External Manufacturing Innovation Technical Lead

Opella; Fatih; On-site; TRY 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Opella in Istanbul is seeking an External Manufacturing Innovation Technical Lead to drive technical strategy across external manufacturing partners. You will evaluate and implement robust, cost-efficient manufacturing solutions aligned with quality, supply, and business goals.

Responsibilities include leading due diligence, CDMO visits, and cross-functional coordination to ensure timely execution of innovation projects. The role requires 5+ years in PM and production, with a science degree.

Qualifications

• Experience in pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare, food supplement, OTC or related regulated manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of CMO/CDMO operations, technology transfer, process scale-up, validation, packaging, quality systems and launch readiness.
• Proven ability to conduct technical assessments, due diligence and partner/site evaluations.
• Strong project management discipline, including milestone planning, risk management, stakeholder alignment and governance preparation.
• Ability to work across complex cross-functional networks and influence decisions without direct authority.
• Commercial awareness, with the ability to connect technical choices to cost, timeline, supply continuity, gross margin and business case assumptions.
• Any Science degree 5+ years of Experience in project management; 3+ years in production or related field.

Responsibilities

• Act as the EM M&S technical lead for assigned innovation initiatives, from early concept and feasibility through launch readiness and post-launch lessons learned.
• Plan, perform and document technical visits to new and existing CMOs/CDMOs to assess capabilities, equipment fit, manufacturing process readiness, capacity, supply robustness, packaging capability, technology requirements and operational constraints.
• Lead or contribute to technical due diligence for licensing, buy, make-externally and partner-supply opportunities. Assess technical data, manufacturing process maturity, quality and supply risks, site readiness, capacity assumptions, documentation completeness and potential remediation requirements; organize and lead regular CDMO Innovation Showcase workshops to identify, evaluate, and advance innovative concepts that strengthen the innovation pipeline.
• Contribute to Communication & Change management with Key Stakeholders
• Manage the end-to-end execution plan for assigned innovation projects, including milestones, risks, resources, decision points, financial assumptions, governance deliverables and cross-functional action tracking
• Build and maintain technical risk assessments and mitigation plans, including risks related to formulation, packaging, process transfer, validation, raw and packaging material qualification, regulatory readiness, capacity, CAPEX and launch supply.
• Coordinate closely with Innovation, Brand/R&D, Development Centres, Regulatory, Medical/PV, Quality, Procurement, Finance, Packaging, Supply Chain, Legal/IP and external partners to ensure aligned decisions and timely execution
• Prepare weekly meeting to Project Governance Meetings and also Drive Sustainability Build By Design in conjunction with B&I.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Process scale-up

Quality systems

Technical due diligence

Influence without authority

Commercial awareness

Education

Science degree

Job description

Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally.

Our mission: to bring health in people's hands by making self-care as simple as it should be for over half a billion consumers worldwide.

At the core of this mission is our 100+ loved brands, our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and four specialized science and innovation development centers.

Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world's most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan. B Corp certified in multiple markets, we are active players in the journey towards healthier people and planet.

Find out more about our mission to bring health in your hands at www.opella.com.

About the job

Location : İstanbul, Europe

As the External Manufacturing Innovation Technical Lead , you will serve as the key technical authority for innovation projects across Opella's external manufacturing network, driving successful delivery in partnership with CMO/CDMO organizations and internal cross-functional stakeholders. You will lead the evaluation, development, and implementation of manufacturing solutions that are technically robust, compliant, cost-effective, and aligned with quality, supply, and business requirements. In addition, you will conduct technical assessments and due diligence of potential manufacturing partners, proactively identify operational and supply chain risks, and define mitigation and execution strategies to enable efficient project progression and long-term innovation success.

Key Responsibilities

Action Areas, Deliverables and Outcomes

• Act as the EM M&S technical lead for assigned innovation initiatives, from early concept and feasibility through launch readiness and post-launch lessons learned.
• Plan, perform and document technical visits to new and existing CMOs/CDMOs to assess capabilities, equipment fit, manufacturing process readiness, capacity, supply robustness, packaging capability, technology requirements and operational constraints.
• Lead or contribute to technical due diligence for licensing, buy, make-externally and partner-supply opportunities. Assess technical data, manufacturing process maturity, quality and supply risks, site readiness, capacity assumptions, documentation completeness and potential remediation requirements
  Organise and lead regular CDMO Innovation Showcase workshops to identify, evaluate, and advance innovative concepts that strengthen the innovation pipeline.
• Contribute to Communication & Change management with Key Stakeholders

Project Management (Innovation/Tech Transfer)

• Manage the end-to-end execution plan for assigned innovation projects, including milestones, risks, resources, decision points, financial assumptions, governance deliverables and cross-functional action tracking
• Build and maintain technical risk assessments and mitigation plans, including risks related to formulation, packaging, process transfer, validation, raw and packaging material qualification, regulatory readiness, capacity, CAPEX and launch supply.
• Coordinate closely with Innovation, Brand/R&D, Development Centres, Regulatory, Medical/PV, Quality, Procurement, Finance, Packaging, Supply Chain, Legal/IP and external partners to ensure aligned decisions and timely execution
• Prepare weekly meeting to Project Governance Meetings and also Drive Sustainability Build By Design in conjunction with B&I.

Sourcing cases

• Manage, coordinate & lead the completion of the sourcing cases related to the projects
• Promote & Influence respective stakeholders on the preferred CDMO network for all projects.

Operational Excellence

• Capture lessons learned from partner due diligence, site visits and project execution, and translate them into improved ways of working, checklists and future project guidance
• Contribute to the identification of key opportunities in production process to increase productivity.
• To participate in the COGs reduction and to identify other opportunities at CMO/CDMO, including sustainability initiatives.
• Contribute to CMO rationalization strategy.

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience in pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare, food supplement, OTC or related regulated manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of CMO/CDMO operations, technology transfer, process scale-up, validation, packaging, quality systems and launch readiness.
• Proven ability to conduct technical assessments, due diligence and partner/site evaluations.
• Strong project management discipline, including milestone planning, risk management, stakeholder alignment and governance preparation.
• Ability to work across complex cross-functional networks and influence decisions without direct authority.
• Commercial awareness, with the ability to connect technical choices to cost, timeline, supply continuity, gross margin and business case assumptions.
• Any Science degree 5+ years of Experience in project management; 3+ years in production or related field.

Why us?

At Opella, you will enjoy doing challenging, purposeful work, empowered to develop consumer brands with passion and creativity. This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative, and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day.

We Are Challengers.

We are dedicated to making self-care as simple as it should be. That starts with our culture. We are challengers by nature, and this is how we do things:

All In Together: We keep each other honest and have each other's backs.

Courageous: We break boundaries and take thoughtful risks with creativity.

Outcome-Obsessed: We are personally accountable, driving sustainable impact and results with integrity.

Radically Simple: We strive to make things simple for us and simple for consumers, as it should be.

Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands.

www.opella.com/en/careers