Job summary
Production Lead - Medicines Manufacturing Centre (MMC)
An exceptional opportunity has arisen to take a pivotal leadership role in the Medicines Manufacturing Centre (MMC)--a state-of-the-art NHS manufacturing facility dedicated to producing sterile injectable medicinal products. Located in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, MMC will operate under MHRA Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, ensuring a secure supply chain for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) products for the next 10 years.
As Production Lead, you will provide day-to-day leadership within the cleanrooms, overseeing sterile production activities and ensuring compliance with GMP regulations. You will have the unique opportunity to influence production processes, training, and culture, working closely with the Head of Production and Production Manager to build an efficient and high-performing team.
Why This Role Matters
At MMC, patients and quality are at the heart of everything we do. By delivering Ready-to-Administer (RtA) medicines, we enable NHS nurses to spend more time on direct patient care rather than preparing medications. The Production Lead will play a key role in making this mission a reality--ensuring safe, reliable, and high-quality production every day.
Main duties of the job
What You'll Be Doing
You will lead the cleanroom production team, ensuring compliance with GMP and safety regulations. Developing and optimizing production processes will be key to maintaining efficiency and high-quality output. You will also play a crucial role in training programs, developing staff skills, and embedding a culture of excellence.
A strong, collaborative production culture is essential, and you will work closely with Quality, R&D, and Finance to achieve this. Additionally, you will be involved in facility commissioning, process validation, and team recruitment, helping to shape the future of NHS medicines manufacturing.
About us
Working at MMC
The MMC is in its final design stages, with facility construction planned through to September 2025. Initially, staff will be employed by Northumbria Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust, with employment transferring to the Medicines Manufacturing Centre Legal Liability Partnership (LLP) upon its formation under TUPE regulations.
This is a unique opportunity to be part of a brand-new NHS manufacturing facility, helping to shape its future from day one. If you're passionate about leadership, operational excellence, and making a real impact on patient care, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today and help build something extraordinary.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To have delegated responsibility with the new product introduction process including process validation.
- To assist in the development strategy to ensure a robust and fit for purpose manufacturing workforce.
- To supervise contractors and to lead on the commissioning and qualification of facilities and manufacturing equipment.
- To supervise the storage and distribution of manufactured medicines.
- To support the ongoing maintenance and re-qualification of the MMC facilities.
- 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 leadership style 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.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To have delegated responsibility with the new product introduction process including process validation.
- To assist in the development strategy to ensure a robust and fit for purpose manufacturing workforce.
- To supervise contractors and to lead on the commissioning and qualification of facilities and manufacturing equipment.
- To supervise the storage and distribution of manufactured medicines.
- To support the ongoing maintenance and re-qualification of the MMC facilities.
- 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 leadership style 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
Essential
- Post-graduate qualification in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Postgraduate diploma in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance
- Management qualification
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of continuing education/professional CPD
- Significant post qualification experience in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
- Evidence of procuring specialist pharmaceutical equipment in compliance with procurement law
- Evidence of pharmaceutical quality system knowledge
- Evidence of ongoing facility compliance monitoring
Desirable
- Evidence of awareness of the NHSE Aseptic Transformation process
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate qualification in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Postgraduate diploma in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance
- Management qualification
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of continuing education/professional CPD
- Significant post qualification experience in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
- Evidence of procuring specialist pharmaceutical equipment in compliance with procurement law
- Evidence of pharmaceutical quality system knowledge
- Evidence of ongoing facility compliance monitoring
Desirable
- Evidence of awareness of the NHSE Aseptic Transformation process
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.
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
