VP Operations

Curium Pharma; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Curium Pharma NA seeks a Vice President of Operations who will report to the COO, North America. You will oversee all NA manufacturing operations with a strong emphasis on safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance, guiding site management, production activities, and process engineering across the region.

You will build high-performing teams, drive asset and process reliability programs, align with Curium values, and partner with off-site executives to advance continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree required; Master of Science preferred.
• 18+ years of relevant operations experience.
• 10+ years in a leadership role.
• 5+ years manufacturing experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Experience in process engineering: design, optimization, scale-up, validation, troubleshooting.
• Proven track record implementing asset and process reliability programs.
• Experience with radiopharmaceutical operations, cyclotron operations or PET networks is desired.
• Demonstrated ability to lead safe, reliable high-throughput manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Willingness to travel up to 30%.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for NA manufacturing safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance.
• Develop and manage reliability, process engineering, and technical services across sites.
• Lead site operations, budgets, and capital planning, ensuring regulatory standards.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders across Curium's global network.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory compliance

Process engineering

Reliability programs

Project management

Communication

CMMS

ERP systems

Radiopharmaceutical operations

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor of Science degree

Master of Science degree preferred

Tools

CMMS

ERP systems

Job description

The Vice President of Operations will report to the Chief Operations Officer, North America, and is accountable for the overall North America manufacturing operations with a primary focus on safety, reliability, manufacturing performance, and process engineering. Accountabilities include site management, compliance with all regulations, production activities, process and asset reliability systems, manufacturing and process engineering, technical services management, facility management, and personnel management of all site employees. Partnering cross-functionally with other site functional leaders who report to off-site executives is paramount for success.

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm.

Job description:

Summary of Position

The Vice President of Operations will report to the Chief Operations Officer, North America, and is accountable for the overall North America manufacturing operations with a primary focus on safety, reliability, manufacturing performance, and process engineering. Accountabilities include site management, compliance with all regulations, production activities, process and asset reliability systems, manufacturing and process engineering, technical services management, facility management, and personnel management of all site employees. Partnering cross-functionally with other site functional leaders who report to off-site executives is paramount for success.

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm.

Essential Functions

Curium views Safety, Compliance, and Reliability as foundational components of our Manufacturing Facilities. The Vice President of Operations is accountable for ensuring the site is compliant with all regulatory requirements including Quality-related issues, Health, Safety & Environmental, Radiation Safety Programs, Hazardous Material Handling & Disposal and Facilities code. The Vice President of Operations will champion a strong safety culture and ensure internal audits are performed to continuously monitor Compliance with all aspects of Site Operations against ever-changing regulations. This will be accomplished by developing specific improvement plans and budgets moving the site from a state of compliance to a state of Regulatory Excellence.

The Vice President of Operations will be accountable for the development and implementation of Reliability systems for all process, manufacturing, and facility equipment. Leveraging process engineering and continuous improvement disciplines, these systems will utilize the organizational knowledge to identify issues and track resolution of the most critical. This will result in higher on-stream times, improved manufacturing throughput, and lower costs. You should be passionate about manufacturing excellence, process engineering, and continuous improvement, and sharing your best practices with other site leaders within Curium’s global network. Curium believes our strength is in our employees and the Site Leader will support and develop every role within the organization – an opportunity to pass on knowledge and wisdom to take a dedicated staff of managers and individual contributors to the next level.

Must maintain operational compliance with US and international regulatory agencies and guidelines (i.e. FDA, DEA, EU, HC, TGA, PIC/S, ISO, USP, NRC, cGMP, etc.).

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree required. Master of Science degree is preferred.
• 18+ years or more of relevant experience in managing operations is required.
• 10 or more years in a leadership role required.
• 5 or more years minimum of manufacturing experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Demonstrated experience in process engineering, including process design, optimization, scale-up, validation, and troubleshooting in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Proven track record implementing asset and process reliability programs (e.g., preventive/predictive maintenance, root cause analysis, RCM) to maximize on-stream time and equipment availability.
• Proven leadership experience supporting and empowering your employees to build a culture that demonstrates the Curium values of Integrity, Commitment, and Collaboration.
• Experience with managing radiopharmaceutical operations, cyclotron operations or PET networks is desired.
• Experience in driving Compliance with all local, state, national and international regulatory bodies, e.g. FDA, DEA, HC, EU, TGA, NRC, OSHA, EPA, etc. through continuous improvement plans.
• Demonstrate your commitment to Safety management to protect all employees, contractors, visitors and the community.
• Must have demonstrated experience leading manufacturing operations and process engineering to deliver safe, reliable, and high-throughput production.
• Managing utility and facility support infrastructure reliability programs.
• Manage site expense expenditures to drive the site financial performance and exceed the established financial target.
• Strategic maintenance and growth planning and managing the resulting Capital projects.
• Project Management experience demonstrating effective cost controls, risk mitigation techniques and scheduling accomplishments.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to compile concise and convincing documents and deliver presentations to multiple levels of the organization.
• Ability to read and interpret various engineering documents (schematics, wiring diagrams, piping diagrams, blueprints, etc.) with an understanding of electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating contract terms and conditions.
• Proficiency with computers and software, with a desire to learn new software applications to help drive improvement.
• Working knowledge of CMMS and ERP systems
• You should be able to articulate examples of Innovation during your career that have improved your company or business.

Working Conditions

• Willingness to work in plant producing radioactive materials and requiring all employees to participate in safety programs designed to minimize potential and/or actual exposure levels.
• Responsibilities include the ability to lift up to 70 pounds, kneeling, crouching, twisting the upper body, walking, bending, stooping, pushing, pulling, reaching, must be able to physically negotiate stairs and evacuation ladders with or without accommodation, wear and operate safety equipment, enter vessels, and inspect equipment.
• Material handling devices (e.g., hand truck, fork truck, and conveyors) are used when possible, however, use of proper lifting and movement techniques is necessary to prevent injury.
• Must be willing to wear a variety of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and hearing protection as needed.
• May be required to sit or stand for long periods of 8+ hours a day while performing duties.
• Must possess good hand-eye coordination; close attention to detail is required.
• Must be able to work indoors and outdoors with exposure to mechanical/moving parts, hazards including corrosive, flammable and toxic material, dust, dirt, odors, and irritants.
• Willingness to complete safety training within allotted timeframes, and work in a team-based environment.
• Must be able to work outside of regular work hours, including off shift, weekend, and holiday work as business needs require.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% as required by business needs.