Quality Assurance Validation Manager
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a QA Validation Manager to play a key role in ensuring compliance with EU GMP at the Medicines Manufacturing Centre (MMC). Based in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, the MMC is a state-of-the-art NHS facility dedicated to the sterile manufacture of injectable medicinal products.
Operating under MHRA Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, the MMC ensures a secure supply chain for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) products, while delivering Ready-to-Administer (RtA) medicines to enable nurses to spend more time on patient care.
As a QA Validation Manager, you will be the subject matter expert in QA validation, leading all validation activities within the MMC and ensuring compliance with EU GMP and regulatory requirements. You will manage core Pharmaceutical Quality Systems (PQS) in relation to validation, and provide leadership in maintaining operations excellence, product safety, and regulatory compliance.
Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.
Main duties of the job
- You will be responsible for managing validation systems and quality assurance processes, ensuring that MMC operates within MHRA and EU GMP guidelines. You will also play a key leadership role in developing the QA Validation team, establishing a culture of quality, continuous learning, and compliance.
- Lead validation activities and ensure compliance with EU GMP across all processes within the MMC.
- Manage core Pharmaceutical Quality Systems (PQS) related to equipment management, including validation, maintenance, and repairs.
- Oversee outsourced activities, including contractor management, supplier approval, and quality technical agreements.
- Lead New Product Introduction (NPI) processes and Quality Risk Management (QRM) for critical process parameters and product quality reviews.
- Provide QA oversight on various process validations such as cleaning, transport, temperature mapping, and QC method validation.
- Lead the site-wide approach to computerized system validation, data integrity, and GMP requirements.
- Manage contamination control strategy (CCS) and environmental monitoring in collaboration with site microbiology teams
- Lead and develop the QA validation team, ensuring training, performance, and continuous improvement initiatives are met.
About us
The Medicines Manufacturing Centre (MMC) is a brand-new, purpose-built NHS pharmaceutical production facility located at the Northumbria Innovation and Manufacturing Hub in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland. This cutting-edge centre is part of the North East and North Cumbria Provider Collaborative and has been established to meet the growing need for high-quality, regionally manufactured Ready-to-Administer (RtA) medicines and advanced aseptic products.
Funded with £30 million of investment from NHS England, the MMC will support a secure, sustainable supply chain for critical medicines, particularly for oncology and other high-risk therapies, while creating skilled jobs and driving innovation across the region. The facility is designed to operate under a Manufacturer's Specials Licence (MS) and aims to secure a Wholesale Dealer's Authorisation (WDA(H)), ensuring compliance with MHRA, GMP, and GDP regulations from day one.
At the MMC, quality, patient safety, and staff wellbeing are at the heart of everything we do. Our leadership team is committed to building a culture of openness, learning, and continuous improvement--offering staff a rare opportunity to help shape the systems, teams, and values of a truly modern NHS manufacturing unit.
Working at the MMC means being part of a forward-thinking and supportive team focused on enabling frontline clinical staff to spend more time with patients by delivering safe, ready-to-use medicines.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To act as the Validation Subject Matter Expert (SME) within the MMC, providing leadership in all validation activities to ensure they are all carried out in compliance with EU GMP.
- To introduce and manage core Pharmaceutical Quality Systems (PQS) in relation to equipment management i.e. Validation Master Plan (VMP), New equipment introduction processes,equipment validation, revalidation, repairs, planned preventative maintenance (PPM), Permit to work (PTW).
- To lead Outsourced Activity management of contractors e.g. supplier approval of contractors, Quality Technical Agreements, Monitoring of outsourced activity reporting system and supplier review.
- To introduce and manage core Pharmaceutical Quality Systems (PQS) in relation to New Product Introduction and act as the Quality Risk Management (QRM) lead for process design e.g. Critical Process Parameters (CPP) / Critical Quality Attributes (CQA) and Product Quality Reviews (PQR).
- To provide specialist QA oversight of Process Validations such as Aseptic Process Simulation (APS), operator validation, gowning validation, transfer disinfection, cleaning validation / residue testing, transport validation, temperature mapping, container / closure validation and QC method validation in collaboration with the Quality Control and Production teams.
- To lead the site wide approach to computerised system validation and data integrity GMP requirements.
- To oversee the Contamination Control Strategy (CCS) and environmental monitoring programme in collaboration with the Site Microbiologist and the wider team. To build and manage the QA capacity planning.
- To manage and oversee unit crisis management procedures and planned, and unplanned site shutdown.
- To manage the QA validation team, consisting of validation specialists and computerised system validators.
- To develop and execute training plans for QA validation team.
- Deliver training on relevant QA systems site wide.
- To role model compassionate and inclusive leadership in order to shape the creation of a collective leadership culture within the trust. This means demonstrating a consistent leadershipstyle which (a) engages, enables and empowers others (b) uses coaching to promote ownership of learning and quality improvement and (c) facilitates team working and collaboration within teams / departments and across organisational boundaries.
Person Specification
Qualifications / Professional Registration
- Degree in relevant scientific discipline or equivalent experience.
- Master Qualification in a scientific discipline (preferably in Pharmaceutical Manufacture) or equivalent demonstrable experience.
- Eligible for Professional Registration e.g. General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Health and Care Professions Council HCPC or Royal Society for Chemistry (RSC),Royal Society for Biology (RSB), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
- Post graduate qualification in Pharmaceutical Validation / Quality Assurance or equivalent experience.
- Management qualification
- Professional Registration
Experience and knowledge
- Post qualification experience in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical Quality Control or Quality Assurance.
- Experience of Quality Risk Management (QRM) and it's application in process design
- Extensive experience in the management and maintenance of pharmaceutical quality systems. Such as: Deviations, Change Control, Root Cause Analysis, CAPA, Quality Risk Management, Complaints, Recall, Supplier approval and management of outsourced activity.
- Evidence of continuing education/professional CPD.
- Experience of computerised systems validation as per EU GMP Annex 11
- Demonstrated experience of working in sterile manufacture in accordance with EU GMP Annex 1.
- Experience of New Production Introduction management
- Experience managing a team / department
- Knowledge of or experience in coaching and mentoring practices and tools
- Knowledge of or experience in Quality improvement tools, techniques and methods
Other requirements
- You may also need to travel between Trust premises as required for the performance of your duties. You may also be expected to work at any of the trust sites. The Trust would consider making reasonable adjustments to the role, if necessary, to enable a disabled person to undertake the role.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
Employer details
Employer name
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Manufacturing and Innovation Hub
Avenue Road
Seaton Delaval
NE25 0QJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/