External Manufacturing Operations Lead

**Make your mark for patients**

We are looking for an **External Manufacturing Operations Lead** to join us in our External Manufacturing Department, based at** Braine l’Alleud, Belgium** or at **Bulle, Switzerland**.

**About the role**

The EMO lead is accountable for leading the operational management of UCB's selected global Contract Manufacturers Organizations & Strategic Vendors.

In this context, the EMO lead is coordinating and mentoring the UCB Vendor Teams composed with members of Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, and global supportive functions and is accountable to manage related projects happening at CMO such as technology transfers, new product introductions, process improvements in DS small and large molecules (New Chemical Entity and New Biological Entity).

**Who you’ll work with**

You will be working in a highly cross-functional team including colleagues from supply chain, quality assurance, technical development, and procurement. You’ll collaborate with global external manufacturers, internal project teams, and strategic leadership to support product launches, process improvements, and operational excellence. You will work in a team composed of 20 people, in our campus site of Braine l’Alleud or Bulle.

**What you’ll do**
- You lead CMO vendor teams for daily operational management and coordinate meetings with UCB multifunctional teams
- You participate in CMO selection for new and existing products, supporting business and quality contract establishment
- You provide technical expertise to lead validation at CMOs and optimize processes, capacity utilization, quality standards; lead project groups as needed
- You perform troubleshooting at CMOs, lead investigations, and implement CAPA for complex technical and supply issues
- You conduct product reviews with QA, Supply Chain, Business lead, and Purchasing
- You define operational management and commercial strategy for CMOs/suppliers through Business and Operations Plan preparation
- You monitor CMO capacities and implement long-range product plans with Supply Chain planners and DS industrial leads

**Interested? For this role we’re looking for the following** **education, experience** **and skills**
- You possess a master’s degree or PhD in chemistry with at least 5 years of relevant experience
- You have minimum 5 years of experience in a GMP environment (Pharma DS manufacturing or CDMO for Pharma) with international exposure in pharmaceutical project management
- You demonstrate strong technical knowledge and expertise
- You can lead cross-functional teams, influence others, hold teams accountable, manage complex projects from development to commercialization, and deliver results according to plan
- You are proficient in managing internal and external relationships, including managing external business partners to achieve desired outcomes
- You possess a strong ability to understand and clarify complex technical and business issues, with basic knowledge of finance and business
- You have excellent written and spoken English communication skills
- You are visiting our CMOs network (approximatively 20 days a year)

Are you ready to ‘go beyond’ to create value and make your mark for patients? If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you

**About us**
UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are around 8,500 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science.

**Why work with us?**
At UCB, we don’t just complete tasks, we create value. We aren’t afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected, and has equal opportunities to do their best work. We ‘go beyond’ to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that’s on our patients, our employees, or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential.

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable laws.