Director, GMP Systems

Cellares; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Highly subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans

401(k) Matching

Free EV Charging

Onsite lunches

Stock options

Job summary

Cellares, located in South San Francisco, is seeking a Director of GMP Systems to lead the operational and strategic oversight of GMP-critical systems during an exciting transition to pre-commercial operations. This role demands hands-on leadership, bridging execution with system delivery while ensuring compliance and system stability.

The ideal candidate should possess deep expertise in ERP and manufacturing systems, along with a rich background in regulated industries, showcasing their ability to scale and stabilize systems effectively. Attractive compensation and benefits await the successful candidate.

Qualifications

• 12–15+ years leading enterprise and manufacturing systems in regulated product companies.
• Experience in highly regulated manufacturing (biotech, medical devices, pharmaceutical).
• Ability to stabilize and scale underperforming systems.

Responsibilities

• Operational ownership for business-critical and GMP-impacting systems.
• Ensure systems support operational execution and compliance.
• Drive execution of critical GMP system initiatives.

Skills

Leadership in regulated environments

ERP systems expertise

Problem resolution

Communication skills

Operational oversight

Education

Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

ERP

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

Quality Management Systems (QMS)

Job description

We are seeking a Director, GMP Systems, who will be a hands‑on technology and operations leader responsible for stabilizing, scaling, and continuously improving Cellares’ GMP‑critical digital backbone as the company transitions from clinical manufacturing to repeatable, audit‑ready, pre‑commercial operations.

This is a player‑coach role. The Director is expected to operate at both strategic and execution levels driving solution decisions, resolving cross‑system issues, guiding configuration and data decisions, and directly intervening when necessary to stabilize critical initiatives. The role acts as a bridge between business execution and system delivery, bringing structure, governance, and clarity without slowing innovation.

Candidates should enjoy working in a fast‑paced, mission‑driven environment, and be prepared to tackle a broad selection of challenges as the company grows.

Responsibilities

• Operational ownership and execution oversight for business‑critical and GMP‑impacting systems such as: ERP, Manufacturing Execution & Automation Interfaces, Quality Management Systems (QMS), PLM, Integration & Workflow Platforms, Data & Analytics
• Define and execute the GMP systems strategy aligned with manufacturing scale and commercial readiness
• Act as the primary systems partner to Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Finance leadership
• Translate evolving operational needs into practical, compliant system solutions
• Ensure systems support operational execution, compliance, and unit economics
• Ensure manufacturing execution data, inventory, and quality events flow accurately across systems
• Enable reliable WIP visibility, inventory valuation, and cost capture early to avoid pre‑commercial rework
• Support manufacturing readiness without over‑engineering controls prematurely
• Partner closely with the Integration Architecture & Data Foundation teams to ensure alignment with enterprise architecture and long‑term data strategy.
• Provide business and GMP requirements for integrations across ERP, MES, QMS, and automation platforms.
• Ensure data integrity, traceability, and auditability across manufacturing, quality, and finance processes
• Drive root cause resolution for cross‑system issues (data, integration, configuration, or process)
• Establish operational discipline for transports, releases, documentation, and validation support
• Improve business confidence that GMP systems are stable, predictable, and audit‑ready
• Provide hands‑on leadership to drive execution of critical GMP system initiatives
• Establish clear priorities, milestones, and operational accountability for internal teams and vendors
• Provide day‑to‑day direction to system integrators and support partners
• Partner with IT leadership and Procurement on vendor strategy and performance management
• Actively intervene to stabilize, course‑correct, or accelerate initiatives as business priorities evolve
• Introduce lightweight governance, release discipline, and decision clarity
• Improve confidence from QA, Manufacturing, and leadership that systems “just work”
• Position IT and systems as business enablers rather than bottlenecks

Requirements

• Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• 12–15+ years leading enterprise and manufacturing systems in regulated product companies
• Deep experience across ERP, MES, QMS, LIMS and manufacturing data flows
• Proven ability to stabilize and scale underperformance systems
• Strong partnership with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Finance leaders
• Hands‑on leadership style, strategic but deeply execution‑oriented and comfortable working directly with configurations, data issues, and operational problem resolution
• Experience in highly regulated manufacturing (biotech, medical devices, pharmaceutical, aerospace, or similar)
• Experience building systems before commercial scale
• Track record of translating complex operations into simple, scalable system designs
• Comfort operating in fast‑growth environments with ambiguity and evolving requirements
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Self‑awareness, integrity, authenticity, and a growth mindset

$90,000 - $250,000 a year.

Cellares’ total compensation package contains competitive base salaries, highly subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans, 401(k) Matching, Free EV Charging, Onsite lunches, and Stock options. All displayed pay ranges are approximate, negotiable, and location dependent.