Manufacturing Associate

ACTalent; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 37,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Short/long-term disability

Health Spending Account (HSA)

Transportation benefits

Employee Assistance Program

PTO / Vacation

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Manufacturing Associate in Durham, NC to support a CDMO focused on clinical trials for rare diseases. You will assist startup activities, equipment commissioning, and routine manufacturing, while ensuring strict adherence to cGMP standards and SOPs.

The role involves preparing and operating production equipment, maintaining a safe workspace, and contributing to training and documentation efforts that enable reliable, high-quality manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of GMP manufacturing experience with cGMP principles.
• Bachelors degree in life sciences or technical discipline or equivalent.
• Hands-on equipment operation in a manufacturing setting.
• Ability to follow detailed SOPs and safety guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Assist startup activities to establish and optimize production operations.
• Support commissioning and qualification of production equipment.
• Contribute to creation and review of procedures and work instructions.
• Operate on the manufacturing floor in compliance with cGMP and SOPs.
• Prepare equipment for operations, including setup, checks, and verification.
• Maintain benchtop equipment with proper calibration and cleanliness.
• Apply cGMP principles to daily responsibilities and decisions.
• Follow written/verbal procedures to ensure product quality.
• Maintain clean, organized process area and safety practices.
• Assist in training and onboarding of new staff.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support manufacturing of large molecules.

Skills

GMP manufacturing

cGMP

Equipment operation

Documentation

Safety awareness

Training assistance

Education

Bachelor's degree in life sciences or technical discipline

Tools

Production equipment

Job description

Job Title: Manufacturing Associate Job Description The Manufacturing Associate supports a growing contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on clinical trials for rare diseases. In this role, you contribute to startup activities, equipment commissioning, and routine manufacturing operations for large molecule products while maintaining strict compliance with cGMP standards and standard operating procedures. You play a key role in preparing and operating production equipment, maintaining a safe and orderly work area, and supporting documentation and training activities that enable reliable and highquality manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• - Assist with startup activities within the assigned manufacturing area to help establish and optimize production operations.
• - Support the commissioning and qualification of production equipment to ensure it operates reliably and meets required specifications.
• - Contribute technical input to the review and creation of operational documents, including procedures and work instructions.
• - Operate on the manufacturing floor in full compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• - Prepare equipment for manufacturing operations, including setup, checks, and verification, and monitor performance to ensure process specifications are consistently met.
• - Use and maintain benchtop equipment in accordance with relevant procedures, ensuring proper care, calibration, and cleanliness.
• - Demonstrate a solid understanding of cGMP principles and apply them to all daily responsibilities and decision-making.
• - Follow accurate written and verbal procedures when operating production equipment and performing processing steps to ensure consistency and product quality.
• - Maintain cleanliness, organization, and orderliness of the process area to support safe, efficient, and compliant operations.
• - Practice safe work habits at all times and adhere to all safety procedures, guidelines, and policies.
• - Assist in the training and onboarding of new and junior staff by sharing knowledge of equipment, processes, and documentation requirements.
• - Collaborate with cross-functional teams within the CDMO environment to support manufacturing activities for large molecule products and clinical trial materials.

Essential Skills

• - Minimum of 2 years of experience working in a GMP manufacturing setting, with a strong understanding of cGMP principles.
• - At least 2 years of relevant manufacturing experience in a regulated environment.
• - Bachelors degree in life sciences or a technical discipline, or equivalent technical background.
• - Hands-on experience operating and preparing production and benchtop equipment in a manufacturing environment.
• - Ability to follow detailed written and verbal instructions and standard operating procedures accurately.
• - Strong awareness of safety practices and the ability to consistently adhere to safety guidelines.
• - Demonstrated ability to maintain a clean, organized, and compliant process area.
• - Effective communication skills to provide technical input on operational documents and support training activities.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• - Experience working in a startup or rapidly growing manufacturing environment.
• - background in large molecule manufacturing or biopharmaceutical production.
• - Experience in a CDMO setting supporting clinical trials or external partners.
• - Ability to adapt to changing priorities and processes in a growth-oriented organization.
• - Interest in contributing to therapies for rare diseases and supporting a strong development pipeline.

Work Environment

This role is based in a modern manufacturing facility within a dynamic CDMO that supports clinical trials for rare diseases and maintains a strong pipeline of projects to drive future growth. The position operates on first shift using a 4x10 schedule, with workdays typically Monday through Thursday or Tuesday through Friday, and requires flexibility to work either 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. You work on the manufacturing floor with production and benchtop equipment under cGMP conditions, following established SOPs and safety procedures. The environment emphasizes cleanliness, organization, and adherence to quality standards, offering a structured yet fast-paced setting where collaboration and continuous improvement are encouraged. A 30-minute lunch break is provided during each shift.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Durham, NC.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $32.00 - $32.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 20, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Durham,NC.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI