DeltaV Life Sciences Leader
Job Title
Life Sciences DeltaV Practice Leader
Role Overview
This role is responsible for building and scaling an organic Life Sciences DeltaV automation practice. The position is designed for a senior leader who can establish a new capability from the ground up, starting with initial talent acquisition and growing into a high‑performing team and standalone "mini business."
The successful candidate will lead technical delivery, shape best practices, support client growth, and take ownership of developing a sustainable DeltaV life sciences offering within a broader engineering and technology organization.
This is a highly entrepreneurial role that combines deep technical expertise, people leadership, and commercial accountability.
Key Responsibilities
Practice & Team Development
- Build and scale an organic Life Sciences DeltaV capability, starting with initial hires and expanding into a dedicated delivery team.
- Recruit, mentor, and develop DeltaV and automation engineers, setting standards for quality, delivery, and utilization.
- Establish scalable delivery models, including reusable libraries, templates, and methodologies to accelerate team productivity.
- Serve as the senior technical authority for DeltaV‑based life sciences automation work.
Technical & Delivery Leadership
- Lead complex life sciences automation projects, including greenfield, brownfield, and major DeltaV upgrade initiatives.
- Provide subject‑matter expertise in DeltaV batch automation and S88 concepts (recipes, phases, unit operations, equipment modules).
- Oversee the full automation lifecycle: URS, FDS/DS, configuration, FAT, SAT, commissioning, and support through IQ/OQ/PQ.
- Interface with adjacent systems such as MES, historians, data platforms, skids, and clean‑utility controls.
Client Engagement & Growth
- Act as a trusted advisor to client stakeholders across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and global SME teams.
- Support pre‑sales efforts, including technical solutioning, LOE development, scope definition, and client presentations.
- Help grow client relationships from initial engagements into multi‑site or long‑term programs.
Commercial & Entrepreneurial Ownership
- Take accountability for delivery performance, margins, utilization, and overall practice health.
- Contribute to scoping, SOW development, pricing awareness, risk management, and change‑order control.
- Operate with an ownership mindset, comfortable building from a low base and scaling responsibly over time.
Required Experience & Background
Core Experience
- 10-15+ years of experience in life sciences manufacturing environments, including biologics, sterile/aseptic, vaccines, or high‑potency facilities, with a strong GMP track record.
- 8-10+ years of hands‑on Emerson DeltaV experience in pharma or biotech, with progression from engineer to technical lead or manager.
- Recent experience delivering complex DeltaV projects (greenfield, brownfield, or major upgrades).
Leadership & Prior Roles
- Previous roles may include DeltaV Lead, Automation Manager, Senior Manager, or Associate Director within a pharma site, CDMO, or life‑sciences‑focused system integrator.
- Demonstrated experience managing technical teams and external vendors, including performance management and development.
- Proven ability to hire and build high‑quality automation teams and define what "good" looks like for billable DeltaV engineers.
Technical Expertise
- Deep understanding of batch automation and S88 architecture applied to biologics and aseptic manufacturing.
- Experience across the full validation lifecycle, including IQ, OQ, and PQ support.
- Familiarity with the broader automation ecosystem supporting regulated manufacturing environments.
Desired Attributes
- Maintains a strong professional network of DeltaV engineers, batch specialists, and control system SMEs that can be leveraged to build a team within 6-12 months.
- Comfortable creating standards, templates, and delivery frameworks that enable junior engineers to become productive quickly.
- Strong communicator who can work effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
- Naturally entrepreneurial, motivated by building teams, capabilities, and long‑term value.
Location
- US‑based, preferably located in or near a major life sciences hub such as Boston/Cambridge, NYC/Northern NJ, Philadelphia, RTP, the Bay Area, Chicago, or the MD/DC corridor.
FAQs
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