Head of Manufacturing Engineering & Asset Reliability

BioSpace; Kankakee (IL); On-site; USD 199,000 - 244,000; Full time

Job summary

CSL Behring in Illinois seeks a Head of Manufacturing Engineering & Maintenance to lead asset strategy, reliability programs, and cross-functional operations across fractionation, bulk, and packaging. You will direct maintenance, calibration, shutdown planning, and capital projects, ensuring GMP compliance, safety, and continuous improvement.

The role requires 12+ years in biotech/pharma, 8+ years leading teams, and strong GMP knowledge with a strategic, data-driven approach.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering required.
• 12+ years engineering experience in Biotech, Pharma, or regulated life sciences.
• 8+ years leading engineers or technical teams.
• Strong understanding of GMP, validation, and regulatory expectations.
• Experience with reliability engineering, maintenance strategies, and CMMS systems.
• Knowledge of Six Sigma/Lean principles is a plus.
• Knowledge of biotech manufacturing processes (upstream/downstream/fill-finish as applicable).
• Familiarity with automation and digital systems.
• Financial experience with high-level budgetary responsibilities is required.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate complex engineering challenges into actionable programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing organization with a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Direct all aspects of manufacturing engineering and maintenance, including technical support, project management, emergency response, on-call, troubleshooting, and maintenance (corrective, preventive, predictive).
• Support multi-year strategic plans, capital investment roadmaps, and operational readiness across global sites.
• Oversee capital projects throughout lifecycle from conception to commissioning.
• Develop and execute enterprise-level reliability strategies (RCM, FMEA, PdM, CMMS optimization).
• Analyze equipment failures, lead root cause analysis and corrective actions; establish asset health metrics.
• Drive Lean, Six Sigma, and reliability-centered improvements; monitor KPIs with dashboards.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Reliability engineering

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Financial acumen

Continuous improvement

Regulatory compliance awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

CMMS systems

Job description

CSL Behring in Illinois seeks a Head of Manufacturing Engineering & Maintenance to lead asset strategy, reliability programs, and cross-functional operations across fractionation, bulk, and packaging. You will direct maintenance, calibration, shutdown planning, and capital projects, ensuring GMP compliance, safety, and continuous improvement.

The role requires 12+ years in biotech/pharma, 8+ years leading teams, and strong GMP knowledge with a strategic, data-driven approach.