Associate Director Automation and Digital Manufacturing

Associate Director Automation & Digital Manufacturing

Location: Monksland Athlone Ireland

Competitive Salary and Benefits

The Associate Director Automation & Digital Manufacturing is accountable for the strategic leadership governance and lifecycle management of site automation operational technology (OT) manufacturing computer systems industrial cybersecurity and digital manufacturing capabilities across the Athlone site.

The role develops and executes the site automation and digital manufacturing roadmap leads a multi-disciplinary technical organisation and partners with Manufacturing Quality Validation IT Engineering and global functions. The role ensures systems are safe compliant reliable secure validated and capable of supporting current operations and future business needs.

This leader will champion responsible adoption of advanced analytics AI-enabled tools and Industry 4.0 technologies to improve safety quality supply reliability cost people capability and regulatory compliance.

• Own and execute the site Automation OT and Digital Manufacturing strategy including multi-year roadmaps for capability lifecycle obsolescence resilience compliance cybersecurity and investment.
• Provide strategic and technical leadership for PLC DCS HMI historian MES interfaces industrial networks OT infrastructure and related manufacturing systems.
• Establish and govern standards for automation architecture integration compatibility configuration management system ownership documentation and technical decision-making.
• Ensure manufacturing systems remain available secure supportable validated and inspection-ready with effective administration access control backup recovery on-call support and business continuity arrangements.
• Lead systemic resolution of complex automation issues through risk assessment structured problem-solving root cause analysis investigations change controls and effective CAPAs.
• Own the site OT cybersecurity improvement plan with IT and global teams including segmentation privileged access patching vulnerability management monitoring incident response and recovery controls.
• Identify and prioritise opportunities to use AI analytics predictive maintenance digital twins and manufacturing intelligence to improve reliability yield cycle time cost energy performance and decision-making.
• Ensure digital and AI solutions meet applicable validation data integrity security ethical and GxP requirements and build team capability through practical use cases coaching and structured learning.
• Lead automation and digital workstreams for capital projects capacity expansions equipment upgrades technology transfers and new product introductions from concept through handover.
• Approve automation strategies architectures functional requirements vendor designs testing approaches and lifecycle support models ensuring delivery to agreed scope schedule cost quality and compliance.
• Manage strategic system integrator supplier and OEM relationships including technical performance deliverables safety risk and long-term support.
• Develop and manage operating and capital budgets workforce plans external service strategies business cases and KPIs for safety quality supply cost people compliance reliability cybersecurity and digital adoption.
• Lead coach and develop managers engineers specialists and partner resources maintaining clear goals development plans succession plans and targeted upskilling for critical capabilities.
• Build strong cross-functional and global partnerships communicate complex issues clearly influence senior stakeholders and act as the senior site escalation point for critical automation and manufacturing systems events.
• Maintain a safe and secure work environment and champion lean thinking continuous improvement and sustainability opportunities enabled through automation and digital technology.

• Bachelors degree in Automation Electrical Electronic Computer Software or Control Engineering Computer Science or a related discipline. An advanced degree is desirable.
• Typically 10 or more years of relevant experience in GMP pharmaceutical biopharmaceutical or similarly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Substantial experience leading automation manufacturing systems digital or OT teams including direct people leadership.
• Demonstrated experience developing automation roadmaps managing system lifecycles and delivering complex technology or capital programmes.
• Experience managing budgets suppliers systems integrators and multi-disciplinary stakeholders in a regulated environment.

• Broad knowledge of PLC DCS HMI historian industrial networks Windows-based OT infrastructure vision motion control and manufacturing system integration.
• Strong understanding of automation architecture process control compatibility integration security cybersecurity and lifecycle management.
• Working knowledge of cGMP GAMP computer system validation data integrity electronic records and signatures change control and inspection readiness.
• Ability to apply data analytics AI and digital technologies to engineering opportunities in a responsible compliant and value-focused manner.
• Strong project and programme management capability across planning risk schedule budget vendor governance and benefits realisation.

• Strategic thinking and business acumen: Connects technology data and business trends to shape practical plans priorities investment decisions and measurable outcomes.
• Results and execution focus: Creates actionable short- and long-term plans anticipates risk removes obstacles and builds team capability to deliver.
• Digital fluency and stewardship: Leads adoption of digital tools and practices while promoting responsible secure and compliant use.
• Communication collaboration and influence: Communicates with clarity facilitates alignment and constructively influences stakeholders with different perspectives.
• Adaptability and change orientation: Identifies barriers and enablers leads structured change and remains resilient as priorities and technologies evolve.
• Talent development and engineering breadth: Builds inclusive teams and applies broad understanding across automation process maintenance validation projects and manufacturing operations.

Date Posted

Closing Date