Principal Architect - Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology

GCS; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

GCS is seeking a Principal Architect to provide architectural leadership across a complex pharmaceutical manufacturing environment, guiding strategy across manufacturing, labs, quality, and IT platforms in a GMP-regulated setting.

You will shape the digital manufacturing landscape, drive IT/OT convergence, and ensure alignment with regulatory, data integrity and cybersecurity requirements while mentoring teams and guiding investments.

Qualifications

• Experience leading architecture across complex regulated manufacturing environments.
• Proven ability to define roadmaps, standards and governance.
• Strong stakeholder management in cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the site technology architecture strategy, standards, roadmaps, and target-state architectures.
• Lead architecture governance across IT, OT, automation, manufacturing, laboratory, quality, and enterprise systems.
• Drive IT/OT convergence and integration across ERP/MES/LIMS/QMS and related platforms.
• Guide digital manufacturing initiatives including MES, electronic batch records, analytics, and cloud/edge tech.
• Ensure architecture decisions align with GMP, data integrity and cybersecurity requirements.
• Develop and maintain architecture artefacts, lifecycle roadmaps, and records.
• Assess risks, technical debt, and remediation strategies; support investment decisions.
• Facilitate architecture boards and design reviews; mentor other architects and engineers.

Skills

Enterprise Architecture

Solution Architecture

GxP compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Role - Principal Architect - Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology

Duration - 6 months with very likely extension

Location - Hybrid / Remote

Shape the Future of Digital Manufacturing

We are seeking an experienced Principal Architect to provide architectural leadership across a complex pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. This role will define and govern technology strategy across manufacturing, laboratories, quality, engineering, warehouse operations, automation, infrastructure, data, cybersecurity, and enterprise platforms.

Working at the heart of a highly regulated GMP environment, you will ensure technology investments support operational excellence, product quality, regulatory compliance, patient safety, and long-term digital transformation objectives.

This is a highly visible leadership role partnering with Site Leadership, Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering, Automation, Validation, Supply Chain, OT, and IT teams to shape the future technology landscape of a modern pharmaceutical manufacturing site.

What You'll Be Doing

• Define and own the site technology architecture strategy, standards, principles, roadmaps, and target-state architectures.
• Lead architecture governance across IT, OT, automation, manufacturing, laboratory, quality, and enterprise systems.
• Drive IT/OT convergence and integration across platforms including ERP, MES, LIMS, QMS, WMS, EDMS, SCADA, DCS, PLC, historians, serialisation systems, CMMS, BMS, EMS, and manufacturing equipment.
• Guide digital manufacturing initiatives including MES, electronic batch records, paperless production, laboratory digitisation, analytics, AI, integration, cloud, and edge technologies.
• Ensure architecture decisions align with GMP, GxP, CSV/CSA, data integrity, cybersecurity, validation, and operational resilience requirements.
• Develop and maintain architecture artefacts including capability maps, data flows, system landscapes, integration diagrams, lifecycle roadmaps, and architecture decision records.
• Assess technical debt, obsolescence, compliance risks, cyber exposure, and platform lifecycle concerns, creating pragmatic remediation strategies.
• Support technology investment decisions through evaluation of business value, compliance impact, operational risk, scalability, maintainability, and total cost of ownership.
• Facilitate architecture review boards, design authorities, risk assessments, and supplier design reviews.
• Mentor architects, technical leads, automation engineers, and system owners across the organisation.

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience in Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture, Manufacturing IT, OT Architecture, Digital Manufacturing, or senior technology leadership roles within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and processes.
• Proven experience defining architecture roadmaps, standards, governance frameworks, integration strategies, and platform lifecycle plans.
• Experience supporting GxP-regulated environments, including validation, data integrity, change control, audit readiness, and inspection support.
• Experience working with cross-functional stakeholders including Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Automation, Validation, Supply Chain, Cybersecurity, and Infrastructure teams.

Knowledge of manufacturing systems includes:

• ERP
• MES
• LIMS
• ELN
• QMS
• WMS
• eBR/eBMR
• SCADA
• DCS
• PLC
• Process Historians
• Serialisation platforms

Desirable Experience

• TOGAF or equivalent architecture certification.
• Experience with ISA-95, ISA-88, IEC 62443, Purdue Model, NIST, ISO 27001, GAMP 5, CSA, or similar frameworks.
• Experience supporting large-scale digital transformation, site expansion, manufacturing modernisation, OT remediation, or paperless manufacturing programmes.
• Exposure to cloud platforms, advanced analytics, AI, and Industry 4.0 initiatives within regulated environments.