Director, Manufacturing Operations

Job description

**Panther: Better Health Is Skin Deep** With its intradermal SmartPatch™, Panther has unlocked the healing powers of the skin by precisely delivering and activating local and systemic treatments where they can be most effective. Panther is targeting economically attractive markets of increasing clinical and regulatory difficulty, starting with efficacious Cosmetics and Medical Aesthetics, and later, Therapeutics. Panther’s AI-based platform accelerates product development and personalizes treatment and care, resulting in compelling provider and consumer user experiences. Panther’s platform, significant IP portfolio and advantaged regulatory strategy provide a defensible moat. Panther is launching initial products beginning in 2027. Panther is led and supported by successful serial entrepreneurs and advised by leading medical professionals. **The Opportunity** Panther Life Sciences is building a new category of consumer-centric health and beauty products powered by our SmartPatch platform. As we move from development into commercialization, manufacturing becomes the critical unlock for scale, quality, and customer trust. We are seeking a Director of Manufacturing Operations to own this transition end-to-end. This role is responsible for translating innovative R&D into reliable, high-quality, and scalable commercial production across both cosmetic and medical device products. You will lead the build-out of Panther's manufacturing strategy, serving as the bridge between internal development teams and external CDMO partners. You will define how manufacturing operates at Panther, from selecting and standing up partners, to leading technology transfer, to building the systems that allow us to scale from thousands to millions of units. This is not a maintenance role. You will be building the manufacturing function from scratch. Your work will directly impact product availability, customer experience, and the company's ability to grow. You will work closely with the CTO and cross-functional leaders in formulation, device development, and quality to establish a manufacturing engine that supports both near-term commercial goals and long-term platform expansion. This is for someone who wants to build, scale, and set the standard for manufacturing in a category-defining company with a great team and a platform that is already generating clinical results. If you want to build something that matters, we want to hear from you. Some travel will required approximately 10% -30% This role is ideally based in Pittsburgh, with New York as an alternative location." **Responsibilities** **CDMO & Manufacturing Operations** - Serve as the primary relationship owner and day-to-day point of contact for CDMO partners - Lead technology transfer from R&D to clinical and commercial manufacturing - Oversee late-stage clinical and commercial production across product lines - Drive manufacturing performance metrics including yield, throughput, and product quality - Support CDMO selection and onboarding, including process validation and scale-up - Build and manage supply chain, logistics, fulfillment, and inventory operations - Own material sourcing and supplier relationships - Identify critical dependencies and build supplier redundancy to mitigate risk **Scaling, Systems & Financial Planning** - Build the manufacturing line from the ground up with a path from ~10K to ~1M units per month - Drive automation, process optimization, and line redesign as production scales - Own manufacturing cost modeling and financial planning (FP&A) for operations - Develop sourcing strategy and budget frameworks in partnership with finance and leadership - Establish systems and processes to support future team growth and internal manufacturing capabilities **Quality, Compliance & Cross-Functional Leadership** - Ensure manufacturing quality, regulatory compliance, and adherence to QMS - Partner cross-functionally with CTO, formulation, device, and quality teams - Contribute to customer satisfaction through reliable product delivery and issue resolution **Qualifications** - Proven experience scaling a product from R&D to commercial manufacturing in a regulated environment - Experience overseeing manufacturing operations for a Class II or III medical device or equivalent regulated product - Hands-on experience scaling production volumes significantly (e.g., 10x or more) - Direct experience working with CDMO partners including selection, onboarding, and tech transfer - Experience managing supply chain, logistics, inventory, and fulfillment operations - Familiarity with Quality Management Systems (QMS) in regulated environments - Demonstrated ability to lead technology transfer and process scale-up - Experience with manufacturing cost modeling and financial planning - Direct people management experience **Preferred Qualifications** - Experience with combination products (drug + device), such as auto-injectors, EpiPens, nasal sprays, or microarray-based systems - Background in Material Science & Technology Transfer (MSNT) - Experience scaling production to high-volume output (100K+ units per month) - Experience across both cosmetic and medical device products - Experience with automation and line redesign in a manufacturing scale-up context - Background in customer support or customer-facing operations within manufacturing - Experience managing managers or building multi-layered organizations - Strong systems orientation with experience implementing or optimizing operational infrastructure **Benefits** - Equity in the form of Stock Options - Robust Health Insurance includes Medical, Dental, Vision - Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability Insurance - In-person company events - Fully-stock kitchen - In-office lunch twice a week - Working with a world-class team in technology and healthcare on the most innovative solutions - Paid time off and Paid Company Holidays. **Equal Opportunity Employer** Panther Life Sciences is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or partnership status, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, or any other characteristic protected by law.