Full job description

General Manager – Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Western Sydney NSW

Full-Time Permanent Position

Executive Leadership Role

About the Opportunity

iHarbour Consulting is partnering with an established pharmaceutical and complementary medicines manufacturer to recruit an experienced General Manager to take full operational and commercial leadership of its manufacturing business.

This is a senior executive position suited to a proven manufacturing leader who has previously held whole-of-business or whole-of-site accountability, including responsibility for operational performance, financial outcomes, regulatory compliance, people leadership and business growth.

This is not a Production Manager or Manufacturing Manager position.

We are specifically seeking candidates who have already operated at General Manager, Site Director, Operations Director, Managing Director or equivalent senior leadership level within a regulated manufacturing environment.

The successful candidate will take ownership of the overall performance of the operation and provide leadership across Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Engineering/Maintenance, People and Commercial functions.

Key Responsibilities

As General Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Full leadership and accountability for the performance of the manufacturing business
• Ownership of operational, financial and commercial outcomes
• Responsibility for site profitability, budgets, expenditure, labour costs and business performance
• Lead and manage senior departmental leaders across Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Maintenance and Administration
• Develop and execute business strategy, operational plans and growth initiatives
• Establish and manage business KPIs, budgets, forecasts and performance reporting
• Drive improvements across productivity, capacity, utilisation, cost control and manufacturing efficiency
• Ensure ongoing compliance with GMP, TGA and applicable regulatory requirements
• Work closely with Quality leadership to maintain a strong compliance and quality culture
• Ensure the business is prepared for regulatory, customer and external audits
• Lead workforce planning, organisational structure and management capability development
• Improve accountability and performance across management teams
• Identify operational, financial and commercial risks and implement appropriate controls
• Oversee major capital expenditure, equipment purchases and manufacturing improvement projects
• Develop strategies to increase production capability and support business growth
• Maintain strong relationships with key customers, suppliers and commercial partners
• Participate in major customer negotiations and new business opportunities
• Review margins, operating costs and profitability across customers, products and manufacturing activities
• Provide regular strategic and financial reporting to business ownership and senior stakeholders
• Build a strong leadership culture focused on accountability, compliance, performance and continuous improvement

Mandatory Experience

Candidates must be able to demonstrate the following:

• Significant experience at General Manager, Site Director, Operations Director, Managing Director or equivalent senior leadership level
• Previous responsibility for an entire manufacturing site, business unit or manufacturing operation
• Demonstrated P&L, budgeting and financial accountability
• Experience managing multiple departmental leaders rather than only frontline production employees
• Strong commercial understanding of manufacturing costs, margins, labour, productivity and profitability
• Proven experience developing and implementing operational and business strategy
• Demonstrated experience managing senior leadership teams
• Experience within a regulated manufacturing environment
• Strong understanding of governance, compliance, risk and operational accountability
• Demonstrated ability to improve business performance, productivity and operational efficiency

Industry Experience

Strong preference will be given to candidates from:

• Pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Complementary medicines
• Nutraceutical manufacturing
• Medical devices
• Therapeutic goods
• Cosmetics or personal care manufacturing
• Other highly regulated GMP manufacturing environments

Candidates from food or FMCG manufacturing may also be considered where they can demonstrate substantial senior leadership experience within a complex and highly regulated manufacturing operation.

Highly Regarded

The following experience will be viewed favourably:

• Strong understanding of TGA and PIC/S GMP requirements
• Previous involvement with regulatory inspections or audits
• Contract manufacturing experience
• Experience across tablets, capsules, powders, liquids or similar dosage forms
• Experience improving underperforming manufacturing operations
• Business transformation or restructuring experience
• Scaling manufacturing capacity or introducing new production capability
• Capital expenditure and equipment investment responsibility
• Senior customer and supplier relationship management

The Person We Are Looking For

We are looking for a commercially astute and operationally capable leader who understands how to run a manufacturing business rather than simply manage a production department.

You should be comfortable reviewing a P&L and challenging operational costs in the morning, walking the production floor and resolving manufacturing issues during the day, and discussing strategy, customer requirements or regulatory matters with senior stakeholders.

You will be expected to provide clear leadership, establish accountability and make commercially sound decisions while maintaining the quality and compliance standards required within a regulated manufacturing environment.

Please Note

This position requires substantial senior management experience.

Applications from candidates whose experience is predominantly limited to Production Manager, Production Supervisor, Warehouse Manager or frontline operational management positions are unlikely to be suitable unless they can demonstrate broader business leadership, financial accountability and management of multiple functions.