Associate Director of Engineering

Viatris; Inverin; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Pension

Bonus scheme

Career progression opportunities

Job summary

Viatris is seeking an Associate Director of Engineering (Equipment, Facilities & Utilities Maintenance) in Ireland. This senior role leads maintenance strategy, drives reliability and compliance for pharmaceutical operations, and oversees large capital projects and valuation of facilities upgrades.

The role requires extensive pharma leadership, GMP knowledge, and strong communication to partner with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain and MS&T teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering.
• Extensive plant engineering leadership in the pharmaceutical industry with sterile drug manufacture and cGMP requirements.
• Strong understanding of Annex I, US and EMA GMP regulations, with experience in regulatory audits (HPRA, FDA).
• Proven experience in aseptic process and contamination control strategies, including cleaning and disinfection validation.
• Experience planning, designing and managing significant capital expansion projects with equipment qualification, validation and facilities upgrades.
• Strong people leadership with a track record of building high-performing teams.
• PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt or Lean Manufacturing certification preferred.
• Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills with strong problem-solving and critical thinking.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary maintenance, engineering and facilities teams for high performance.
• Develop and execute multi-year engineering and capital investment strategies.
• Drive reliability, asset lifecycle management and preventive maintenance across site infrastructure.
• Develop and promote an RCM strategy using FMECA/FMEA, trend analysis and control charts.
• Oversee validation protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ) for equipment and facilities.
• Ensure full compliance with HPRA, FDA, GMP, cGMP, ISO and other standards. Audit readiness.
• Manage annual and multi-year capital budgets and capital projects.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain and MS&T to align needs and sustainability goals.
• Opportunity for progression to Site Engineering Director based on performance.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory audits

Project management

GMP knowledge

Quality systems

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering

PMP

Six Sigma Black Belt

Lean Manufacturing certification

Job description

The Role & What You Will Be Doing

The Associate Director of Engineering (Equipment, Facilities & Utilities Maintenance) is a senior leadership role responsible for developing and executing maintenance strategies for equipment, facilities, and utility systems, ensuring alignment with organisational goals, regulatory requirements, and industry standards while maintaining high levels of safety, quality, compliance, and efficiency.

Every day, we rise to the challenge to make a difference and here’s how the Associate Director of Engineering role will make an impact:

• Lead, mentor and develop multidisciplinary maintenance, engineering and facilities teams, fostering accountability, engagement and high performance.
• Develop and execute multi-year engineering and capital investment strategies to support capacity, compliance and business growth.
• Drive engineering reliability, asset lifecycle management, preventive maintenance and technical problem‑solving across site infrastructure including HVAC, water systems, power distribution and cleanrooms.
• Develop, implement and promote a Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) strategy using FMECA/FMEA assessments, trend analysis and control charts to optimise equipment performance.
• Oversee validation and qualification protocols (IQ, OQ, PQ) for pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment and facilities.
• Ensure full compliance with HPRA, FDA, GMP, cGMP, ISO and other global regulatory standards, supporting inspections and maintaining audit‑ready operations.
• Manage annual and multi-year capital budgets, overseeing capital projects and facility upgrades to deliver cost‑effective, sustainable solutions.
• Partner closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain and MS&T teams to align on operational needs and drive sustainability initiatives.
• This role offers significant growth potential, positioning the successful candidate for progression to Site Engineering Director in the near term, subject to performance.

About Your Skills & Experience

For this role, we’re looking for a candidate who has an effective combination of the following qualifications, skills and experiences:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Biomedical, Industrial or related field).
• Extensive plant engineering leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with a strong understanding of sterile drug manufacture and cGMP requirements.
• Strong understanding of Annex I, US and EMA GMP regulations, with practical experience in regulatory audits (HPRA, FDA).
• Proven experience in aseptic process and contamination control strategies, including cleaning and disinfection validation.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, design and manage significant capital expansion projects, with experience in equipment qualification, validation and facilities upgrades.
• Strong people leadership skills with a proven track record of building and developing high-performing, multidisciplinary teams.
• PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt or Lean Manufacturing certification preferred.
• Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills with strong problem‑solving and critical thinking ability.

Benefits at Viatris

At Viatris, we offer competitive salaries, benefits and an inclusive environment where you can use your experiences, perspectives and skills to help make an impact on the lives of others. Some of our benefits include:

• Excellent career progression opportunities
• Work‑life balance initiatives
• Bonus scheme
• Health insurance
• Pension

Diversity & Inclusion at Viatris

At Viatris, diversity and inclusion are essential to our mission. The diversity we foster in all aspects of our business can be one of our greatest strengths in redefining healthcare not as it is, but as it should be. If you would like to know more about what diversity, equity and inclusion means to us, please visit https://www.viatris.com/en/Careers/Diversity-and-Inclusion

Sustainability at Viatris

Corporate social responsibility is fundamental to the Viatris mission. We work to advance responsible and sustainable operations and leverage our collective expertise to empower people to live healthier at every stage of life, recognizing that our actions affect the stakeholders and communities we serve. To learn more about our efforts, please visit https://www.viatris.com/en/about-us/corporate-responsibility

Viatris is an Equal Opportunity Employer.