Senior Technical Manager (External Manufacturing)

Job description

We are now looking for a Technical Specialist to join our Global Supply Chain (GSC) Digital and Technology function to provide global technology leadership for shaping and delivering digital integration, Smart Manufacturing and AI-enabled transformation across GSK’s External Manufacturing and partner network. Job Purpose: The Senior Tech Manager (External Manufacturing) acts as the business-technology integrator between GSK’s departments and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) partners.  The GSK departments includes External Manufacturing, Chemistry, Manufacturing & Control (CMC) / New Product Introduction (NPI), Manufacturing Science & Technology (MSAT), Quality, Supply Chain, R&D, and global Digital and Technology product teams.  The role translates operational and technology priorities into integrated roadmaps and scalable solutions across enterprise platforms. The role is explicitly global (rather than aligned to a specific site) but will utilise site insight to validate value and feasibility, then standardises integration patterns, data models, AI-use cases and deployment approaches for re-use across products, sites and external partners.  The role leads end-to-end outcomes from opportunity shaping and business case through design, delivery, adoption, transition to service and value realisation. Key Responsibilities (include..,): Lead the global External Manufacturing digital & technology roadmap, aligning CMC/NPI, technology-transfer, manufacturing, supply, quality and partner priorities with enterprise Digital & Technology strategy (including Smart Manufacturing and AI-roadmaps). Own end-to-end delivery of digital integration solutions for External Manufacturing across enterprise technology environments.  This extends to partnering directly with the External Manufacturing operations and selected CDMOs to identify operational challenges and rapidly shape, prototype and validate high-value Smart Manufacturing, data and AI-use cases (with clear evidence-based continue, adapt or stop recommendations). Build internal & external collaboration with Tech vendors, external companies & other industry bodies in addition to collaborating with GSK functions in order to stay current with latest Tech & industry trends. Lead product and programme delivery using Agile and hybrid methods, including roadmap and backlog prioritisation, user stories, sprint and release planning, Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies (RAID) management, governance, operational readiness, adoption and measurable value realisation.  Set release quality, service level and support transition criteria for what ships, and confirm they are met before handover. Ensure solutions are scalable beyond the target CMO by converting local learning into global product requirements, reusable agents, integration patterns, reference architectures, onboarding models and deployment playbooks for the wider External Manufacturing network. Act as the primary digital & technology partner across External Manufacturing, site leadership and global product teams, influencing distributed teams and external partners without direct authority.  Embed Responsible AI, cybersecurity, privacy, data governance, GxP, validation, architecture, service management and regulatory requirements from solution inception through industrialisation and lifecycle support. Manage your team in using approved AI tools for analysis, prototyping and documentation to improve productivity, role-modelling responsible use with human review and following GSK’s Responsible AI, privacy and security requirements. Develop investment cases and scaling strategies, manage financial forecasts and supplier inputs, and provide executive-level reporting on scope, dependencies, risks, decisions, benefits and return on investment. Build sustainable capability through coaching, documentation, knowledge transfer and communities of practice, while ensuring validated solutions transition to accountable product or service teams for scale, support and lifecycle ownership. Location:  The successful applicant can be based at GSK HQ (London) or at the Ware (Hertfordshire) or Barnard Castle (County Durham) manufacturing sites. About You: This role would suit a highly motivated person who has strong experience of designing, developing, and validating AI-enabled digital solutions and Smart Manufacturing capabilities within complex manufacturing and business environments.  You will have strong technical knowledge obtained from working in a highly-regulated industry.  You will have demonstrably strong people skills, be resilient and calm under pressure, have a strong continuous improvement mindset, and a proven ability to drive performance while managing multiple stakeholders. CLOSING DATE for applications:   Monday 16th of November 2026 (COB). Basic Qualifications: Relevant Degree (eg; Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Information Technology, Manufacturing Systems, or related technical discipline). Proven experience leading digital, integration or technology transformation in manufacturing or supply-chain environments (External Manufacturing/ Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) experience preferred). Strong understanding / experience of CMC/NPI, Supply Chain, manufacturing and quality management systems (QMS). Demonstrated knowledge of integration architecture, APIs, middleware, event/data platforms, canonical data models and scalable factory integration layers (familiarity with Product Development & Lifecycle Management (PDLM) and FIL (Factory Integration Layer) is desirable). Experience shaping and delivering Smart Manufacturing, AI, agent-based, data and analytics use cases, including Proof of Concept (PoC), Proof of Value (PoV), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and production scale-up. We welcome people who bring curiosity, humility and a practical approach. We are committed to inclusion and to creating a supportive environment where everyone can grow. If you enjoy solving real problems, delivering measurable results, and helping teams succeed, we encourage you to apply.  If you would like to learn more about our company wide benefits and life at GSK we would suggest looking at our webpage Life at GSK | GSK. #AGTech Skills Application Integrations, Application Programming Interface (API) Security, CI/CD, Cloud Engineering, Configuration Management (CM), Database Management, Data Engineering, Data Integration, Front-End Development, Internet of Things (IoT), Mobile Development, RESTful API Design, Security System Design, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Version Control, Web Development Why GSK? Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale. People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people. GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age,