Automation Lead

Discover International; Deutschland; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Discover International is seeking an Automation Lead to take technical ownership of automation across upstream biopharmaceutical production, guiding design, commissioning, qualification, start-up and ongoing GMP operations. You will lead automation activities across upstream manufacturing, act as SME for DeltaV DCS and OT systems, and support integration with historians, MES and broader manufacturing systems.

Fluent English is required; German would be advantageous.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in automation within pharma/biotech GMP environments.
• Hands-on DeltaV experience required.
• Experience with bioreactors and single-use systems.
• Experience with commissioning, qualification, validation and troubleshooting.
• Knowledge of GMP data integrity, change control, deviations and CAPAs.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead automation activities across upstream manufacturing.
• Act as SME for DeltaV DCS, batch control and OT systems.
• Support design, configuration, commissioning, qualification and handover of automation systems.
• Provide automation support for bioreactors, seed trains, media preparation, single-use systems and process skids.
• Lead or support FAT, SAT, IQ, OQ and PQ activities.
• Ensure systems meet GMP, validation, data integrity and regulatory requirements.
• Work closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Validation, IT/OT, vendors and system integrators.
• Support change control, deviations, CAPAs and automation lifecycle management.
• Improve batch execution, recipe management, process control and system reliability.
• Support integration with historians, MES and wider manufacturing systems.

Skills

Automation expertise

Emerson DeltaV

GMP knowledge

Documentation & QA

Leadership

Commissioning & Validation

Biopharma manufacturing

English fluency

German language (adv)

Job description

We are supporting a highly automated biopharmaceutical manufacturing organisation looking for an Automation Lead to take technical ownership of automation across upstream production.

The role will support automation from design and commissioning through qualification, production start-up and ongoing GMP operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead automation activities across upstream manufacturing and drug substance operations.
• Act as technical SME for DeltaV DCS, batch control and OT systems.
• Support design, configuration, commissioning, qualification and handover of automation systems.
• Provide automation support for bioreactors, seed trains, media preparation, single-use systems and process skids.
• Lead or support FAT, SAT, IQ, OQ and PQ activities.
• Ensure systems meet GMP, validation, data integrity and regulatory requirements.
• Work closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Validation, IT/OT, vendors and system integrators.
• Support change control, deviations, CAPAs and automation lifecycle management.
• Improve batch execution, recipe management, process control and system reliability.
• Support integration with historians, MES and wider manufacturing systems.

Requirements

• Strong automation experience within pharma, biotech, biologics or GMP manufacturing.
• Proven experience supporting upstream processing or drug substance manufacturing.
• Strong hands-on experience with Emerson DeltaV.
• Good understanding of bioreactors, fed-batch processes, single-use technologies and media preparation.
• Experience with commissioning, qualification, validation and troubleshooting.
• Strong knowledge of GMP documentation, data integrity, change control, deviations and CAPAs.
• Strong technical leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluent English required; German would be advantageous.