Pharmaceutical Construction Owners Representative

Actalent; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 55,000 - 158,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental & Vision benefits

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Disability benefits

Health Savings Account

Job summary

Actalent is seeking an Engineering Manager to serve as the Owners Representative, providing leadership, governance, and technical oversight across the project lifecycle in a fully onsite Philadelphia role.

The position requires 15+ years in engineering within pharma/biopharma or related regulated industries, with strong knowledge of cGMP, qualification, and design delivery models. This is a contract-to-hire opportunity based in Philadelphia, PA.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in an engineering discipline.
• Professional Engineer license preferred but not required.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive engineering experience on capital projects in regulated industries.
• Experience as Engineering Manager / Owners Representative on complex projects.
• Strong knowledge of cGMP, equipment qualification and validation, and facility systems.
• Experience with design-bid-build, design-build, EPCM, or integrated delivery models.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering activities across the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate design firms, contractors, vendors, site stakeholders, and internal functions.
• Verify technical solutions are fit for purpose, compliant, constructible, and aligned with objectives.
• Distinguish Owner oversight from contractual responsibilities of designers and contractors.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Owner's representative experience

Multidisciplinary project management

cGMP knowledge

Project controls

Negotiation

Written communication

Executive presentation

Team coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Professional Engineer license preferred

Tools

Microsoft Project

Document-management systems

Job description

Life science/ Pharma construction owners rep

The Engineering Manager will serve as the Owners

Representative and provide leadership, governance, and technical oversight for

engineering activities across the project life cycle. The role will protect the

Owners business, operational, safety, quality, cost, schedule, and regulatory

interests while coordinating design firms, contractors, vendors, site

stakeholders, and internal functions. The Engineering Manager will verify that

technical solutions are fit for purpose, compliant, constructible, maintainable,

and aligned with approved project objectives without assuming the Engineer of

Records design responsibility.

• Bachelors degree or higher in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, or another relevant engineering discipline.

• Professional Engineer license preferred but not required.

• Minimum 15 years of progressive engineering experience, including substantial responsibility for multidisciplinary capital projects in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, specialty chemical, or other regulated manufacturing industries.

• Demonstrated experience serving as an Engineering Manager, Owners Representative, Design Manager, or comparable technical leader on complex projects.

• Strong working knowledge of cGMP requirements, equipment qualification and validation, process and clean utilities, automation interfaces, facility systems, construction, commissioning, and operational readiness.

• Experience with design-bid-build, design-build, EPCM, construction-management, or integrated project-delivery models.

• Ability to distinguish Owner oversight from the contractual responsibilities of designers, the Engineer of Record, contractors, and vendors.

• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to evaluate technical decisions in relation to cost, schedule, risk, procurement, contracts, and lifecycle value.

• Excellent leadership, facilitation, negotiation, written communication, and executive-presentation skills.

• Proven ability to manage competing priorities, resolve multidisciplinary interfaces, make timely decisions with incomplete information, and maintain disciplined documentation.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, document-management systems, scheduling and project-controls tools, and common engineering collaboration platforms.

• Commitment to safety, quality, ethics, inclusion, and continuous improvement in all aspects of project delivery.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Philadelphia, PA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $40.00 - $115.00/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)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Philadelphia,PA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 10, 2026.

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 tools.