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Local Head of GFE

THE POSITION

We are now hiring a Local Head of GFE (Global Facilities & Engineering) for our Pirbright, UK site. This senior leadership role sets the strategic direction for Engineering & Maintenance, Utilities & Infrastructure, Automation, Facilities, Capital Projects, ensuring long‑term asset reliability, lifecycle optimization and operational resilience across the site.

The position plays a critical leadership role in maintaining Pirbright’s license to operate as a SAPO Category 4 and BSL 3 site. The Local Head of GFE will have clear accountability for ensuring the highest standards of EHS, biosafety, containment, and regulatory compliance, working closely with EHS, Quality, and external regulators to protect people, assets, and the organisation’s reputation. Experience of leading engineering and facilities within a highly regulated, high containment environment is therefore essential.

The Local Head of GFE partners closely with senior leaders at Pirbright and across the global GFE network, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and translating strategy into measurable outcomes. This is a full‑time, onsite leadership role with direct reports across key technical functions.

 

TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership & Governance

  • Define the long‑term strategic roadmap for all GFE domains.
  • Establish governance frameworks that drive reliability, lifecycle optimisation and regulatory compliance.
  • Represent Pirbright in global GFE forum s, contributing to network alignment and best‑practice development.
  • Champion digitalisation, standardisation and proactive performance management.

Operational Excellence & Asset Management

  • Ensure full operational availability of HVAC, utilities, building systems, electrical infrastructure and calibration services.
  • Use MTBR, MTTF and other KPIs to strengthen reliability and asset lifecycle performance.
  • Oversee technical risk assessments and mitigation plans ensuring robust business continuity.
  • Manage suppliers and partners to maintain high‑quality, compliant and efficient service delivery.

Capital Projects & Financial Stewardship

  • Lead the site’s CapEx portfolio, ensuring strong project prioritisation, execution and tracking.
  • Ensure transparent financial forecasting, S‑curve performance and risk management.
  • Govern OPEX and CAPEX budgets with attention to value creation and cost efficiency.
  • Apply lifecycle cost approaches to ensure sustainable asset strategies.

People Leadership & Culture

  • Lead, develop and inspire multidisciplinary team. Foster a culture of accountability, problem solving and continuous improvement.
  • Build technical and leadership capability within the teams, supporting succession planning and talent development.
  • Promote strong cross‑functional collaboration with Production, MSAT, Quality, Supply Chain and EHS.

EHS & Compliance

  • Maintain strict adherence to biosafety and EHS requirements, embedding a safety‑first mindset.
  • Ensure audit readiness and represent GFE in regulatory and internal inspections.
  • Lead high‑quality risk assessments, incident investigations and CAPA implementation.
  • Ensure all activities align with internal standards and external regulatory obligations.

 

REQUIREMENTS

Education

  • Degree in Engineering (any discipline).
  • Postgraduate qualification (e.g., MBA) preferred.
  • Fluency in English.

Skills & Experience

  • Senior engineering or technical operations leadership experience within regulated environments.
  • Experience in multicultural environments and matrix organizations.
  • Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams.
  • Strategic thinker capable of balancing complex technical portfolios across Engineering, CapEx, Utilities, Facilities and EHS.
  • Experience managing significant OPEX/CAPEX budgets and capital portfolios.
  • Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
  • Proven ability to drive continuous improvement and digitalisation initiatives.

 

WHY THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK

Boehringer Ingelheim is recognised as a Top Employer in the UK, reflecting our commitment to exceptional workplace standards, career development and a purpose-driven culture. Our employees contribute to meaningful work, creating long-term value for people, animals and the environment.

Learn more about why BI is a great place to work:
https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.co.uk/careers/uk-careers/why-great-place-work

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required for the successful candidate. Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory DBS certificate.

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