Senior QA Specialist, Change Management

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is seeking a Senior QA Specialist to support the change management process within the QMS for preclinical, clinical, and commercial programs. You will collaborate across departments to assess impact, implement changes in a controlled manner, and verify effectiveness.

The role involves coordinating change control activities, risk assessments, and maintaining QMS documentation to ensure regulatory alignment and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in science; 5+ years in a regulated environment preferred.
• Experience with FDA, EU, and ICH GxP regulations and guidance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to coordinate cross-functional activities.

Responsibilities

• Support QMS change control system, review and disposition change requests for completeness and compliance.
• Coordinate Change Control Board meetings, prepare agendas, minutes, and action-item tracking.
• Assist cross-functional assessments of proposed changes and ensure action plans and effectiveness checks are in place.
• Support risk assessment activities related to proposed changes in quality systems.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Change Management

Regulatory Knowledge

Cross-functional Coordination

Documentation

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in a science

Tools

Word

Excel

Smartsheet

Job description

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq ARWR) is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead’s RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing.

Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates.

Arrowhead’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI & San Diego, CA, and a state of the art manufacturing facility in Verona, WI. Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need.

The Position

This position serves as a individual contributor within the Quality Assurance department, supporting the change management process within the Quality Management System (QMS) for Arrowhead’s preclinical, clinical, and commercial programs. The role will support change control activities for regulated processes and systems, equipment and instruments, computerized systems, products and specifications, manufacturing processes, analytical methods, suppliers, and related regulatory documentation. This includes supporting risk assessment activities performed as part of the change management process. The Senior QA Specialist partners with internal departments and cross-functional teams to ensure proposed changes are appropriately assessed for impact, implemented in a controlled manner, and verified for effectiveness.

Responsibilities

• Support assigned components of the QMS change control system, including facilitating the review, processing, and disposition of change requests for completeness, accuracy, and procedural compliance.
• Coordinate and support Change Control Board (CCB) meetings, including agenda preparation, minutes, and tracking of follow-up action items to closure.
• Support cross-functional assessments of proposed changes, working with stakeholders to evaluate impact and confirm appropriate action plans and effectiveness checks are established and completed.
• Support risk assessment activities conducted as part of the change management process, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to identify, evaluate, and document quality and compliance risks associated with proposed changes.
• Maintain and update CCB schedules and dashboards for the QMS and specified functional areas.
• Conduct quality review and disposition of change controls and effectiveness checks for accuracy, completeness, and alignment with regulatory requirements and business needs prior to escalation for approval.
• Compile metrics and prepare reports on change management activities for review boards and in support of annual product quality reviews.
• Train and coach stakeholders on change management processes within the QMS to promote consistency and drive quality culture.
• Support internal audits, regulatory inspections, and third-party audits as a subject matter resource for change management processes.
• Drive continuous improvement of QMS processes, documentation, tools, and workflows related to change management.
• Writing, review, change control, approval, issuance, and organization of applicable procedural documents (such as policies, SOPs, work instructions, or forms) utilizing existing templates.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a science discipline, or equivalent required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience working in a regulated environment, with preference to quality assurance, change management, and/or risk management experience or equivalent required.
• Working knowledge of FDA, EU, and ICH GxP regulations and guidance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with internal and external parties.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate cross-functional activities and drive tasks to completion.
• Competent knowledge of and ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and Smartsheet.

Preferred

• Ability to work independently and manage priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate cross-functional activities and drive tasks to completion.
• Experience with quality systems supporting GMP regulations (21 CFR Parts 11, 210, 211, QMSR, and EU GMP).
• Prior experience with use of an electronic document and quality management system in a regulated environment

Arrowhead provides competitive salaries and an excellent benefit package.

Candidates must have current, valid authorization to work in the country where this role is located.