Senior Director Operations Biotherapeutics

Operations and performance leadership:

• Own the performance of Operations.
• Lead the manufacturing flow across all departments, remove barriers between teams and solve problems end to end.
• Set a clear direction for Operations and turn it into practical priorities, plans, and decisions.
• Make sound trade-offs to protect patients and employees, maintain quality and supply, control cost, and keep the organization healthy.

Site transformation, operational excellence, and innovation:

• Lead the operation through change without losing focus on today’s commitments.
• Improve daily performance through standard work, lean thinking, useful data, practical digital tools, and disciplined follow-through.
• Back the right improvement projects, introduce new technology where it adds value, and stop work that does not improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, or capability.
• Bring new products into the facility successfully while keeping established products stable and reliable.

Quality, safety, and compliance:

• Put safety, quality, cGMP, and regulatory requirements at the center of daily decisions.
• Keep the organization inspection-ready and make sure leaders and teams own the safety, quality, and compliance of their work.
• Use clear standards, facts, and risk-based judgment. Escalate early, address root causes, and ensure actions are completed and sustained.

People and organizational leadership:

• Build a strong leadership team that is visible, makes decisions, follows through, and develops others.
• Create an inclusive Credo-based culture where people speak up, help each other, learn from mistakes, and take ownership for results.
• Ensure the organization has the right people and skills for today and tomorrow. Take succession, workforce planning, and development seriously.
• Spend time where the work happens: listen, ask questions, recognize good work, and help people understand how their daily choices affect patients and the future of Leiden.

Enterprise and stakeholder leadership:

• Work closely with Quality, Engineering, MSAT, Planning, Procurement, Finance, HR, EHS, and other partners.
• Bring the Operations perspective into site and network decisions.
• Build relationships that help work move forward, challenge constructively, listen to other views, and bring people back to the shared goal.
• Deputy for the General Manager when needed and lead with the interests of the whole site in mind.

Education:

• A degree in Science, Engineering, Supply Chain, or related discipline is required.
• An advanced degree or other relevant advanced qualification is preferred.

Experience:

• A minimum of 15 years of experience in biopharmaceutical manufacturing or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Significant experience in large molecule or biotherapeutics manufacturing, including strong knowledge of large molecule drug substance operations.
• Extensive senior leadership experience within large, complex manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated success leading large organizations through transformation and change while sustaining operational delivery.
• Proven experience building organizational capability, coaching leaders, and developing talent at scale.
• Experience applying lean principles, operational excellence, and continuous improvement in manufacturing. Lean Six Sigma expertise is an advantage.

Leadership capabilities:

• Strategic, collaborative, and decisive leadership style, with the ability to establish a clear direction and translate strategy into execution.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to balance immediate operational priorities with longer-term site and network strategy.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across functions, organizational levels, and a complex matrix environment.
• Commitment to inclusive leadership, talent development, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Other requirements:

• Fluent English; Dutch knowledge preferred.
• Daily on-site presence and present leadership across the organization.
• Travel: Limited travel, expected to be less than 15%.