Engineering Director

Acino Pharma

The Engineering Director is responsible for leading the engineering function at the manufacturing site, ensuring the reliability, safety, and compliance of all facilities, utilities, equipment, and engineering systems. This role sets the strategic direction for engineering, drives continuous improvement, and ensures the site meets global regulatory and business requirements. The position partners closely with Manufacturing, Quality, EHS, Supply Chain, and Global Engineering.

Engineering Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and execute the site engineering strategy aligned with corporate goals and long term manufacturing needs.
• Lead a multi disciplinary engineering team covering maintenance, utilities, capital projects, automation, and engineering compliance.
• Drive engineering discipline excellence and build organizational capability through coaching, talent development, and succession planning.

Maintenance & Reliability

• Oversee preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs for equipment, production lines, and critical systems.
• Ensure equipment availability and reliability to meet production targets.
• Implement reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) and asset life-cycle management.

Capital Projects & Site Master Planning

• Lead capital investment planning and the execution of engineering projects (expansions, upgrades, new equipment).
• Ensure all projects meet safety, quality, cost, and schedule expectations.
• Own the site s long-term engineering and utilities master plan.

Engineering Compliance & GMP Standards

• Ensure that all equipment, utilities, and engineering processes comply with GMP, GEP, and regulatory requirements (FDA, EMA, WHO, local authorities).
• Oversee qualification/validation activities (IQ/OQ/PQ) working collaboratively with QA and Validation.
• Ensure full compliance in audits and inspections.

Facilities & Utilities Management

• Oversee the operation and monitoring of all critical utilities including HVAC, clean steam, WFI, compressed air, purified water, chilled water, boilers, and electrical distribution.
• Ensure sustainability, energy efficiency, and optimal cost-to-operate across the site.
• Guarantee business continuity and redundancy of critical systems.

Health, Safety & Environmental Stewardship

• Ensure all engineering activities meet EHS regulations and corporate standards.
• Lead risk assessments (HAZOP, risk matrices, equipment safety).
• Drive engineering contributions to sustainability initiatives and zero-harm culture.

Automation & Digitalization

• Lead automation strategy including DCS, PLC, SCADA, and MES systems.
• Support site digital transformation (Industry 4.0, OT cybersecurity, predictive analytics).
• Ensure data integrity and compliance with 21 CFR Part 11.

Cross Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Manufacturing to optimize equipment performance and introduce new technologies.
• Support Quality in investigations, deviations, and CAPA related to engineering and equipment.
• Work with Supply Chain on capacity planning and long range production forecasts.