing skills 

• Ability to make sounds Quality decisions, with a significant impact, based on data analysis, facts and associated risk 

• Comfortable in a fast-paced, sophisticated, and regulated manufacturing environment with competing priorities 

• Lead the deployment of Quality philosophies, principles, methods and techniques (TPC, LSS, TQM, PFMEA, SPC, PLA, etc.) 

• Technically adept in chemical manufacturing processes 

• Ability to overcome challenges 

• Transformational leadership skills 

• Demonstrates a strong drive for results 

• Demonstrates the ability to maintain good emotional control in difficult circumstances 

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. Ability to clearly and crisply communicate 

• Demonstrated commitment to quality  

• Discernment for business  

Organizational Relationships/Scope: 

The Manager reports directly to the Director of Quality, Bioscience Production and directly manages the Quality team, quality assurance and quality control at the Phillipsburg, NJ and Bridgewater, NJ facilities. Depending on the facility, this individual will manage a group including collective bargaining unit team members. The Manager has routine customer interaction and works with employees of various levels both internally and externally. This individual works closely with manufacturing and other site management to achieve goals. 

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL EFFORT (Under Typical Positions) 

Typically works in an office environment with adequate lighting and ventilation and a normal range of temperature and noise level. 

Work assignments are diversified. Examples of past precedent are used to resolve work problems. New alternatives may be developed to resolve problems. 

A frequent volume of work and deadlines impose strain on routine basis.  

Minimal physical effort is required. Work is mostly sedentary but does require walking, standing, bending, reaching,