Manager, Quality Engineering (357)

Petersburg, VA

About Civica

Civica is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization established in 2018 by health systems and philanthropies to reduce chronic generic drug shortages and related high prices in the United States. Civica is led by an experienced team of healthcare and pharmaceutical industry leaders. 

Today, more than 55 health systems have joined Civica. They represent over 1,500 hospitals and one-third of all U.S. hospital beds. Civica has also begun to supply the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile of essential medicines. 

Civica recently announced plans to expand its mission, via a unit called CivicaScript, to into the outpatient pharmacy space and to manufacture and distribute insulins that, once approved, will be available to people with diabetes at significantly lower prices than insulins currently on the market. The availability of Civica’s affordable insulins, beginning in 2024, will benefit people with diabetes who have been forced to choose between life sustaining medicines and living expenses, particularly those uninsured or underinsured who often pay the most out of pocket for their medications.

Civica’s mission is to ensure that quality generic medications are accessible and affordable to everyone. Since established, the #1 Policy for the Civica team has been “Do What Is in the Best Interest of Patients.” Civica’s manufacturing facility in Petersburg, Virginia, is the future home of affordable insulin and essential sterile injectable medicines. The facility is currently in late-stage construction and hiring for the site is well-underway.

To find out more about how Civica’s innovative model is directly impacting patient care, click here to read a summary from the New England Journal of Medicine. (https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.21.0189)

To learn more about Civica’s plans to bring affordable insulin to Americans living with diabetes, click here to read an article in BioSpace.

(https://www.biospace.com/article/civica-is-rallying-leaders-to-make-insulin-affordable-by-2024-/)

Job Description

The Quality Assurance-Engineering Manager will join the Civica, Inc. (“Civica”) organization and its newly forming team at the Petersburg, Virginia site by bringing their knowledge and experience in service to patients and pursuit of excellence in quality and compliance. The Petersburg site serves as Civica’s new fill finish facility dedicated to the manufacture and supply of essential generic sterile injectable medications. Responsibilities of the position include establishing and maintaining quality systems and compliance oversight to ensure the facility, utilities, equipment, and computer systems meet cGMP and Civica compliance requirements at the onset of building the facility leading to successful U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the facility and the ongoing introduction and approval of new medications.

The role is essential to assure the Petersburg site’s validation and qualification programs comply with applicable regulatory standards (e.g., Current Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Distribution Practices) and expectations for the development and reliable supply of quality medicines.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Working across functions, to establish the site’s quality system processes related to GMP compliance of the facility, utilities, equipment, and computer systems.
  • Ensure the Quality oversight and review of validation and qualification activities for the site is performed including assurance that the appropriate resources, materials, and documentation are utilised, and that work is performed in a compliant and controlled manner.
  • Provide leadership, direction, and support to the people within the Quality Assurance Engineering department and ensure that they are qualified, achieve a high level of competence, are motivated and carry out their duties in a safe manner.
  • Maintain current knowledge of local and international regulatory and legislative requirements and trends to ensure that expert advice and appropriate technical support on all quality related matters is provided to the site.
  • Support and ensure compliance of product and process transfers, including validation, from other manufacturing sites.
  • Support quality processes and systems across the product lifecycle including, but not limited to, change control, CAPA, deviations and investigations, label control, laboratory control, product quality complaints, Annual Product Quality Review (APQR), and management notification.
  • Provide quality oversight for calibration and maintenance programs and ensure they are developed and run-in accordance with GMP regulation.
  • Manage the quality risk management process.
  • Support as needed process, method and cleaning validation.
  • Proactively identify and work collaboratively to resolve problems by taking risk-based and compliant approaches to solutions.
  • Promote a quality mindset and quality excellence approach to all activities.
  • Promote a safety mindset and focus on safety for all operations activities.
  • Maintain written procedures for personnel qualification and training and support the delivery of compliance training sessions.
  • Travel (up to 10%) may be required.

Basic Qualifications and Capabilities:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline with a minimum of 8 years Quality/CGMP management experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Experience in facility, utilities and equipment qualification, computer validation and calibration and maintenance programs.
  • Knowledge in 21CFR Part 11, Electronic Records and Signatures and data integrity is required.
  • Strong project management, organization, and execution skills with a proven track record of successfully managing multiple projects and priorities.
  • Quality management experience across the product development and commercialization lifecycle including change management and associated implementation strategies.
  • Participation and leading activities to support regulatory agency inspections required.
  • Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills and experience using various software/electronic applications required.
  • Self-motivated, flexible, and able to work in a small, fast-paced, dynamic, environment.
  • Ability to work autonomously and within established guidelines, procedures, and practices.
  • Committed to delivering high quality results, working with others to overcome challenges, and focusing on what matters.
  • Continuously looking for opportunities to learn, build skills and share knowledge with others.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Technical expertise in sterile pharmaceutical isolator technology, combination product and medical devices is highly desirable.
  • Process, method and cleaning validation.