Head of CGT Operations, Singapore

Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across five continents. While we work in science, there’s no magic formula to how we do it. Our greatest scientific solution is talented people working together, devising ideas that help businesses to help people. In exchange, we let our people own their careers. Their ideas, big and small, genuinely improve the world. And that’s the kind of work we want to be part of.

We are looking for a Head of CGT Operations, Singapore.

The Head of CGT (Cell & Gene Technologies) Operations, Singapore, is accountable for the safe, compliant, and efficient delivery of CGT manufacturing operations under cGMP conditions. The role leads a dedicated management team with full responsibility for operational performance, people leadership, and financial execution for the Singapore CGT manufacturing asset. In addition to day-to-day operational accountability, the role contributes to broader CGT asset and business outcomes by translating site execution into sustainable performance, supporting asset competitiveness, and aligning site priorities with CGT, customer, and enterprise objectives.

Key accountabilities:

• Lead the CGT manufacturing asset, ensuring delivery of safe, compliant and efficient production that meets customer, regulatory, and business requirements.

• Maintain single point accountability for operational execution, including safety, quality, compliance, delivery performance, and financial outcomes.

• Responsible for CGT asset profitability as well as ensuring to pro-actively raise impacts and mitigations.

• Manage operating budgets and resources effectively, linking productivity, cost management, and delivery performance to overall asset and site value creation.

• Translate site level operational execution into broader CGT asset and business outcomes, ensuring alignment with Specialized Modalities Platform and company strategy.

• Contribute to medium and long term asset strategy, including capacity planning, operational scalability, and readiness for future CGT portfolio needs.

• Drive operational decisions that support asset competitiveness, cost efficiency, and long term financial sustainability.

• Partner with site and CGT leadership to identify and execute operational levers that improve asset performance and delivery reliability.

• Lead through a management team and leadership structures to drive consistent execution, accountability, and cross functional alignment.

• Ensure continuous inspection readiness and adherence to Lonza quality systems, cGMP standards, and regulatory requirements.

• Set clear leadership expectations and operating rhythms that enable functional leaders to deliver integrated site outcomes.

• Attract, develop, and retain talent; build leadership capability, succession readiness, and a high performance culture across the asset.

• Inspire and motivate teams, fostering a climate of collaboration, coaching, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Partner closely with Quality Assurance to establish, maintain, and evolve robust quality and data integrity systems.

• Proactively identify and mitigate operational risks, ensuring site performance protects customer confidence, inspection outcomes, and the reputation of Lonza’s CGT platform.

• Balance speed, quality, and compliance decisions with an understanding of their broader business and reputational impact.

• Serve as a core member of the Site Leadership Team, contributing to site strategy and execution.

• Represent the Singapore CGT manufacturing asset in broader CGT, customer, and cross site forums as required.

• Engage internal and external stakeholders to balance site priorities with customer expectations and portfolio commitments.

• Support enterprise level initiatives by translating global CGT priorities into effective site execution.

• Ensure continuous inspection readiness and adherence to Lonza quality systems, cGMP standards, and regulatory requirements.

• Uphold data integrity principle in accordance to Lonza policies.

• Proactively evaluate, identify, and improve data integrity process.

• The incumbent establishes methods and procedures for attaining specific goals and objectives, and receives guidance in terms of broad goals. Only the final results of work are typically reviewed.

• Stakeholders: Site Head, Site Quality Head and Functional Heads.

Qualification:

• Bachelor Degree in Science, Engineering, Business.

• Experience with 6S and Lean Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma green belt or black belt is a plus.

• English Business Fluent.

• Advance level of experience within Manufacturing and Operations.

Competencies:

Agility

• Fosters a culture that embraces errors as a source of innovation.

• Deliberately uses a structured approach to evaluate work experiences and applies learnings to new situations.

• Acts as a change leader by visibly demonstrating public commitment to change, and aligning and helping others embrace change.

• Drives change inside and outside of his/her area.

• Challenges others to work differently when the business environment requires it.

• Empowers and encourages others to bring new ideas forward and ensures learning from both success and failures.

• Manages ambiguity through effective communication, removes barriers and overcomes resistance skilfully.

Business Acumen

• Translates corporate strategy into critical success factors and creates breakthrough implementation plans.

• Demonstrates timely and accurate decision making, ensuring delegation or escalation where appropriate.

• Communicates business strategy, measures and tactical plans effectively to all stakeholders and helps them make sense of complexity and uncertainty.

• Exhibits a sophisticated understanding of the critical success factors needed to differentiate and improve the business in order to make Lonza more competitive.

Collaboration

• Develops inclusive relationships and alliances engaging internal and external stakeholders.

• Builds systems and processes that enable others to be heard.

• Creates mechanisms to share information and knowledge across functions.

• Exhibits skilful communication to ensure peers (and team) develop relationships across functions.

• Drives active participation, ensuring all voices are heard, in person or virtually.

• Builds and effectively manages diverse teams to enhance Lonza’s global competitiveness and fuel innovation.

Customer Focus            

• Finds the right balance between customer needs and business goals.

• Manages interactions proactively to drive customer satisfaction.

• Communicates regularly with peers/team members about customer topics to drive awareness and build capability.

• Maintains effective and sustainable customer relations.

• Defines and introduces systematic approaches to track customer key metrics and ensures implementation within his/her business area(s).

Driving Results

• Ensures their team(s) support the execution of business strategy and/or specific objectives.

• Leads multiple complex initiatives simultaneously to successful conclusion.

• Provides coaching to enable/accelerate success outcomes.

• Anticipates and resolves challenges.

• Ensures high-quality performance and accountability by gaining commitment on priorities.

• Measures business impact of complex projects.

• Demonstrates trust through delegation and holds people accountable for results.

• Drives a systematic approach to planning and delivery based on short- medium-long-term time horizons.

Leadership        

• Implements and demonstrates the highest standards of safety.

• Demonstrates high integrity and accountability for his/her area ensuring team(s) actions and decisions are aligned to business objectives.

• Provides opportunities for talent and performance development through specific and measurable actions, coaching and mentoring.

• Creates an open and learning environment where people are encouraged to develop, share and grow.

• Seeks feedback to understand impact on others; knows his/her own strengths and limitations, learns from mistakes.

Responsibilities:

People

• Approximately 4 to 6 direct reports.

• approximately 50 to 200 indirect reports.

• Budget Primary Cost (Personnel, Maintenance, Repairs, Consulting, General Ops and Depreciation) for the Manufacturing Asset as well as indirect responsibility for.

• Revenue and COG's from a Manufacturing execution standpoint and POV and Absorption. Total budget responsibility between $50 and $75MM.

• Quality  Overall responsibility for the delivery of products that meet all quality and regulatory requirements.

• Overall responsibility for creating, maintaining and continuously improving the safety of all employees, contractors and visitors within the facility

Skills:

• Demonstrates effective leadership.

• Ability to effectively deal with ambiguity, translate long term objectives into short term tactical plans and balance risk for overall plant and business success.

• Ability to work inter-departmentally and with customers.

• High level of suite specific operations and technical skills.

• Demonstrates role model EPS behaviours- eg 3 way communication, questioning attitude

• Demonstrates role model safety behaviours.

• Demonstrates uncompromising standards for product quality.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Demonstrates ability for effective Planning, Organizing and Controlling competency.

• Demonstrates sound decision making, considering broad scope of factors.

• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels in verbal and written form. Able to manage multiple cross-functional teams simultaneously.

• Exceptional leadership, interpersonal communication, negotiations, collaboration and management skills.

• Ability to effectively prioritize and direct tasks in a fast-paced environment is critical.

All Lonza Employees have the following responsibilities: Quality should be the responsibility of all Lonza employees. Adherence to cGMPs is required at all times during the manufacture of APIs/ therapeutic products. All personnel are responsible for notifying responsible Management in a timely manner of regulatory inspections, serious GMP deficiencies, product defects and related actions (e.g. quality related complaints, recalls, regulatory actions, etc.) All personnel should practice good sanitation and health habits. Personnel suffering from an infectious disease or having open lesions on the exposed surface of the body should not engage in activities that could result in compromising the quality of APIs/ therapeutic products. All personnel are required to provide support in maintaining the site safety, health and environmental programs and system. Adherence to EHS rules and regulations is required at all times.

Every day, Lonza’s products and services have a positive impact on millions of people. For us, this is not only a great privilege, but also a great responsibility. How we achieve our business results is just as important as the achievements themselves. At Lonza, we respect and protect our people and our environment. Any success we achieve is no success at all if not achieved ethically.

People come to Lonza for the challenge and creativity of solving complex problems and developing new ideas in life sciences. In return, we offer the satisfaction that comes with improving lives all around the world. The satisfaction that comes with making a meaningful difference.