At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!
As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.
At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.
Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!
Your Role: Director – Sterility Assurance & Contamination Control Strategy
As Director – Sterility Assurance & Contamination Control Strategy, you will serve as the site’s technical authority for contamination control and sterility assurance, ensuring alignment with global quality standards and regulatory expectations. In this role, you will be responsible for advancing contamination control strategy, strengthening sterility assurance programs, and driving innovation and risk reduction across the site.
Your Responsibilities:
• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous evolution of the site-wide Contamination Control Strategy (CCS)
• Provide technical oversight and strategic direction for aseptic, process, and sterilization validation programs
• Lead investigations and resolution of contamination events, sterility failures, deviations, and CAPAs
• Represent and defend sterility assurance programs during regulatory inspections and corporate audits
• Mentor and develop technical talent while driving scientific rigor and risk-based decision-making across the organization
What You Need to Succeed (minimum qualifications):
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in microbiology, Biology, or related scientific field; advanced degree preferred
• Experience: Minimum 10+ years of experience in sterile manufacturing, biotechnology, or related regulated environments
• Top 2 skills: Deep expertise in aseptic processing and sterility assurance combined with proven ability to influence complex technical issues and regulatory interactions
What will give you a competitive edge (preferred qualifications):
• Master’s or PhD in Microbiology, Immunology, or related biological science
• Experience with virus production in cell monolayers, bioreactors, or fermenters
• Strong knowledge of microbial ecology and sterile manufacturing environments
• Experience with EU GMP Annex 1 requirements and implementation of CCS programs
• Experience leading large-scale quality, validation, or contamination control initiatives across regulated environments
Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status
Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.
At Elanco, we are united by a genuine love and care for animals. Our purpose - making life better for animals, makes life better - fuels us to break boundaries and inspires us to push further, transforming animal care, going beyond to improve outcomes for animals, customers, and society to create a better, more sustainable world. We are veterinarians, pet owners, farmer’s kids and animal lovers. Our team doesn’t just work in the animal health industry - we live it.
By putting customers’ needs at the center of everything we do, our comprehensive portfolios of trusted brands and focused pipeline are transforming the future of animal care. From developing the first treatment for one of the deadliest diseases in puppies to removing needles from diabetes care to pioneering new sustainable market spaces for farmers, we're raising the bar and making a difference - for animals, for our customers and their business.
