Director, Production Operations

Director, Production Operations in Springfield, MO

Build your future at Curia, where our work has the power to save lives

Curia is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with over 30 years of experience partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide life-saving treatments to patients. At Curia, we are on a mission to advance our customers’ therapies from curiosity to cure and ultimately to improve patients’ lives.

We proudly offer

• Generous benefit options (eligible first day of employment)
• Paid training, vacation and holidays (vacation accrual begins on first day of employment)
• Career advancement opportunities
• Education reimbursement
• 401K program with matching contributions
• Learning platform
• And more!

At Curia, manufacturing excellence is at the heart of everything we do. The Director, Production Operations is a key member of the Springfield leadership team, responsible for managing, planning, directing, and coordinating manufacturing processes across our large scale, pilot plant, and technical services organizations. This leader ensures our operations are safe, compliant, cost-effective, and positioned for growth.

This is a role for a proven leader who brings both strategic vision and operational discipline. The Director contributes to the development of business and functional strategies, communicates them clearly across the site, and translates them into action. Working cross-functionally with Quality, Regulatory, and other departments, this leader drives high performance in cGMP compliance, schedule adherence, and customer satisfaction.

As much as this role is about operational outcomes, it is also about people. The Director identifies and develops the next generation of leaders within the organization, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration that reflects the Curia Way.

Essential Responsibilities

Strategy and Planning

• Develop and implement short and long range goals and objectives that align with business growth and profitability targets.

• Set strategic leadership goals for key section heads within the large scale, pilot plant, and technical services organizations.

• Review operational plans to assess manufacturing capacity requirements and make recommendations to improve capacity utilization and support business development planning.

• Develop, implement, and maintain Key Performance Indicators and monitoring systems to drive high levels of performance within the department and across the organization.

Operations and Compliance

• Oversee manufacturing operations to ensure safety, quality, productivity, and efficiency, working collaboratively with the management team to prevent and resolve operational, quality, financial, and facility issues.

• Partner with Quality and Regulatory departments to drive high performance in cGMP compliance and ensure operations meet organizational requirements for quality management, health and safety, legal, and environmental standards.

• Ensure proper planning and effective execution of production activities to minimize downtime and maximize output per the production schedule, working closely with supporting departments to maintain schedule adherence.

• Proactively lead local efforts to prepare for and execute productive customer visits.

• Analyze activities, costs, operations, and forecast data to assess progress toward goals and initiate corrective action as needed to meet business and financial objectives.

• Perform other related duties as may be reasonably assigned in the course of business.
  
  

Good Manufacturing & Documentation Practices

Quality is something we take pride in together. You’ll perform your work in alignment with cGMP requirements and Curia’s standards to ensure our facilities support the safe and reliable manufacture of products for our customers.

• Perform all documentation in compliance with ALCOA++ principles and site SOPs.

• Adhere to applicable cGMP documents including SOPs, batch records, protocols, change controls, and controlled forms.

• Keep all required cGMP training current and escalate quality concerns along with proposed solutions to the Quality department.

Qualifications
Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field

• Minimum 5–10 years of mid to senior management experience in a manufacturing or process environment

• Demonstrated understanding of the responsibilities and functions of key departments within a pharmaceutical or industrial manufacturing facility

• Strong knowledge of cGMP compliance, technical operations, and quality systems within a manufacturing environment

• Proven ability to identify, develop, and inspire leaders at multiple levels of the organization

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to present strategy and performance clearly to site and functional leadership

Preferred

• Experience with API development and manufacturing processes

• Certification in Lean manufacturing or Six Sigma

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described below are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this role.

• Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear.

• Frequently required to use hands to handle or feel objects, reach with hands and arms, and climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

• May occasionally lift and/or move up to 55 pounds.

• Visual requirements include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
  
  

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described below are representative of those encountered while performing the essential functions of this role.

• Regular work in a standard office environment, with frequent entry into the production area of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility.

• Production environment may include moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, extreme heat, wet or humid conditions, low levels of toxic or caustic chemicals, and outdoor weather conditions.

• Noise level in the work environment is typically moderate.

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This job description reflects the general nature and scope of the role and is not exhaustive. We’re a growing organization, and opportunities to contribute beyond this list are part of what makes Curia exciting. We’re committed to reviewing reasonable accommodation requests to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role

Other Qualifications

• Must pass a background check
• Must pass a drug screen
• May be required to pass Occupational Health Screening

Education, experience, location and tenure may be considered along with internal equity when job offers are extended.

We do not accept unsolicited assistance from any headhunters or recruitment firms for any of our job openings. All resumes or profiles submitted by search firms to any employee at Curia, in any form without a valid, signed search agreement by an authorized signatory in place for the specific position, approved by Talent Acquisition, will be deemed the sole property of Curia. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Curia because of the unsolicited referral.

All interested applicants must apply online. Please be aware of scammers. Curia will only send offer letters and requests for sensitive personal information from a curiaglobal.com email address. Curia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. Curia is an E-Verify employer.