Operational Quality Manager

Gsk; Barnard Castle; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

GSK Barnard Castle is seeking an Operational Quality (OQ) Manager on a circa 15-month secondment/FTC. You will lead a team ensuring GMP adherence across production, warehouse, utilities and labs at a highly regulated site.

The role involves proactive quality culture, decision-making on quality escalations, and continuous improvement to prevent issues. You will report to the site Operational Quality Lead, manage ~4 direct reports, and oversee quality oversight processes with risk-based decision

Qualifications

• Degree in scientific/engineering discipline, or equivalent experience, ideally in pharma manufacturing.
• Operational Quality (OQ) experience.
• Experience leading teams; people management.
• Knowledge of cGMP requirements and QMS applications.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of ~4 direct reports ensuring GMP processes and personnel adherence to procedures.
• Perform spot-checks across GMP areas to ensure quality standards and compliance.
• Review Quality Oversight trends and ensure timely actions and adjustments to oversight frequency.
• Partner with area management to support Quality Oversight with department owners.
• Maintain current Quality Oversight risk assessment based on trends and changes.
• Ensure adherence to the Quality oversight schedule and action plans.
• Ensure facilities meet housekeeping standards with timely escalation and actions.
• Role-model GPS standards and participate in tiered accountability meetings.
• Foster QSWM culture through coaching on procedures, compliance, and patient safety.

Skills

Data Integrity

Detail-Oriented

Digital Fluency

GxP Regulations

Influencing Without Authority

Lean Management

Pharmaceutical Regulatory Compliance

Problem Solving

Quality Assurance (QA)

Risk Awareness

Technical Writing

Education

Degree in relevant Scientific/Engineering discipline

Job description

Operational Quality (OQ) Manager – Circa 15-month Secondment / Fixed Term Contract (FTC)

Locations: UK - County Durham - Barnard Castle

Country: United Kingdom

Work arrangement: On-Site

Time type: Full time

Description

The Quality function promotes quality and compliance through the product life-cycle within the wider manufacturing and production operations at GSK Barnard Castle Manufacturing Site. The Quality function at GSK plays a critical role in ensuring our products meet the highest standards of safety, efficacy, and compliance. As part of this team you will uphold our commitment to delivering high-quality medicines and vaccines, and healthcare products to patients and consumers around the world.

Job Purpose

Reporting into the site’s Operational Quality Lead, The Operational Quality Manager manages a team with responsibility for ensures (across the Barnard Castle site) adherence to GMP standards and procedures through independent oversight of processes via Quality Oversight.

The wider remit of the role is to improve the effectiveness of quality in preventing, identifying and addressing quality issues by encouraging a proactive quality culture (including continuous improvement). The role maintains presence and is accountable for key quality-related decision-making and/or quality escalations, as well as ensuring the frequency and detail of quality oversight process reflects the risk and potential impact of the different processes being overseen.

Direct Reports

As team-manager you will have approximately 4 direct reports.

Key Responsibilities

• Management of a team responsible for ensuring GMP processes and operational personnel adhere to local or area specific procedures, minimising risk of non-compliance and always maintaining inspection readiness.
• Perform spot-checks of activities across GMP areas (including but not limited to production, Warehouse, Utilities and laboratory areas) to ensure compliance with quality standards.
• Review trends from the Quality Oversight process to ensure timely completion of identified actions and implementation of changes to oversight frequency or methods.
• Partnering with area management to ensure Quality Oversight process is supported by departments owners.
• Keep the Quality Oversight risk assessment current based on identified trends and process changes.
• Ensure adherence to frequency of oversight mandated in the Quality oversight schedule.
• Check that facilities are being maintained in line with local housekeeping standards and any deviation from the standards are escalated with associated actions addressed (within a timely manner).
• Role model the GPS standards, participating through tiered accountability meetings (for example, production change over meetings).
• Foster the Quality Starts With Me (QSWM) culture by providing coaching to employees on the importance of following procedures, doing the right thing and explaining the impact non-compliance can have on product quality and patient safety.

Shift Pattern:

Please note that this role operates on a 24/7 shift pattern (4 days on & 4 days off). The shift includes night and weekend work.

Please Note:

This secondment / Fixed Term Contract (FTC) is expected to last circa 15-months in duration. Please ensure you have spoken with your line-manager to ensure they are supportive of your application (this includes a timely-release from your current responsibilities should you be offered the Secondment).

About You:

As this role is multi-faceted and includes liaising with a wide variety of on-site production and operations teams, you will be a self-motivated person who has strong experience of working in operational quality role at a complex highly-regulated manufacturing site. You should have people-management experience. You will be resilient and calm under pressure, with strong people skills and a proven ability to influence people to achieve objectives and drive performance. You will have a strong continuous improvement mindset. Effective written and verbal communication and excellent interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to organise and prioritise workload are considered essential skills.

Please note that experience of working in a sterile manufacturing environment (in a Quality Assurance, Manufacturing or Technical role) would be a distinct advantage.

About Barnard Castle:

GSK Barnard Castle is a key secondary manufacturing site. We have invested heavily in industry 4.0 state of the art bespoke equipment to support sustained new product introductions and volume increases. As a key supplier of some of GSK’s blockbuster products the site contributes revenues of ~$2Bn annually.

CLOSING DATE for applications:

Friday 16 th of October 2026 (COB).

Basic Qualifications:

• Degree in relevant Scientific, Technical or Engineering discipline (or equivalent experience, ideally gained working in a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility or similar highly-regulated industry).
• Relevant Operational Quality (OQ) experience.
• Team management experience.
• Knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements.
• Knowledge and application of Quality Management Systems (QMS).

What we value:

We welcome people who bring curiosity, humility and a practical approach. We are committed to inclusion and to creating a supportive environment where everyone can grow. If you enjoy solving real problems, delivering measurable results, and helping teams succeed, we encourage you to apply.

If you would like to learn more about our company wide benefits and life at GSK we would suggest looking at our webpage Life at GSK | GSK .

Skills

Data Integrity, Detail-Oriented, Digital Fluency, GxP Regulations, Influencing Without Authority, Lean Management, Pharmaceutical Regulatory Compliance, Problem Solving, Quality Assurance (QA), Risk Awareness, Technical Writing

Why GSK?

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

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

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.

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