Associate Director, Maintenance

Lonza; Walkersville (MD); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-related bonus

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k) matching plan

Life insurance, short-term & long-term

Employee assistance programs

Paid time off (PTO)

Job summary

Lonza is seeking an experienced Associate Director, Maintenance for our Walkersville, MD site. You will lead maintenance, utilities, and reliability to ensure safe, compliant operations and manage external partners.

We offer a highly competitive base salary with bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits package. The role emphasizes budget development, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement across asset performance at our Walkersville manufacturing site.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience managing maintenance, utilities, or facilities within a pharmaceutical, biotech, or regulated manufacturing environment.
• Proven leadership experience managing cross-functional teams, including maintenance, utilities, and reliability engineering personnel.
• Strong technical knowledge of facility systems, including HVAC, GMP utilities, and biologics manufacturing operations.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and outsourced service providers, including performance monitoring and contract management.
• Solid understanding of reliability engineering principles, continuous improvement methodologies, and asset management programs.
• Proficiency with CMMS systems (SAP preferred) and strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and drive execution.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels and translate technical concepts into clear business insights.

Responsibilities

• Lead maintenance, utilities, calibration, and reliability functions to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant site operations.
• Manage the Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) vendor, including contract performance, KPIs, service delivery, and budget oversight.
• Ensure reliable operation of plant utilities and systems, including HVAC, WFI, steam, compressed air, process gases, and manufacturing equipment.
• Develop and manage annual operating budgets, forecasts, and capital planning related to facilities and maintenance activities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on asset reliability, maintenance effectiveness, and overall equipment efficiency (OEE).
• Support capital projects, facility expansions, and equipment installations, including planning, execution, and stakeholder coordination.
• Establish and monitor KPIs to evaluate maintenance performance, work order execution, and resource utilization.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements and support audits, inspections, deviations, and CAPA activities.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting & forecasting

Regulatory compliance

Facilities management

Data analysis

Vendor management

Communication

Tools

SAP

Job description

Location:

This position is based in our Walkersville, MD office. The typical work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM EST.

What you will get:

The full-time base annual salary for this position is expected to range between $174,000 to $203,000.

• Performance-related bonus.
• Medical, dental and vision insurance.
• 401(k) matching plan.
• Life insurance, as well as short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Employee assistance programs.
• Paid time off (PTO).
• Compensation for this role will be determined by the candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience, and relevant knowledge.

What you will do

• We are seeking an experienced and strategic Associate Director, Maintenance to lead maintenance, utilities, and facility operations at our Walkersville manufacturing site. This role is responsible for ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of critical systems, managing internal teams and external service providers, and driving continuous improvement across asset performance and facility operations. The ideal candidate brings strong leadership experience, technical expertise in biopharmaceutical manufacturing environments, and the ability to optimize performance through data-driven decision-making and cross-functional collaboration.
• Lead and oversee maintenance, utilities, calibration, and reliability functions to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant site operations
• Manage the Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) vendor, including contract performance, KPIs, service delivery, and budget oversight
• Ensure reliable operation of plant utilities and systems, including HVAC, WFI, steam, compressed air, process gases, and manufacturing equipment
• Develop and manage annual operating budgets, forecasts, and capital planning related to facilities and maintenance activities
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on asset reliability, maintenance effectiveness, and overall equipment efficiency (OEE)
• Support capital projects, facility expansions, and equipment installations, including planning, execution, and stakeholder coordination
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate maintenance performance, work order execution, and resource utilization
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements and support audits, inspections, deviations, and CAPA activities

What we are looking for:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience managing maintenance, utilities, or facilities within a pharmaceutical, biotech, or regulated manufacturing environment
• Proven leadership experience managing cross-functional teams, including maintenance, utilities, and reliability engineering personnel
• Strong technical knowledge of facility systems, including HVAC, GMP utilities, and biologics manufacturing operations
• Experience managing vendor relationships and outsourced service providers, including performance monitoring and contract management
• Solid understanding of reliability engineering principles, continuous improvement methodologies, and asset management programs
• Proficiency with CMMS systems (SAP preferred) and strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and drive execution
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels and translate technical concepts into clear business insights

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone's ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you're ready to help turn our customers’ breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.