Associate Director, Maintenance

Associate Director, Maintenance

Location: This position is currently remote. A future transition to an on-site location on the U.S. East-Coast/Mid-West is anticipated as the project progresses, with an expected timeline in 2027. This is a full-time role with a Monday–Friday schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

What you will get:

The full-time base annual salary for this position is expected to range between $174,000 to $203,000. In addition, below you will find a comprehensive summary of the benefits package we offer:

• Performance-related bonus.

• Medical, dental and vision insurance.

• 401(k) matching plan.

• Life insurance, as well as short-term and long-term disability insurance.

• Employee assistance programs.

• Paid time off (PTO).

Compensation for this role will be determined by the candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience, and relevant knowledge.

What will you do:

We are seeking an Associate Director, Maintenance to lead maintenance and reliability readiness activities for a U.S. growth investment project supporting small molecule drug substance manufacturing. This role will ensure the facility, equipment, utilities, process equipment, and maintenance systems are designed and implemented with long-term reliability, maintainability, mechanical integrity, and GMP compliance in mind. Working closely with Engineering, Operations, Automation, MSAT, and Quality, you will help establish the maintenance organization, systems, and processes required for successful site start-up and ongoing operations.

• Provide maintenance and reliability leadership throughout facility design, construction, commissioning, qualification, and start-up activities

• Develop maintenance strategies, including preventive, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance programs to support long-term asset performance

• Partner with Engineering and project teams to ensure maintainability, serviceability, accessibility, and lifecycle considerations are incorporated into facility and equipment design

• Establish asset lifecycle management strategies, including spare parts plans, calibration programs, and equipment reliability initiatives

• Support the selection, implementation, and optimization of CMMS and other maintenance technologies to enable effective planning and execution

• Participate in commissioning, qualification, FAT/SAT, and operational readiness activities to ensure maintenance requirements are incorporated and validated

• Define the future maintenance organization, including staffing plans, training requirements, operating procedures, and site support models

• Identify and mitigate equipment reliability, maintenance, and operational readiness risks while providing updates and recommendations to project leadership

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Facilities Management, Reliability Engineering, or a related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred

• 10+ years of experience in maintenance, reliability, engineering, or technical operations within pharmaceutical or API manufacturing environments. Experience with HPAPI, complex chemical synthesis, or chemical process manufacturing is preferred.

• Experience supporting major capital projects, facility start-ups, manufacturing expansions, greenfield or brownfield investments, or large-scale operational readiness initiatives

• Strong knowledge of maintenance best practices, reliability engineering, asset lifecycle management, and equipment performance improvement

• Experience with CMMS platforms, predictive maintenance technologies, reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), and maintenance planning systems

• Understanding of GMP requirements related to equipment maintenance, calibration, qualification, documentation, and inspection readiness and mechanical integrity principles

• Demonstrated experience supporting small molecule drug substance, API, or HPAPI manufacturing operations preferred

• Experience supporting containment-intensive manufacturing environments (e.g., HPAPI containment, isolators, contained material handling) preferred

• Experience within a multi-product API manufacturing or CDMO environment is preferred

• Strong leadership, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and stakeholders

• Ability and willingness to transition to an East Coast or Midwest U.S. site location as project needs evolve

• Travel: Willingness and ability to travel to EMEA and NA at approximately 25-30% of the time to meet business objectives

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone’s ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you’re ready to help turn our customers’ breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.

Ready to shape the future of life sciences? Apply now.