Senior Manager, Quality

The Sr. Quality Manager serves as the site Quality leader for Avantor's Phillipsburg manufacturing facility, overseeing Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and the site Quality Management System within a regulated chemical manufacturing environment.

This role is responsible for driving a culture of quality, compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement while ensuring adherence to cGMP, regulatory, and customer requirements. In addition to technical Quality leadership, the position plays a critical role in organizational effectiveness by leading quality transformation initiatives, building leadership capability, fostering employee engagement, and supporting positive labor-management relations within a unionized manufacturing environment.

The successful candidate will partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, EHS, Human Resources, and union leadership to drive operational excellence, workforce effectiveness, and sustainable business results.

This role will be a full-time position based out of our Phillipsburg, New Jersey site with ~10% travel to our Bridgewater, NJ site.

What we're looking for

• Education: Bachelor's degree in chemistry, Quality, Life Sciences, Engineering, or related discipline.

• Experience: Minimum 8 years of Quality experience within a cGMP chemical, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or regulated manufacturing environment.

• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience

• Demonstrated experience leading organizational change, quality transformation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Experience managing employee and labor relations within a unionized manufacturing environment.

• Strong knowledge of:

• Quality Management Systems

• CAPA

• Risk Management

• Supplier Quality

• Audits and Inspections

• Validation and Qualification

• Quality Control Operations

• Strong coaching, communication, and influencing skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting unionized manufacturing operations.

• Experience interpreting collective bargaining agreements and resolving labor relations issues.

• Experience in chemical, pharmaceutical, or highly regulated manufacturing environments.

• Certification in Lean, Six Sigma, ASQ, ISO Lead Auditor, or related disciplines.

• Experience leading large-scale quality transformation initiatives.

• Membership in professional quality organizations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong ability to solve problems in a structured manner using analytical, facilitation, and root cause analysis skills.

• Proven program and project management capability, with a track record of driving initiatives to completion through disciplined execution.

• Ability to recognize the need for change and apply appropriate change management strategies.

• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills across all levels of the organization, including union and hourly workforce environments.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex information clearly to senior leaders.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

• Strong business acumen with an operational mindset and customer focus.

• Ability to interpret and synthesize complex operational and financial data into actionable insights.

How you will thrive and create an impact

Quality Culture & Compliance Leadership (Primary Focus)

• Champion a site-wide culture focused on quality, safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Lead and continuously improve the site's Quality Management System.

• Ensure compliance with cGMP, FDA, ICHQ7, IPEC, customer, and internal quality requirements.

• Promote quality ownership at all levels of the organization through coaching, communication, and leadership visibility.

• Drive a proactive quality culture that emphasizes prevention, risk management, and operational discipline.

• Develop and maintain relationships with internal partners, consultants, and vendors as needed to support site initiatives.

Quality Transformation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead site quality transformation initiatives that improve compliance, productivity, customer satisfaction, and business performance.

• Deploy quality and continuous improvement methodologies including Lean, Six Sigma, PFMEA, SPC, CAPA, and Risk Management.

• Identify systemic improvement opportunities through trend analysis and quality metrics.

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement across both salaried and hourly employee populations.

• Partner with site leadership to support operational excellence initiatives and strategic business objectives.

Leadership Coaching & Capability Building

• Develop and mentor Quality leaders, supervisors, and individual contributors.

• Coach leaders on quality systems, regulatory expectations, problem-solving, and performance management.

• Build organizational capability through succession planning, talent development, and workforce planning.

• Partner with Human Resources and Operations leaders to strengthen leadership effectiveness across the site.

• Create development strategies that enhance technical, leadership, and compliance capabilities.

Labor Relations & Workforce Engagement

• Foster productive and collaborative labor-management relationships that support business goals and employee engagement.

• Partner with Human Resources and Operations leadership regarding labor relations matters.

• Interpret and administer collective bargaining agreements in collaboration with HR.

• Participate in grievance reviews, investigations, dispute resolution activities, and labor-management discussions.

• Coach managers and supervisors on labor relations, employee relations, contract administration, and workforce management practices.

• Drive employee engagement initiatives that strengthen quality culture, workforce morale, and retention.

• Support organizational changes while maintaining positive relationships with represented employees and union leadership.

Quality Operations & Business Partnership

• Oversee Quality Assurance, Quality Control, batch disposition, supplier quality, validation, and quality systems activities.

• Partner with Operations to ensure reliable product quality and customer satisfaction.

• Ensure timely resolution of quality issues and regulatory concerns.

• Monitor key performance indicators and develop action plans to achieve business objectives.

• Support customer audits, regulatory inspections, and supplier qualification activities.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure readiness for customers, regulatory, and internal audits.

• Lead investigations, CAPAs, change controls, and risk assessments.

• Maintain compliance with applicable regulatory, environmental, health, and safety standards.

• Partner with EHS and Operations leaders to reinforce a strong compliance culture.

• Escalate significant quality or compliance risks appropriately and drive sustainable solutions.

Quality Systems Excellence

• Ensure effectiveness of document control, training, change management, deviations, CAPAs, and audit programs.

• Utilize quality and workforce data to drive decision-making and continuous improvement.

• Implement best practices that improve both compliance and operational efficiency.

• Establish sustainable systems that support future business growth and site performance.

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Why Avantor?

Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science.

The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor.

We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today!

Pay Transparency:

The expected pre-tax pay for this position is

Actual pay may differ depending on relevant factors such as prior experience and geographic location.

EEO Statement:

We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at recruiting@avantorsciences.comand let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the Know Your Rights poster.

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3rd Party Non-Solicitation Policy:

By submitting candidates without having been formally assigned on and contracted for a specific job requisition by Avantor, or by failing to comply with the Avantor recruitment process, you forfeit any fee on the submitted candidates, regardless of your usual terms and conditions. Avantor works with a preferred supplier list and will take the initiative to engage with recruitment agencies based on its needs and will not be accepting any form of solicitation.

Avantor offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, wellness programs, health savings and flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with company match, and an employee stock purchase program. Employees also receive 11 paid holidays, accrue 18 PTO days annually, are eligible for volunteer time off and 6 weeks of 100% paid parental leave (except in states that offer paid family leave). These benefits may not apply to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement or those subject to other eligibility rules.