Head of Site Development and Support Services

Lonza; Basel; On-site; Vertraulich; Full time

Job summary

Lonza seeks a senior leader to drive the Visp site’s development and support services. You will govern strategic evolution, manage infrastructure investment, and lead the Visp Innovation Program to deliver significant savings by 2030.

You will oversee an OPEX budget and CAPEX portfolio, manage 100+ employees and external partners, and report to executive leadership while shaping site competitiveness and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in strategic site development and infrastructure planning.
• Proven track record leading enterprise-wide initiatives with measurable impact.
• Strong strategic thinking with ability to translate long-term vision into actions.
• Expertise in portfolio and program management, budgets at scale.
• Deep understanding of operational excellence methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma).
• Exceptional stakeholder management with senior leadership experience.
• Ability to lead large, diverse teams and external partners.
• Strong communication and change leadership across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, governance for the site's strategic evolution and masterplan.
• Shape site investment priorities and influence network‑level decisions.
• Deliver high‑impact projects to enable productivity and engagement.
• Advise Site Head on long‑term development and competitiveness initiatives.
• Own governance and reporting framework of the Visp Innovation Program.
• Head the Transformation Office for the Visp Innovation Program and target savings.
• Ensure transparent reporting up to EC OPC and manage risks/issues.
• Foster cross‑functional collaboration and best practice sharing.
• Manage OPEX 20‑30 MCHF and CAPEX 60‑80 MCHF, plus 100+ staff and partners.
• Engage Executive Committee and maintain governance for strategy delivery.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Portfolio management

Stakeholder management

Transformation programs

Data-driven decisions

Communication at executive level

Change leadership

Risk management

Education

Master's degree in a relevant field

PMP / Prince2 Certification

Tools

Lean Six Sigma

Job description

Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across five continents. While we work in science, there’s no magic formula to how we do it. Our greatest scientific solution is talented people working together, devising ideas that help businesses to help people. In exchange, we let our people own their careers. Their ideas, big and small, genuinely improve the world. And that’s the kind of work we want to be part of.

We are looking for a Head of Site Development and Support Services to join our team!

Role Purpose:

The Head of Site Development and Support Services plays a critical role in ensuring the long‑term evolution and competitiveness of the Visp site. The role is accountable for strategic site master planning, infrastructure development, and the Visp Innovation Program, including governance and portfolio management to deliver 300 MCHF savings by 2030.

It ensures high‑quality, compliant support services and fosters innovation and operational excellence across Shared Infrastructure, while managing an OPEX budget of 20-30 MCHF and a CAPEX portfolio of 60-80 MCHF. Leading a team of 100+ employees plus multiple outsourced service partners, the position influences executive‑level decisions and aligns site priorities with corporate strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Site Development & Governance:

• Lead planning, oversight, and governance for the site’s strategic evolution, including the Strategic Site Masterplan, Risk Management, Utility & Infrastructure Investment Planning as member of the Site Leadership Team.

• Shapes site‑wide investment priorities and influences network‑level strategic decisions through participation in senior governance forums.

• Accountable for delivery of high‑impact projects that enable employee productivity and engagement, such as Office Building A, Lonza Avenue, Mobility, and Catering expansion.

• Act as a strategic advisor to the Site Head on long‑term site development, infrastructure investments, and competitiveness initiatives.

Transformation Office Visp Innovation:

• Own the governance, portfolio management, value realization and executive reporting framework of the Visp Innovation Program.

• Head the Transformation Office for the Visp Innovation Program, targeting 300 MCHF savings by 2030 in line with Lonza Ambition to ensure competitiveness of the largest site in the network.

• Driving transparent reporting up to EC OPC and ensuring risks & issues are addressed in order to successfully deliver the Program.

• Foster cross‑functional collaboration, best practice sharing, and operational excellence across platforms and functions.

Operational Excellence in Support Services and SI:

• Ensure efficient, high‑quality delivery and continuous improvement across site services and employee infrastructure.

• Accountable for GMP‑related activities such as Central Hygiene and GMP Cleaning in close alignment with QA and platform operations, ensuring compliance while driving continuous improvements and savings.

• Drive the overall innovation portfolio and LBMS Maturity across the Shared Infrastructure organization embedding an operational excellence culture, mindset and standardized ways of working, and facilitate delivery of the annual targeted savings.

Financial & Organizational Leadership:

• Manage an OPEX budget of 20-30 MCHF and a CAPEX portfolio of 60-80 MCHF, ensuring optimal resource allocation and investment strategy, aligned with corporate ambition and site priorities.

• Lead a diverse organization of 100+ employees plus multiple external (outsourcing) partners, instilling a culture of customer focus, innovation, and continuous improvement.

• Actively manage senior stakeholder expectations, including Executive Committee engagement, and ensure transparent performance reporting and governance.

Key Stakeholders:

• Site Leadership Team, SI Leadership Team
• Global Platform Ops Heads
• Executive Committee members, including Group Operations and Quality leadership

Required Skills and Competencies:

• Challenges the status quo and proactively seeks innovative solutions for complex site development and transformation needs.

• Adapts quickly to changing priorities and business requirements while maintaining strategic focus.

• Navigates ambiguity with confidence, ensuring clear communication and alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.

• Communicates effectively at all levels, including Executive Committee, fostering transparency and trust.

• Demonstrates a deep understanding of the company’s business model, market dynamics, and strategic priorities.

• Translates long‑term vision into actionable plans that optimize site competitiveness and operational efficiency.

• Makes data‑driven decisions balancing cost, risk, and value creation for the organization.

• Anticipates future trends and integrates them into site development and infrastructure strategies.

• Builds strong partnerships across platforms, functions, and external partners to achieve shared objectives.

• Promotes a culture of openness and knowledge sharing, enabling best practice adoption across the site.

• Facilitates cross‑functional alignment and resolves conflicts constructively to maintain progress on strategic initiatives.

• Acts as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, ensuring engagement and buy‑in for key programs.

• Ensures support services and infrastructure solutions meet the evolving needs of internal customers and employees.

• Champions initiatives that enhance employee experience and productivity across the site.

• Maintains a service mindset while balancing compliance, efficiency, and cost‑effectiveness.

• Continuously seeks feedback and drives improvements to deliver superior customer satisfaction

• Sets ambitious goals aligned with corporate strategy and ensures accountability for delivery.

• Monitors progress through robust governance and performance management frameworks.

• Removes barriers and mobilizes resources to achieve program milestones and financial targets (i.e. 300 MCHF savings).

• Demonstrates resilience and persistence in overcoming challenges to deliver sustainable outcomes.

• Provides clear vision and direction, inspiring teams to embrace transformation and continuous improvement.

• Develops talent and builds organizational capability to support long‑term site strategy.

• Leads by example, fostering a culture of integrity, accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence.

• Influences at the highest levels of the organization, shaping decisions that impact site and enterprise success.

Qualification& Experience :

• Extensive experience in strategic site development, infrastructure planning, and large‑scale transformation programs within complex, multinational environments.
• Proven track record of leading enterprise‑wide initiatives and delivering measurable impact (e.g., cost optimization, operational excellence, and site competitiveness).
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen, with ability to translate long‑term vision into actionable plans and governance frameworks.
• Expertise in portfolio and program management, ideally with advanced certifications (e.g., PMP, Prince2, or equivalent), and experience managing CAPEX/ OPEX budgets at scale.
• Deep understanding of operational excellence methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma) and ability to embed continuous improvement culture across diverse teams.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, including experience engaging with Executive Committee and senior leadership in a global matrix organization.
• Ability to lead large, diverse teams and external partners, fostering collaboration, innovation, and customer‑centric service delivery.
• Strong communication and change leadership skills, capable of driving alignment and engagement across multiple functions and platforms.
• Resilience and adaptability to navigate complex environments and manage risk proactively.

Every day, Lonza’s products and services have a positive impact on millions of people. For us, this is not only a great privilege, but also a great responsibility. How we achieve our business results is just as important as the achievements themselves. At Lonza, we respect and protect our people and our environment. Any success we achieve is no success at all if not achieved ethically.

People come to Lonza for the challenge and creativity of solving complex problems and developing new ideas in life sciences. In return, we offer the satisfaction that comes with improving lives all around the world. The satisfaction that comes with making a meaningful difference.