Head of Operations, Clinical Bioconjugation (Site Leader)

Lonza; Oberwallis; Remote; CHF 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Lonza is seeking a strategic Head of Operations for Clinical Bioconjugation at the Visp site. The role oversees a dedicated manufacturing unit of about 400-500 employees, with end-to-end accountability for operational performance, safety, quality, compliance, and financial efficiency.

Reporting to the Global Head Operations Advanced Synthesis, you will drive Lean transformation, process improvements and asset management while collaborating with Quality, Engineering, MSAT and Supply Chain.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical manufacturing operations.
• Proven senior leadership experience managing large, multilayered manufacturing organizations.
• Strong understanding of GMP manufacturing, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence.
• Fluent English; German is an advantage.
• MBA or Executive MBA is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead a dedicated manufacturing unit within the Visp site, taking ownership of operational performance and leveraging shared infrastructure and governance.
• Define and execute operational strategies aligned with business priorities, optimizing capacity, productivity, workforce planning and resource allocation.
• Foster a strong safety and quality culture, ensuring adherence to GMP, data integrity and regulatory expectations.
• Drive production performance, reliability, right-first-time execution and continuous improvement via Lean, automation and process optimization.
• Own budgets and controllable costs, oversee asset lifecycle strategies and sponsor capital investments.
• Inspire, develop and empower a multidisciplinary leadership team with succession planning.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, MSAT, Supply Chain and Visp site leadership for seamless execution.
• Represent Operations in strategic discussions, audits and regulatory inspections.

Skills

GMP compliance

Regulatory knowledge

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Automation

Strategic leadership

Budget management

Cross-functional collaboration

Process transfer

Biopharma manufacturing

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Chemical Engineering/related

MBA advantageous

Job description

Lonza is seeking a strategic Head of Operations for Clinical Bioconjugation at the Visp site. The role oversees a dedicated manufacturing unit of about 400-500 employees, with end-to-end accountability for operational performance, safety, quality, compliance, and financial efficiency.

Reporting to the Global Head Operations Advanced Synthesis, you will drive Lean transformation, process improvements and asset management while collaborating with Quality, Engineering, MSAT and Supply Chain.