UKI Business Consulting - Supply Chain & Operations, Manufacturing & AI Transformation, Manager

UKI Business Consulting - Supply Chain & Operations, Manufacturing & AI Transformation, Manager

General Information

Location: Ireland

Available for Work Visa Sponsorship: NO

Business Area: Business Consulting

Contract Type: Full-Time – Permanent

The Team and the opportunity

Client-facing Life Sciences manufacturing Manager who leads technology-enabled transformation workstreams that improve plant performance, quality, compliance, and supply reliability. The role combines practical manufacturing knowledge with digital, data, AI, and delivery skills to turn operational needs into solutions that work in regulated environments.

As a Manager in Supply Chain Manufacturing, you will work with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device manufacturers to improve how production, quality, laboratory, engineering, and technology teams operate together. You will lead defined workstreams from assessment and requirements through solution design, implementation, testing, adoption, and stabilization.

This is a techno-functional delivery role. You will facilitate decisions with client teams, translate plant-floor needs into actionable requirements, coordinate functional and technical specialists, and take ownership of the quality and progress of your workstream. You will contribute to broader program planning and value realization while working with senior engagement leaders on cross-program decisions and commercial matters.

Your key responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Lead client-facing workstreams in Life Sciences manufacturing transformation, with clear ownership of plans, deliverables, risks, decisions, and outcomes.
• Assess current-state production and quality processes, user needs, system landscapes, data flows, performance gaps, and site constraints through workshops, data analysis, and plant engagement.
• Translate priorities such as yield, throughput, right-first-time execution, batch-cycle time, deviation reduction, asset reliability, and supply continuity into process designs, requirements, acceptance criteria, and measurable improvements.
• Develop functional designs for relevant capabilities such as batch execution, electronic batch records, recipe management, genealogy, review by exception, connected-worker workflows, maintenance, and performance management.
• Coordinate integration requirements across MES/MOM, ERP, LIMS, QMS, historians, SCADA, DCS/PLC, asset-management systems, and cloud or edge platforms, working with architecture, automation, and cybersecurity specialists.
• Define and review data mappings, asset and batch context, master-data needs, interface specifications, and data-quality controls needed for reporting, analytics, and AI use cases.
• Help deliver analytics and AI use cases, such as process monitoring, predictive maintenance, deviation investigation support, and decision support, by assessing data readiness, workflow fit, evaluation criteria, and human oversight.
• Work with client quality and validation teams to reflect applicable GxP, data-integrity, electronic-record, change-control, and validation or risk-based assurance requirements in workstream deliverables.
• Oversee configuration activities and lead functional testing, defect resolution, deployment readiness, training, cutover support, hypercare, and handover for your workstream.
• Facilitate working sessions across manufacturing, quality, MS&T, engineering, supply chain, IT, OT, data, and technology-vendor teams; escalate decisions and dependencies that affect the broader program.
• Manage workstream scope, schedule, resources, quality, and risks; provide clear status updates and contribute to estimates, proposals, and follow-on opportunity shaping.
• Coach junior team members, review their work products, and capture reusable requirements, design patterns, and delivery lessons.

Skills and attributes for success

You will bring:

• Practical understanding of Life Sciences manufacturing and the connections among production, quality, laboratory operations, engineering, and supply chain.
• The ability to turn operational problems into clear workflows, functional requirements, user stories, data needs, interface requirements, and testable acceptance criteria.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing systems and IT/OT data flows, with enough technical fluency to collaborate effectively with automation engineers, architects, data engineers, developers, and cybersecurity teams.
• Familiarity with batch and equipment data, data contextualization, APIs, historians, and industrial connectivity patterns relevant to the solution being delivered.
• Sound judgment about when analytics or AI is useful, what data and controls it requires, and how people will use its outputs in manufacturing or quality workflows.
• Strong workshop facilitation, structured problem-solving, client communication, team coordination, and delivery-risk management skills.

To qualify for the role, you must have:

• A bachelor’s degree in engineering, life sciences, manufacturing, supply chain, information systems, business, or a related discipline.
• At least 7 years of relevant experience in Life Sciences manufacturing, manufacturing technology, operational excellence, industrial data and AI, technology consulting, or a related field.
• Experience leading a client-facing manufacturing, digital, data, or technology workstream through design and at least one implementation or deployment phase.
• Experience working in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical-device, or comparably regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience translating manufacturing needs into process, functional, data, integration, or testing deliverables and coordinating business and technical contributors.
• Practical understanding of GxP manufacturing and the documentation, change-control, quality, and data-integrity considerations relevant to digital solutions.
• Ability to travel as needed based on business and role requirements. Travel can range from 80-100%.

Ideally, you’ll also have

• Experience with drug substance, drug product, biologics, sterile manufacturing, medical devices, or clinical-to-commercial scale-up.
• Delivery experience with MES/MOM, electronic batch records, recipe management, connected-worker tools, industrial analytics, or manufacturing data platforms.
• Familiarity with ISA-88/IEC 61512, ISA-95/IEC 62264, OPC UA/IEC 62541, MQTT/Sparkplug, or unified-namespace approaches as relevant to client systems.
• Awareness of OT cybersecurity practices informed by ISA/IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82.
• Familiarity with Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and continuous improvement practices, including the use of manufacturing data to monitor process performance, identify variability, and improve quality, throughput, and operational performance.
• Experience supporting computer system validation or risk-based computer software assurance where applicable to the regulated product and system.
• Experience with multi-site deployments, plant modernization, technology transfer, or the development of reusable solution assets.
• A relevant program-management, operational-excellence, cloud, data, or manufacturing-technology certification.

What we look for

We are looking for a Manager who is comfortable with plant-floor realities and capable of leading a mixed functional and technical team through implementation. The successful candidate will build trust with client counterparts, produce clear and usable delivery artifacts, recognize quality and technology risks early, and help turn digital and AI investments into sustainable manufacturing improvements.

What working at EY offers

We offer a competitive remuneration package. Our comprehensive benefits package includes support for flexible working and career development, and with FlexEY you can select benefits that suit your needs: covering holidays, health and well-being, insurance, savings and a wide range of discounts, offers and promotions. Plus, we offer: 

• Support and coaching from some of the most engaging colleagues around. 

• Opportunities to develop new skills and progress your career. 

• The freedom and flexibility to handle your role in a way that’s right for you. 

All our employees are given a benefits package which they can tailor to suit their individual preferences. Our range of benefits include: 

• Pension
• Discounted health insurance
• Web Doctor – Free unlimited online GP consultations for you and your family
• The purchase of additional annual leave
• Hybrid Working
• Free Gym membership
• Travel Pass
• Maternity & Paternity leave
• Bike to work Scheme
• Recognition Awards
• Cash incentives for referrals
• Work Mobile
• Tech MBA paid by EY
• Wellness rooms available in some offices

EY is committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We strive to achieve the right balance for our people, enabling us to deliver excellent client service whilst allowing you to build your career without sacrificing your personal priorities. While our client-facing professionals can be required to travel regularly, and at times be based at client sites, our flexible working arrangements can help you to achieve a lifestyle balance. 

Career Progression

• When you join EY, you will be supported to ensure that you are enhancing your skills from day one. 

• Continuous learning, where you can develop the mindset and skills to navigate whatever comes next. 

• As you grow and develop here, you’ll discover opportunities to help customise your career journey, so that it’s as unique as you are - success is defined by you, we will provide the tools and flexibility, so you can make a meaningful impact, your way. 

• Transformative leadership, we will give you the insights, coaching and confidence to be the leader the world needs. 
• Diverse and inclusive culture, you will be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs. 
• We have embraced Hybrid working at EY adding greater flexibility and autonomy to the roles of our employees. 

About EY

As a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, we’re using the finance products, expertise and systems we’ve developed to build a better working world. That starts with a culture that believes in giving you the training, opportunities and creative freedom to make things better. Whenever you join, however long you stay, the exceptional EY experience lasts a lifetime.

Inclusion & Diversity

We hold a collective commitment to foster an environment where all differences are valued and respected, practices are equitable and everyone experiences a sense of belonging: Inclusion, diversity, and equity are part of who we are at EY. We believe that the highest-performing teams maximize the power of different perspectives and backgrounds. These teams are both diverse and inclusive and are willing to invite and learn from other perspectives. Our ability to include various viewpoints into our mindsets, behaviours and operations is fundamental to driving innovation, building strong relationships, and delivering the best solutions for our clients. 

We recognise the strength that comes from having a diverse workforce and building a culture where we support all our people to achieve their potential. You’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs.

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. Reasonable accommodations are offered at every stage of our recruitment process. 

Are you ready to shape your future with confidence? Apply today.

To help create the best experience during the recruitment process, please describe any disability-related adjustments or accommodations you may need.

If you can confidently demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT: Where Agency assistance is required, our Talent Team will engage directly with suppliers. CVs / Profiles should not be shared directly with Hiring Managers. Unsolicited CVs / Profiles supplied to EY by Recruitment Agencies will not be accepted for this role.