Lead Facilities Technician - Biotech Plant Ops

AstraZeneca GmbH; Frederick (MD); On-site; USD 72,000 - 108,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca Frederick Manufacturing Center seeks a Senior Supervisor to lead day shift production maintenance for pharmaceutical facilities and utilities. The role demands strong leadership, problem-solving, and GMP/GxP discipline in a regulated setting.

The position emphasizes coordinating maintenance activities, mentoring technicians, and ensuring safe, compliant operations across HVAC, utilities, and process support systems at the Frederick site.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• 15+ years of relevant experience, with 5+ years in biotech/pharmaceutical environments preferred or required based on site expectations.
• Valid Maryland Stationary Engineer license or ability to meet the site-specific legal/operational requirements for a Level 1 Stationary Engineer role
• Experience operating or supporting industrial utility systems, boilers, HVAC, or central plant equipment in a manufacturing, pharmaceutical, healthcare, institutional, or industrial environment
• Reading P&IDs, equipment manuals, SOPs, and technical procedures
• Strong planning, project coordination, communication, and documentation skills in GMP/GxP environments

Responsibilities

• Operate, monitor, and support facility and utility systems to ensure safe, compliant, and continuous service for manufacturing, laboratory, and site operations.
• Perform routine inspections and rounds of mechanical rooms, utility spaces, clean rooms, rooftops, cold storage areas, and related equipment areas to verify proper operation and identify abnormal conditions.
• Provide advanced troubleshooting and problem solving for complex issues involving HVAC, refrigeration, electrical, plumbing, and utility systems where only limited standardization may exist.
• Support alarm monitoring and response for utility and facility equipment.
• Lead and coordinate the work of other non-exempt employees, including planning daily activities, prioritizing tasks, and supporting efficient execution of maintenance or operational work.
• Coordinate with contractors, vendors, and internal departments to support maintenance, repairs, shutdowns, investigations, projects, and emergency response.
• Maintain, troubleshoot, and support equipment such as HVAC air handlers, chillers, refrigeration equipment, cooling towers, pumps, drives, electrical switchgear, power distribution equipment, and emergency generators.
• Support refrigeration and controlled temperature systems, including cold rooms, refrigerators, freezers, ultra-low freezers (-80°C), incubators, cryogenic freezers, and HVAC systems.
• Perform or support work in one or more skilled trades, including HVAC/refrigeration, electrical, or plumbing.
• Read and interpret technical documentation, including mechanical schematics, P&IDs, electrical schematics, single-line diagrams, equipment manuals, SOPs, diagrams, and schedules.
• Perform basic maintenance activities using hand tools and other standard trade tools in accordance with approved procedures and safety requirements.
• Document work clearly and accurately in logbooks, work orders, permits, and electronic systems, ensuring completion of required GxP documentation in a timely manner.
• Support preventive and corrective maintenance activities, including isolating equipment, preparing systems for maintenance, testing systems after work completion, and returning equipment to service.
• Work safely and in compliance with site SOPs, EHS requirements, GMP/GxP expectations, lockout/tagout, permit-to-work, confined space, hot work, and other safety procedures.
• Support reliability, energy efficiency, and continuous improvement efforts by identifying equipment inefficiencies, recurring failures, leaks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Communicate effectively with maintenance teams, facilities personnel, operations, contractors, and management to ensure alignment and proper escalation of issues.
• Mentor junior technicians.

Skills

Leadership

Troubleshooting

Communication

Documentation

Reading schematics

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

BMS

BAS

SCADA

Job description

AstraZeneca Frederick Manufacturing Center seeks a Senior Supervisor to lead day shift production maintenance for pharmaceutical facilities and utilities. The role demands strong leadership, problem-solving, and GMP/GxP discipline in a regulated setting.

The position emphasizes coordinating maintenance activities, mentoring technicians, and ensuring safe, compliant operations across HVAC, utilities, and process support systems at the Frederick site.