Associate Director, Manufacturing Package Design

Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Centessa Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Associate Director of Manufacturing Package Design to lead the strategy for primary and secondary packaging for late-stage and commercial drug products. You will partner cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Supply Chain, and oversee packaging design, qualification, and launch readiness.

The role requires driving design verification/validation, technology transfer, and risk assessment activities per cGMP and design

Responsibilities

• Lead packaging design strategy for primary and secondary packaging for late-stage programs.
• Represent packaging on project teams with external CMOs/CPOs; manage packaging-related relationships.
• Ensure clinical trial packaging and labeling align with production forecasts and demand.
• Direct packaging engineering activities including design verification/validation and stability studies.
• Lead technology transfer from development to commercial manufacturing, including line trials and scale‑up.
• Maintain design history files, packaging specs, risk assessments/FMEAs per design control.
• Collaborate with Regulatory Affairs to support CMC packaging sections in regulatory submissions.
• Support launch readiness and supply continuity across manufacturing and commercial teams.
• Drive continuous improvement of packaging processes, equipment, and vendor performance.
• Manage change controls, deviations, and CAPAs related to packaging design.
• Evaluate packaging materials and equipment with CMOs/CPOs; support supplier qualification.
• Provide SMEs during regulatory inspections and audits for packaging.
• Domestic and international travel required (approximately 10–20%).

Skills

Packaging design

cGMP

Regulatory submissions

Project leadership

Vendor management

Technology transfer

Design verification/validation

FMEAs

CAPAs

Documentation (QMS)

Job description

Associate Director, Manufacturing Package Design

Description of Role

We are currently seeking an Associate Director , Manufacturing Package Design. This individual will lead the design, development, and technical strategy for primary and secondary packaging supporting late-stage clinical and commercial-stage drug product manufacturing. Reporting to the Vice President, CMC, this role will provide technical and strategic leadership for packaging systems, ensuring solutions meet quality, regulatory, and commercial manufacturing readiness requirements. This individual will partner cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Supply Chain, as well as external Contract Manufacturing/Packaging Organizations (CMOs/CPOs), to drive packaging design, qualification, and launch readiness for late-stage development programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and technical strategy for primary and secondary packaging components/ systems for small molecule solid oral dosage forms (e.g., container closure systems including bottles and blisters, and blister wallet configurations where applicable) supporting late-stage clinical and commercial manufacturing programs.
• Serve as the manufacturing/CMC packaging design lead representing the company on project teams with external CMOs/CPOs; manage packaging-related technical relationships, including periodic site visits as required.
• Partner with CMC and Clinical Supply Chain to ensure proper clinical trial packaging and labeling are aligned with production forecasts and product demand
• Direct packaging engineering activities, including design verification/validation, transportation and shipping validation, stability packaging configurations and compatibility studies.
• Lead technology transfer of packaging design and processes from development/clinical scale to commercial manufacturing, including line trials, engineering runs, and scale-up activities.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation supporting packaging design (e.g., design history files, packaging specifications, risk assessments/FMEAs) in accordance with cGMP and applicable design control requirements.
• Partner with Regulatory Affairs to author and review CMC packaging sections of regulatory submissions and respond to health authority queries related to packaging.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to ensure packaging design supports launch readiness, commercial supply continuity, and product lifecycle management.
• Identify, lead, and implement continuous improvement initiatives for packaging processes, equipment, and vendor performance to achieve sustainable, scalable manufacturing performance.
• Manage packaging-related change controls, deviations, and CAPAs in collaboration with Quality; support root cause investigations related to packaging design or component performance.
• Evaluate and select packaging materials, components, and equipment in partnership with CMOs/CPOs and suppliers; support qualification of new suppliers and packaging lines.
• Provide packaging design expertise in support of the development of quality systems, processes, and procedures.
• Build, lead, and mentor a team supporting manufacturing package design activities (scope dependent on level).
• Provide subject matter expertise and support during regulatory inspections and audits related to packaging design and engineering.
• Domestic and international travel required (approximately 10–20%).