Associate Director, IT/OT Projects Lead

The Associate Director, IT/OT Projects Lead has overall accountability for a complex portfolio of manufacturing and facilities digital technology initiatives at the Boxmeer site. You provide end‑to‑end technical, financial, and people leadership across all project phases—from concept and design through delivery, commissioning, validation, and operational handover—while maintaining a strong focus on quality, compliance, and business value.

This role requires strategic and structured thinking combined with a strong execution mindset. You will translate business strategy and manufacturing objectives into clear, robust IT/OT and automation project outcomes, ensuring solutions are scalable, compliant, and aligned with corporate standards.

You will lead and manage a portfolio of multiple concurrent initiatives, applying excellent problem‑solving and critical‑thinking skills to anticipate, assess, and resolve complex technical, schedule, financial, and stakeholder challenges. A high degree of ownership and accountability is expected, with full responsibility for outcomes, risks, and delivery performance.

In this role, you will integrate facility, engineering, IT, laboratory, and corporate architecture requirements into project‑specific IT/OT and automation architectures, ensuring adherence to cybersecurity requirements and enterprise blueprints. You will balance strategic intent with pragmatic, executable project plans.

As a senior client interface and escalation point, you will demonstrate strong stakeholder, supplier, and sponsor management capabilities, building trust and alignment across local and global teams. Success in this position depends on the ability to clearly communicate complex technical topics, manage diverse interests, and drive decisions that enable successful project delivery in a regulated manufacturing environment.

• Own and lead a portfolio of digital, IT/OT, automation, and facilities projects supporting manufacturing operations.
• Provide end‑to‑end technical, financial, and delivery leadership for greenfield, expansion, upgrade, and lifecycle projects.
• Integrate facilities, engineering, automation, IT/OT, lab systems, and corporate standard architectures into compliant project solutions, including cybersecurity by design.
• Ensure successful delivery of automation, MES, BAS, historian, infrastructure, and laboratory systems within approved budgets, schedules, and staffing plans.
• Act as primary client interface and escalation point, guiding projects from concept through commissioning, validation, and acceptance.
• Lead detailed project planning, supplier and contractor management, system integrators and OEM oversight throughout execution.
• Monitor schedules, risks, and performance; anticipate and resolve complex, concurrent project issues using sound technical and business judgment.
• Prepare and present monthly portfolio progress, risk, and financial reports to Steering Committees and executive sponsors.
• Translate strategic opportunities and emerging technologies into pragmatic, executable project plans aligned with corporate standards and blueprints.
• Ensure full compliance with GAMP lifecycle expectations, ANSI/ISA‑S88 and S95 standards, cybersecurity requirements, and GMP regulations.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Industrial Automation Engineering, Industrial Information Systems, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience delivering automation, process control, and information systems projects in biotechnology or pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.
• Proven project and portfolio management experience in cross‑functional Engineering and IT/OT environments within GMP‑regulated settings.
• Strong knowledge of automation systems architecture, networking, and major vendor platforms (e.g. Siemens, Rockwell).
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience with DCS, SCADA, PLC, MES, BAS, and Plant Information Systems.
• Formal project management certification (e.g. PMP, PRINCE2) or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong planning, organizational, and execution skills with a consistent focus on quality, compliance, and delivery.
• Demonstrated people leadership and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to influence and lead matrix teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive‑level reporting and presentations.
• Autonomous, adaptable professional able to quickly integrate knowledge across multiple technical disciplines in complex project environments.