Head of Facilities and Engineering - UK

GlaxoSmithKline; England; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global biopharma company is seeking a Head of Facilities & Engineering to provide strategic leadership at their UK R&D Hub. This role involves managing all engineering operations and ensuring compliance with standards in a fast-paced environment. Ideal candidates will have over 10 years of experience in an engineering leadership role and a strong background in capital projects. Join the team to drive impactful projects in the biopharma sector.

Benefits

Agile working culture

Inclusive workplace

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Operations or Engineering leadership role in a regulated environment.
• Pharma or Biotech R&D Engineering environment experience preferred.
• Experience delivering and managing large Capital Projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for facility operations at the UK R&D Hub.
• Manage engineering and safety operations for the regional portfolio.
• Ensure compliance with EHS and engineering standards.

Skills

Leadership

Operational management

Compliance management

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering discipline

Job description

Head of Facilities & Engineering – UK

The posting period will end on the 6th of August in 2025

Job Purpose:

The Head of Facilities and Engineering provides strategic leadership for facility operations at our UK R&D Hub (Stevenage, Addenbrookes, Harlow). In this role you will also act as the regional engineering and safety operations lead for the Europe portfolio of sites (Tres Cantos, Heidelberg and Berlin). You will be accountable for all engineering and safety support and services in the portfolio, delivering to the R&D footprint across Pharma and Vaccines.

You will also be accountable for the management and delivery of services and infrastructure across R&D site operations ensuring that these services support and facilitate all business operations. Infrastructure and services within R&D Operations are provided by contract service partners, and as such, the role will ensure effective local governance of the contracted relationships to confirm service delivery remains quality, safety and customer focused; infrastructure is robust; and effective service performance management is in place.

Currently, we have over £250 M in capital projects over the next three years focused on EHS/Life Safety, Business Continuity, Pipeline, Sustainability and Accessibility projects within our UK R&D facilities. This role will be accountable for prioritization and delivery of the capital portfolio and will ensure we remain compliant with our EHS and engineering standards across the sites.

Key responsibilities:

• Responsible for the provision of a single point of accountability for engineering services to the VP, R&D Engineering Services
• Be a member of the RDES (R&D Engineering Services) Leadership team and collaborate with peers as well as the broader Engineering & EHS Function to identify opportunities to improve the field of Engineering across the organisation
• Responsible for local delivery of all facilities and services within UK R&D Hub, ensuring cost, quality and compliance targets are achieved by key contract partners
• Relationship management with senior managers in GSK to ensure facilities infrastructure and services facilitate and support the full range of business operations whilst ensuring enterprise needs are aligned and balanced against local business needs and constraints
• You will build regional organizational capability and competence to deliver objectives and identify and execute value-add projects and the appropriate development and application of standards
• Responsible for all areas of the regional engineering operations, safety operations, statutory compliance, and Engineering staff development and deployment within the Region
• Support Real Estate with respect to business acquisitions and due diligence assessments of the businesses
• Ensure capital project delivery is appropriately prioritized to mitigate risk, support GSK business strategy, and improve the site environmental sustainability
• Ensure that risks associated with the RDES service delivery within the region are identified and appropriately managed and/or mitigated

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering discipline required
• 10+ years of experience in and Operations or Engineering leadership role in a regulated environment required
• Pharma or Biotech R&D Engineering environment experience preferred
• Experience delivering and managing large Capital Projects across a region working with CAPEX, OPEX and P&L required
• Experience leading Direct Reports and large matrix teams preferred paired with experience collaborating with and influencing stakeholders from various teams preferred

*LI-GSK

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. We prevent and treat disease with vaccines, specialty and general medicines. We focus on the science of the immune system and the use of new platform and data technologies, investing in four core therapeutic areas (infectious diseases, HIV, respiratory/ immunology and oncology).

Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves – feeling welcome, valued, and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us on or 0808 234 4391. The helpline is available from 8.30am to 12.00 noon Monday to Friday, during bank holidays these times and days may vary.

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