Director, Manufacturing Operations

Panther Life Sciences Corporation; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the form of Stock Options

Robust Health Insurance includes Medical, Dental, Vision

Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability Insurance

In-person company events

Fully-stock kitchen

In-office lunch twice a week

Working with a world-class team

Paid time off and Paid Company Holidays

Job summary

Panther Life Sciences Corporation in Pittsburgh is seeking a Director of Manufacturing Operations to oversee the transition from development to commercial production. This role involves building and managing manufacturing strategies, ensuring quality compliance, and leading the scaling of production from R&D. Candidates should have extensive experience in manufacturing operations and direct experience with CDMO partners. The position offers robust health insurance, stock options, and a collaborative environment in innovative health and beauty sectors.

Qualifications

• Proven experience scaling a product from R&D to commercial manufacturing in a regulated environment.
• Experience overseeing manufacturing operations for a Class II or III medical device or equivalent regulated product.
• Hands-on experience scaling production volumes significantly (e.g., 10x or more).
• Direct experience working with CDMO partners including selection, onboarding, and tech transfer.
• Experience managing supply chain, logistics, inventory, and fulfillment operations.
• Familiarity with Quality Management Systems (QMS) in regulated environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technology transfer and process scale-up.
• Experience with manufacturing cost modeling and financial planning.
• Direct people management experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary relationship owner and day-to-day point of contact for CDMO partners.
• Lead technology transfer from R&D to clinical and commercial manufacturing.
• Oversee late-stage clinical and commercial production across product lines.
• Drive manufacturing performance metrics including yield, throughput, and product quality.
• Support CDMO selection and onboarding including process validation and scale-up.
• Build and manage supply chain, logistics, fulfillment, and inventory operations.
• Own material sourcing and supplier relationships.
• Identify critical dependencies and build supplier redundancy to mitigate risk.
• Build the manufacturing line from the ground up with a path from ~10K to ~1M units per month.
• Drive automation, process optimization, and line redesign as production scales.
• Own manufacturing cost modeling and financial planning (FP&A) for operations.
• Develop sourcing strategy and budget frameworks in partnership with finance and leadership.
• Establish systems and processes to support future team growth and internal manufacturing capabilities.
• Ensure manufacturing quality, regulatory compliance, and adherence to QMS.
• Partner cross-functionally with CTO, formulation, device, and quality teams.
• Contribute to customer satisfaction through reliable product delivery and issue resolution.

Skills

Experience scaling product from R&D to commercial manufacturing

Overseeing manufacturing operations for Class II or III medical device

Hands-on experience scaling production volumes significantly

Direct experience working with CDMO partners

Managing supply chain, logistics, inventory, and fulfillment

Familiarity with Quality Management Systems (QMS)

Leading technology transfer and process scale-up

Manufacturing cost modeling and financial planning

People management experience

Job description

Job Overview

Panther Life Sciences is building a new category of consumer‑centric health and beauty products powered by our dissolvable microarray patch (MAP) platform. As we move from development into commercialization, manufacturing becomes the critical unlock for scale, quality, and customer trust.

We are seeking a Director of Manufacturing Operations to own this transition end‑to‑end. This role translates innovative R&D into reliable, high‑quality, scalable commercial production across both cosmetic and medical device products. You will lead the build‑out of Panther's manufacturing strategy, serving as the bridge between internal development teams and external CDMO partners.

Some travel will be required (approximately 10%‑30%). The role is ideally based in Pittsburgh, with New York as an alternative location.

Responsibilities

CDMO & Manufacturing Operations

• Serve as the primary relationship owner and day‑to‑day point of contact for CDMO partners
• Lead technology transfer from R&D to clinical and commercial manufacturing
• Oversee late‑stage clinical and commercial production across product lines
• Drive manufacturing performance metrics including yield, throughput, and product quality
• Support CDMO selection and onboarding, including process validation and scale‑up
• Build and manage supply chain, logistics, fulfillment, and inventory operations
• Own material sourcing and supplier relationships
• Identify critical dependencies and build supplier redundancy to mitigate risk

Scaling, Systems & Financial Planning

• Build the manufacturing line from the ground up with a path from ~10K to ~1M units per month
• Drive automation, process optimization, and line redesign as production scales
• Own manufacturing cost modeling and financial planning (FP&A) for operations
• Develop sourcing strategy and budget frameworks in partnership with finance and leadership
• Establish systems and processes to support future team growth and internal manufacturing capabilities

Quality, Compliance & Cross‑Functional Leadership

• Ensure manufacturing quality, regulatory compliance, and adherence to QMS
• Partner cross‑functionally with CTO, formulation, device, and quality teams
• Contribute to customer satisfaction through reliable product delivery and issue resolution

Qualifications

• Proven experience scaling a product from R&D to commercial manufacturing in a regulated environment
• Experience overseeing manufacturing operations for a Class II or III medical device or equivalent regulated product
• Hands‑on experience scaling production volumes significantly (e.g., 10x or more)
• Direct experience working with CDMO partners including selection, onboarding, and tech transfer
• Experience managing supply chain, logistics, inventory, and fulfillment operations
• Familiarity with Quality Management Systems (QMS) in regulated environments
• Demonstrated ability to lead technology transfer and process scale‑up
• Experience with manufacturing cost modeling and financial planning
• Direct people management experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with combination products (drug + device), such as auto‑injectors, EpiPens, nasal sprays, or microarray‑based systems
• Background in Material Science & Technology Transfer (MSNT)
• Experience scaling production to high‑volume output (100K+ units per month)
• Experience across both cosmetic and medical device products
• Experience with automation and line redesign in a manufacturing scale‑up context
• Background in customer support or customer‑facing operations within manufacturing
• Experience managing managers or building multi‑layered organizations
• Strong systems orientation with experience implementing or optimizing operational infrastructure

Benefits

• Equity in the form of Stock Options
• Robust Health Insurance includes Medical, Dental, Vision
• Life, AD&D, and Short‑Term Disability Insurance
• In‑person company events
• Fully‑stock kitchen
• In‑office lunch twice a week
• Working with a world‑class team in technology and healthcare on the most innovative solutions
• Paid time off and Paid Company Holidays

Equal Opportunity Employer

Panther Life Sciences is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or partnership status, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, or any other characteristic protected by law.