Vice President of Operations

Job details

Posted Friday 11 September 2026

Salary £200,000 - £225,000 + Executive Benefits + Equity

Location England

Job type Permanent

Discipline Site Leader

Reference 68

Recruiter Name Andrew Davis

Vice President of Operations

UK on site | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Lead a strategically important UK manufacturing site through its next phase of growth and transformation.

Allerton Bishop is delighted to be leading the search to appoint a Vice President of Operations on behalf of a leading global pharmaceutical manufacturer operating a complex, sterile manufacturing facility in the UK.

This is a high-profile, senior leadership appointment with full responsibility for site performance and the continued development of the organisation, its people and culture. The facility operates within a highly regulated GMP environment, manufacturing complex pharmaceutical products through sophisticated manufacturing processes and technologies.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Site Director will provide strategic and operational leadership across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, MSAT, Operational Excellence, EHS and Quality, developing a high-performing organisation capable of delivering operational excellence today while building the capabilities required for future growth.

Key Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership of a complex, sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing site.
Develop and execute the site strategy in partnership with the COO and wider executive leadership team.
Lead, coach and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary site leadership team.
Drive manufacturing performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People.
Build a culture of operational excellence, accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
Lead significant site investment, expansion and transformation programmes, ensuring successful delivery against strategic objectives.
Ensure the site maintains the highest standards of GMP, Quality, EHS and regulatory compliance.
Provide senior site leadership during regulatory inspections, including interactions with the MHRA, FDA and other international regulatory authorities.
Develop organisational capability and manufacturing capacity to support future growth and increasingly complex production requirements.
Manage site budgets, forecasting, capital planning and operational performance.
Work effectively within a global organisation, influencing senior stakeholders and ensuring alignment between site and corporate priorities.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an established pharmaceutical manufacturing leader with the credibility to lead a sophisticated site organisation while continuing to develop its people, culture and operational capability.

Significant Site Head, Site Director, VP Operations or senior Operations leadership experience within the pharmaceutical industry.
A strong track record within complex sterile, aseptic, biologics, vaccines or advanced therapy manufacturing environments.
Experience leading large, multidisciplinary organisations within highly regulated GMP manufacturing facilities.
Demonstrable success developing leadership teams and creating high-performing, engaged manufacturing cultures.
Experience of site transformation, manufacturing scale-up, operational improvement or major capital investment programmes.
Strong understanding of GMP manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain and operational excellence.
Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder-management skills.
The ability to combine strategic leadership with visible, credible and engaging site-level leadership.

Confidential Search

Due to the strategic nature of this appointment, the search is being conducted in strict confidence by Allerton Bishop. Further information regarding the organisation, facility and opportunity will be shared with suitable candidates following an initial confidential discussion.