(Archived) Chief Operating Officer

Our Mission:

To create value-added veterinary pharmaceuticals through innovative and environmentally friendly technologies.

Who we are:

Aurora Pharmaceutical, a rapidly growing veterinary pharmaceutical manufacturer and product developer located in historic Northfield, MN, is searching for an individual to fill the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer.

Backed by more than 30 years of experience in veterinary practice and medicine, agriculture, and research and development, Aurora offers unique expertise to best serve today's veterinary industry. With small-town commitment and midwestern pride, we have built a company that provides affordable health solutions made right here in the USA!

Northfield, MN is conveniently located about 30 miles south of the Twin Cities area. The city of Northfield offers a historic downtown district and an abundance of nature surrounding the town of 20,000. The town has a strong commercial, industrial and agriculture base along with thriving educational institutions.

Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Reports to: CEO

Supervises: Production Supervisor, QC Manager, QA Manager, Engineering Manager, Facilities Manager, Warehouse Manager

We are looking for a highly motivated Chief Operating Officer (COO). This exciting and challenging role reports to the CEO and is responsible for planning and execution for the company’s production, chemistry and engineering operations in FDA-registered facility. The COO has the authority and responsibility for corporate-wide leadership of manufacturing quality control, quality assurance, engineering and facilities related activities. We are looking for a talented leader who will oversee the day-to-day operational activities.

This full-time on-site employee will oversee management of operations including production, engineering, quality assurance, quality control, and facilities. This person will actively participate and manage the operating plans for the company.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Directs the development of manufacturing projects, chemistry projects and engineering projects
• Executes the operational corporate strategic plan and meets or exceeds all operational KPI’s in a timely manner.
• Implements new projects, equipment, and programs
• Identifies and implements process improvement opportunities and/or corrective actions to increase yield, maximize capacity, improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure safety while maintaining regulatory compliance in all operational areas.
• Monitors and maintains efficient flow of materials and documentation through the warehouse, manufacturing process, chemistry testing and quality review. Identifies and eliminates bottlenecks, and ensures production batches are available when needed.
• Supervises and supports quality initiatives and acts as Operations representative for regulatory interactions including FDA
• Collaborates with the Quality team to ensure all areas maintain optimal state of cGMP compliance including housekeeping/cleanliness, adherence to SOP’s, documentation accuracy and product and chemistry quality standards.
• Ensures timely responses to closure of cGMP matters defined by Quality, including Material Reviews, CAPA, deviations, documentation errors, etc.
• Collaborates with Engineering to identify opportunities for efficiency gains in areas such as processes, equipment, planning and cleaning, and implements improvements effectively.
• Develops and improves departmental and equipment SOP’s and policies as necessary, and ensures staff is properly trained on all SOP’s and regulatory documents. Monitors procedural compliance so that processes are executed consistently in an accurate manner.
• Collaborates with R&D scale up and implements new products and reformulations to achieve timely launches.
• Ensures processes are staffed to meet departmental requirements as well as departmental budgets.
• Ensures all departments and employees achieve relevant goals
• Oversees multiple departments comprised of exempt and non-exempt workforces to translate the company’s strategic plans and objectives into tactical and functional plans to drive resource deployment
• Partners with marketing/sales team to set schedules and timelines for product delivery
• Fosters an environment of continuous improvement in the areas of cost, quality, service and manufacturing best practices
• Ensures that employee related tasks are completed timely including time/attendance, performance reviews, corrective action, and training.
• Encourages and enforces a culture of Safety, and Quality as required by cGMPs, OSHA, government agencies, and company standards / policies.
• Supports all site audits and inspections.
• Assumes additional responsibilities as requested.

Education and Experience:

• B.S degree in Operations Management, Engineering or Chemistry
• 10+ years relevant experience in pharmaceutical industry and cGMP environments
• 5+ years multi-team management experience; prior roles in leading and managing teams and projects

Required Skills/Abilities

• Self- starter and a team player who will thrive in an entrepreneurial and fast paced environment
• Demonstrated experience working cross-functionally and collaboratively with R&D, QA, QC, Engineering and Maintenance teams
• Excellent organizational skills to achieve multiple high priority responsibilities
• Proven leader with the skill to lead and motivate teams to achieve consistent levels of success
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Analytical problem-solving skills with an impeccable attention to detail
• Ability to see the “big picture” while being capable of driving detailed, tactical execution.
• Proven business acumen with bottom-line orientation.