Director of Quality Assurance

Executive Recruit; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus potential

Benefits package

Career progression

Job summary

Executive Recruit seeks an experienced Director of Quality Assurance to lead the site Quality function and champion a culture of compliance and continuous improvement across manufacturing and laboratory operations.

This senior leadership role oversees the Pharmaceutical Quality System (PQS), regulatory inspection readiness, and the development of a capable, engaged quality team in collaboration with Operations, Technical, and Regulatory Affairs to uphold GMP standards during growth.

Qualifications

• Degree in a scientific discipline (pharmacy/chemistry/biology).
• Substantial quality leadership experience in MHRA/EMA-regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Detailed knowledge of EU GMP, ICH guidelines, validation, and risk management.
• Proven success leading regulatory inspections and customer audits.
• Strong influencing, communication, and people development skills.
• Pragmatic, solutions-focused, and committed to continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership across Quality Assurance and Quality Control at the site.
• Own and continuously improve the Pharmaceutical Quality System in line with EU GMP and MHRA expectations.
• Act as the site's primary point of contact for regulatory, customer, and third-party audits.
• Manage CAPA, deviations, change control, product quality reviews, and risk management processes.
• Ensure validation activities (process, cleaning, analytical) meet regulatory and internal requirements.
• Maintain inspection-ready documentation, SOPs, and technical agreements.
• Track and report quality KPIs, driving data-led improvement projects.
• Manage the quality budget, resource planning, and succession pipeline.
• Coach and develop the QA and QC teams to build technical depth and accountability.

Skills

Quality leadership

GMP knowledge

Regulatory inspections

Audit management

CAPA & deviations

Quality systems

Data-driven improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Degree in pharmacy, chemistry, biology

Job description

My client is seeking an experienced Director of Quality Assurance to lead the site Quality function and champion a culture of compliance and continuous improvement across manufacturing and laboratory operations.

This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for the Pharmaceutical Quality System (PQS), regulatory inspection readiness, and the development of a capable, engaged quality team. The successful candidate will work closely with Operations, Technical, and Regulatory Affairs to uphold GMP standards while supporting the site's growth plans.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership across Quality Assurance and Quality Control at the site.
• Own and continuously improve the Pharmaceutical Quality System in line with EU GMP and MHRA expectations.
• Act as the site's primary point of contact for regulatory, customer, and third-party audits.
• Manage CAPA, deviations, change control, product quality reviews, and risk management processes.
• Ensure validation activities (process, cleaning, analytical) meet regulatory and internal requirements.
• Maintain inspection-ready documentation, SOPs, and technical agreements.
• Track and report quality KPIs, driving data-led improvement projects.
• Manage the quality budget, resource planning, and succession pipeline.
• Coach and develop the QA and QC teams to build technical depth and accountability.

About You

• Degree in pharmacy, chemistry, biology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Substantial quality leadership experience within an MHRA- or EMA-regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.
• Detailed working knowledge of EU GMP, ICH guidelines, validation, and risk management.
• Demonstrated success leading regulatory inspections and customer audits.
• Strong influencing, communication, and people development skills.
• Pragmatic, solutions-focused, and committed to continuous improvement.

What's on Offer

• Senior leadership role with direct influence on site strategy and compliance.
• Opportunity to shape quality systems during a period of planned expansion.
• Competitive salary, bonus potential, and benefits package.
• Genuine scope for career progression within a growing organisation.