Descripción de la oferta
Uquifa is a well-established manufacturer of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and intermediates for the pharmaceutical and animal-health industries, with over 90 years of experience. The Group supports customers in both development and commercial manufacturing, operating internationally across API and CDMO activities.
The Sant Celoni site, situated in the Barcelona area, integrates API manufacturing and R&D capabilities, operating under cGMP conditions. It has been inspected by major international regulatory authorities, including the US FDA.
About the Role
Are you an experienced industrial leader ready to make a real impact in pharmaceutical manufacturing?
Uquifa is seeking an experienced Site Manager to provide senior operational leadership at its Sant Celoni manufacturing site. This broad leadership role is responsible for ensuring safe, compliant, reliable, and efficient operations while enhancing the site's capabilities, performance, and long-term resilience.
The role leads core manufacturing and technical functions, including Production, Engineering & Maintenance and HSE, with a functional (non-hierarchical) interface to Quality Control. Logistics, Warehousing and corporate Project Management belong to Supply Chain. The successful candidate will be an industrial leader focused on disciplined execution, productivity and continuous improvement, working closely with Supply Chain without duplicating its responsibilities. Success requires balancing day-to-day execution with safety and regulatory discipline, financial oversight, continuous improvement, people leadership, and long-term site investment.
The opportunity
As Site Manager, you will provide overall operational leadership for the Sant Celoni site, ensuring all manufacturing and supporting operations are conducted safely, efficiently, and in line with all relevant quality, environmental, health, safety, and compliance standards.
You will lead a multidisciplinary operational organization spanning Production, Engineering & Maintenance and HSE, with functional coordination of Quality Control for site execution needs but without line-management authority over QC. You will work closely with Supply Chain on production scheduling, materials availability, warehouse and logistics interfaces, and with Quality on GMP compliance, inspections and product quality.
This role combines day-to-day operational delivery with longer-term site leadership: setting priorities, managing performance and resources, developing talent, overseeing investment and CapEx, strengthening operational discipline, and identifying opportunities to advance safety, environmental performance, and manufacturing capability.
The position reports directly to the Operations Manufacturing Director. The Supply Chain Director operates as a peer of the Operations Manufacturing Director in the Group organization; the Site Manager collaborates with Supply Chain through a cross-functional working relationship, not a reporting line.
Responsibilities
Provide overall leadership for manufacturing and site technical operations, ensuring effective coordination across Production, Engineering & Maintenance and HSE. Work through functional coordination with Quality Control, without organic reporting or authority over independent GMP quality decisions.
Maintain a structured daily and weekly interface with Supply Chain to confirm achievable plans, anticipate material or capacity shortages, manage deviations and agree recovery actions; Supply Chain remains accountable for external delivery commitments.
Own the safe, compliant and efficient execution of the agreed production schedule, aligning plant resources, equipment readiness, staffing and technical requirements. Work with Supply Chain, which owns integrated planning, production scheduling priorities, procurement, inventory and logistics coordination; **escalate capacity or feasibility constraints promptly**.
Take accountability for manufacturing performance and HSE outcomes within the Site Manager’s remit, ensuring compliance with applicable legislation, regulations, internal requirements and Group standards, in coordination with independent Quality oversight.
Manage budgets for directly responsible manufacturing and technical functions, maintaining cost discipline and visibility into site operational performance; coordinate with Supply Chain on inventory-related and logistics cost drivers without assuming ownership of those budgets.
Establish, monitor and report manufacturing and site operational KPIs, including schedule adherence, asset availability, productivity, yield, right-first-time, safety and manufacturing cost; jointly review delivery risks and recovery actions with Supply Chain.
Collaborate with the Operations Manufacturing Director and Group Operations to develop and optimize manufacturing facilities and operating solutions, based on equipment capability, manufacturing needs and continuous-improvement priorities.
Identify and develop manufacturing and site technical investment needs; provide operational requirements, technical assessments and implementation support for initiatives governed through the Operations Manufacturing Director and relevant corporate functions, including Supply Chain-led Project Management.
Identify and sponsor projects that enhance workplace safety and environmental performance, including initiatives to reduce waste and emissions.
Ensure timely implementation of preventive and corrective actions following risk assessments, inspections, and audits.
Participate actively in external inspections and audits, supporting effective follow-up on identified actions.
Lead, develop and hold accountable managers and teams within the assigned manufacturing and technical organization, setting clear expectations for performance, safety, compliance and responsible decision‑making.
Set HSE objectives within the organization and ensure HSE performance is integrated into ongoing people and operational management.
Participate in relevant employee‑representation, health and safety, and compliance forums as required.
Promote high standards of ethics, integrity, and regulatory compliance, acting as a visible role‑model for responsible leadership across the site.
Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Engineering, or a related field required.
Substantial direct experience in pharmaceutical, API, CDMO, fine chemical, or similarly highly regulated process manufacturing is particularly valuable. Experience in cGMP-regulated manufacturing environments is a must.
Experience in one or more of the following areas is also advantageous:
Pharmaceutical or chemical regulatory inspections and customer audits;
International or matrix organizations;
Significant manufacturing facility or equipment investment programs;
Operational transformation or structured continuous‑improvement programs;
Environmental, waste‑reduction, or emissions‑reduction initiatives; and
Working constructively with employee‑representation, health and safety, or compliance committees.
What you will bring
Proven senior leadership experience in GMP manufacturing, plant, or site operations within a regulated industrial environment.
Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary operational teams and managers across multiple site functions.
Strong practical understanding of health, safety, and environmental management, operational compliance, risk management, and audit requirements.
Experience managing operational budgets, investment priorities, and CapEx, with the ability to use KPIs to drive performance and accountability.
A proven track record of translating operational priorities into disciplined execution while maintaining safety, quality, and compliance standards.
Demonstrated hands‑on track record as an industrial execution leader: increasing productivity, improving manufacturing reliability, leading continuous improvement and delivering results through operational teams without assuming Supply Chain planning, logistics or project‑management ownership.
Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing cost reduction initiatives, such as process optimization, resource efficiency, and waste minimization, to achieve measurable savings without compromising quality or compliance.
Proven ability to design and execute yield improvement action plans, including root cause analysis, process adjustments, and cross‑functional collaboration to drive sustained improvements in output and operational profitability.
Strong people leadership, sound judgment, and the ability to establish clear accountability while developing the capabilities of managers and teams.
Ability to work effectively in a matrix organization with the Operations Manufacturing Director, Supply Chain Director, Quality leadership and Group stakeholders, resolving competing priorities constructively.
A high professional standard of English and native fluency in Spanish and Catalan, both written and spoken, sufficient to operate confidently in an international business environment.
A leadership approach characterized by integrity, accountability and consistent adherence to regulatory and company requirements.
Why join Uquifa
This role offers the opportunity to take broad responsibility for the performance and future capabilities of an established pharmaceutical manufacturing site.
As Site Manager, you will directly influence manufacturing performance through safe execution, productivity, people leadership, cost discipline, continuous improvement and environmental performance. You will work in partnership with Supply Chain, which owns planning, logistics, warehousing and corporate Project Management. You will partner with Supply Chain, Quality and other Group functions to deliver reliable production and strengthen Uquifa’s international API and pharmaceutical manufacturing platform.
For an experienced manufacturing leader, this is an opportunity to combine hands‑on site leadership with long‑term operational development in a highly regulated, international environment.
Uquifa welcomes applications from suitably qualified candidates. Selection decisions are made based on the requirements of the role and relevant experience, skills, and capabilities, without discrimination based on gender, age, disability, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status protected by applicable law.
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