AstraZeneca Posted August 13, 2026

Director, Manufacturing Technology Lead - Cell Therapy

Tarzana, California, United States of America Full time
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AstraZeneca is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

About the position, the Director, Manufacturing Technology Lead reports to the Head of Cell Therapy Manufacturing and is responsible for providing manufacturing operational perspective on new technology evaluation. The role supports full-scale implementation of new technology platforms and advanced automation solutions across the Cell Therapy Manufacturing supply network. This role serves as the critical interface between technology development functions and the manufacturing supply sites, ensuring that operational constraints are understood early and that robust implementation plans enable successful adoption at scale. Additionally, this role supports development of the execution pathway from proof-of-concept completion through validated, GMP-compliant deployment at supply sites.

You will:

Serve as the primary manufacturing representative in technology evaluation activities led by Process Sciences and Analytical Technology; provide input on operational constraints including facility limitations, operator capability requirements, maintenance complexity, scheduling impacts, and GMP compliance considerations that influence technology feasibility and adoption timelines

Evaluate proposed new technologies and platforms against the realities of the manufacturing and quality control environment at supply sites including cleanroom classifications, existing equipment interfaces, material flows, resource models, batch scheduling, and regulatory filing implications

Support proof-of-concept evaluations by providing manufacturing perspective on scalability, operability, integration requirements, and implementation risk; ensure PoC success criteria include manufacturing site-relevant parameters

Develop detailed implementation plans for adoption of new technology and platforms at manufacturing supply sites, including resource requirements, training needs, validation strategies, execution pathways, site sequencing, and go-live criteria

Coordinate technology deployments across the supply network, defining standard implementation playbooks while accommodating site-specific constraints; establish lessons-learned feedback loops to accelerate sequential site deployments

Support the development and implementation of the Cell Therapy Technical Operations digital and AI transformation roadmap in collaboration with the Digital and Business Systems teams for new technology

Support development of training and competency-building plans that enable operators and engineers to effectively utilize new technologies post-implementation

You have: 

Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical or Robotics), or related discipline, Master’s degree preferred

Experience: Minimum 10 years in manufacturing technology implementation, tech transfer, or engineering with at least 5 years leading full-scale technology deployments in regulated environments

Technical Knowledge: Strong expertise in at least two of: manufacturing, automation/robotics, AI applications, advanced analytical platforms; practical understanding of moving technology from PoC into validated manufacturing operations

Implementation Experience: Demonstrated track record of leading complex, multi-stakeholder technology implementations from planning through qualification and operational handover in regulated manufacturing environments; experience managing new technology introduction alongside existing operations

Skills: Execution-oriented leadership, cross-functional collaboration, structured planning, digital and tech savvy. The ability to bridge the gap between development innovation and manufacturing operational reality; comfortable operating in a matrixed environment, where, influence and partnership drive outcomes

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $161,000 to $240,000. Our positions offer eligibility for multiple incentives an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans .

#Onsite #CellTherapy #RoboticsManufacturing

Date Posted

13-Aug-2026

Closing Date

Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.

Job details

Seniority
Director
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Tarzana, California, United States of America
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 304 comparable Director Manufacturing & CMC roles across 48 biopharma companies.

304Comparable roles tracked
285Currently active
48Companies hiring similar roles
19Countries represented

Salary context

165 of 304 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Principal Project Engineer- Design Lead · Lilly $90,000/yr – $132,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Senior Director, Manufacturing Strategy · AbbVie $206,500/yr – $393,000/yr
Peer group range $111,000 – $299,750 (median $199,500)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 304 comparable roles

United States230
Netherlands15
Ireland13
Germany8
India8
United Kingdom6

+ 13 more countries

Seniority mix

304 of 304 peers have a known seniority level

Principal134
Director117
Senior Director53

Therapeutic area mix

5 of 304 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease3
Respiratory1
Oncology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
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Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
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Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
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Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Director
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

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How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.