Lead Quality Control Planner

Kyowa Kirin is a fast-growing global specialty pharmaceutical company that applies state-of-the-art biotechnologies to discover and deliver novel medicines in four disease areas: bone and mineral; intractable hematologic; hematology oncology; and rare disease.  A Japan-based company, our goal is to translate science into smiles by delivering therapies where no adequate treatments currently exist, working from drug discovery to product development and commercialization. In North America, we are headquartered in Princeton, NJ, with offices in California, North Carolina, and Mississauga, Ontario.

The Lead Planner, Quality Control will play a critical role in the start-up, and operations of the Quality Control organization within the new Kyowa Kirin North America monoclonal antibody drug substance manufacturing facility in Sanford, NC. This role will initially involve working in a greenfield environment and will transition to provide technical leadership to the QC organization throughout the GMP-ready, Tech Transfer, and facility licensure activities for the manufacturing of Phase III and early commercial products. Accountable to ensure compliance with the Quality Control and Manufacturing operations with current GxP Standards and with all applicable Global, Regional and Site procedures within Kyowa Kirin’s Quality Management System.

As an individual contributor, you will take a compassionate and people-focused approach to your work. You will proactively collaborate with others to help foster an inclusive environment, consistently acting in alignment with the organization’s values. By using strong interpersonal skills, you will work effectively with diverse viewpoints, manage relationships thoughtfully, and make decisions that meet both individual and team needs. You will be accountable for delivering results, adapting to challenges, and helping achieve business goals. Additionally, you will take ownership of your tasks, act with initiative, and continuously seek opportunities to learn and grow. You will handle change with resilience and clarity, staying flexible in a fast-paced environment while keeping the needs of patients at the center of your efforts.

This role reports to the Senior Manager, Quality Control

•    Coordinate, schedule, and oversee contracted laboratory services and contracted staff.
•    Lead quality-focused projects from concept through closure, collaborating with Clinical Operations, Regulatory, Manufacturing, and other cross-functional teams.
•    Expertise in project planning, resource loading, scheduling, task prioritization, and dependency management and experienced in developing and maintaining project dashboards, minutes, status reports, and issue logs.
•    Skilled in applying data-driven decision-making to evaluate project continuation, prioritization, acceleration, or redesign.
•    Ability to establish standard methodologies, frameworks, and coach/mentor team members in project management and operational excellence practices.
•    Experienced in QC capacity management across contract testing laboratories (CTLs), including prioritization of testing, constraint identification, and strategic resource coordination.
•    Strong ability to manage QC communications, lead team meetings, and maintain alignment among internal and external stakeholders.
•    Skill in authoring, reviewing, and approving SOPs, policies, protocols, and technical reports.
•    Provide training and mentorship to QC analytical staff and oversee inventory management, sample movement, and collaboration with supply chain teams.
•    Build and lead cross-functional project teams while driving collaborative solution development and execution and facilitate strong communication channels across Clinical, Regulatory, Manufacturing, and external partners (e.g., CTLs).
•    Recognized for developing trusted partnerships and maintaining high alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.
•    Conduct internal customer feedback sessions, process mapping, and business process analyses to drive operational improvements.
•    Lead and implement CAPA initiatives and continuous improvement programs across Quality and QC functions.
•    Capable of designing and implementing standard practices to elevate organizational project management and operational excellence maturity and proficient in managing and approving QC investigations, deviations, change controls, and CAPA development/implementation.
•    Skilled in ensuring QC laboratory compliance, overseeing documentation integrity, and maintaining audit readiness and strong working knowledge of cGMP regulations, FDA/ICH guidelines, and Quality System requirements.
•    Experienced in Quality Agreements, regulatory filings, and Health Authority engagement.
•    Assist in annual Quality budget planning, partnering with Quality leadership and Finance to track, forecast, and manage departm