Head of External Sterile Operations (Anywhere in Europe)

Viatris Healthcare

Viatris is a global healthcare company uniquely positioned to bridge the traditional divide between generics and brands, combining the best of both to more holistically address healthcare needs globally. With a mission to empower people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life, we provide access at scale, currently supplying high-quality medicines to approximately 1 billion patients around the world annually and touching all of life's moments, from birth to the end of life, acute conditions to chronic diseases.

We have been included on number of award lists that demonstrate the impact we are making.
 

Our global portfolio includes best-in-class, iconic brand-name products as well as global key brands; generics, including branded and complex generics; and other offerings across a wide range of therapeutic areas. We are committed to helping create healthier communities worldwide through education, outreach, and better access to treatment.

For those driven to live their lives with purpose, Viatris helps employees realise their full potential by creating a collaborative culture that fosters courage and resilience. Viatris is more than just a place to work. This is a place to make a difference in the world.

The Role & What You Will Be Doing

Every day, we rise to the challenge to make a difference, and here’s how the Head of External Sterile Operations role will make an impact:

This position has overall responsibility for the strategy, governance, and performance of an assigned segment of the external manufacturing network within the Sterile Vertical. The role leads a team of External Operations Managers and is accountable for senior-level supplier relationship management across supply, quality, service, cost, contract compliance, and risk. The position works closely with Supply Chain, Quality, Technical Services, and other business partners to align priorities and drive performance across external manufacturers. In addition, the role leads major negotiations, capacity decisions, and escalation management, and helps define external operations standards and ways of working across the network.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

INDIVIDUAL

• Lead a team of External Operations Managers responsible for assigned CDMO relationships

• Own the strategy, governance, and overall performance of external manufacturing partners within assigned scope

• Lead senior-level supplier relationship management across supply, quality, service, cost, and contract adherence

• Lead executive governance meetings, business reviews, and performance discussions with external partners

• Lead major commercial, contractual, and capacity negotiations with CDMO

• Partner with Global Supply Planning and business leadership on supply strategy, capacity alignment, and network priorities

• Own major escalations and recovery direction for significant supply, operational, or performance issues

• Drive cross-functional alignment across Supply Chain, Quality, Technical Services, Procurement, and other functions

• Set priorities and expectations for the External Operations team and drive accountability across internal and external stakeholders

• Support the development of external operations standards, governance, and operating practices across the network

SHARED

• Partner with Supply Chain, Quality, Legal, and Technical Services on supplier strategy, risk management, and execution

• Partner with senior business leadership on external network performance, supply continuity, and long-term partner management

About Your Skills & Experience

For this role, we’re looking for a candidate who has an effective combination of the following qualifications, skills, and experiences:

• 15+ years of sterile operations experience

• Significant experience leading complex third-party manufacturing or CDMO relationships in pharmaceuticals, biotech, or other highly regulated industries

• Experience managing cross-functional teams in a matrix environment

• Strong background in external manufacturing, supplier relationship management, or network operations

• Experience leading commercial, capacity, or contract negotiations with external partners

• Experience in supply chain, manufacturing, technical operations, procurement, or quality roles that required direct engagement with third-party suppliers

• Experience managing major escalations, supply disruptions, or performance issues across internal and external stakeholders

• Experience setting strategy and governance for supplier performance, including business reviews, scorecards, and risk management

• Prior people leadership experience, including leading managers or directors across a complex operational scope

• Experience working with sterile manufacturing, sterile supply chain, or sterile external networks preferred

• Experience supporting product transfers, launches, lifecycle changes, or network changes involving external manufacturers would be valuable

• Exposure to financial, commercial, or business planning activities related to supplier management

• Non-traditional backgrounds will be considered where candidates have demonstrated success leading cross-functional execution and managing complex third-party relationships.

At Viatris, we are dedicated to building a truly diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t fully align with every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles.

Why Viatris?

At Viatris, we offer competitive salaries, benefits, and an inclusive environment where you can use your experiences, perspectives, and skills to help make an impact on the lives of others. You will also have the opportunity to access excellent career progression opportunities and work-life balance initiatives.

Diversity & Inclusion at Viatris

At Viatris, diversity and inclusion are essential to our mission. The diversity we foster in all aspects of our business can be one of our greatest strengths in redefining healthcare, not as it is, but as it should be. If you would like to know more about what diversity, equity, and inclusion means to us, please visit https://www.viatris.com/en/Careers/Diversity-and-Inclusion

Sustainability at Viatris

Corporate social responsibility is fundamental to the Viatris mission. We work to advance responsible and sustainable operations and leverage our collective expertise to empower people to live healthier at every stage of life, recognizing that our actions affect the stakeholders and communities we serve. To learn more about our efforts, please visit https://www.viatris.com/en/about-us/corporate-responsibility

At Viatris, we offer competitive salaries, benefits and an inclusive environment where you can use your experiences, perspectives and skills to help make an impact on the lives of others. 

Viatris is an Equal Opportunity Employer.