Senior GMP Maintenance Technician

Moderna · Oxford

The Role:

Joining Moderna means advancing mRNA science to transform medicine. Work with exceptional global teams on a broad pipeline and build a career that makes a real difference for patients.

Based at our new GMP Manufacturing facility in Harwell, UK, you will play a pivotal hands-on role in ensuring the availability, reliability, safety, and compliance of GMP and non-GMP process and support equipment. Operating as a sole contributor while serving as a technical escalation point for technicians and contractors, you will take ownership of equipment performance across your assigned area.

You will combine deep maintenance expertise with structured troubleshooting, reliability engineering, CMMS ownership, and cGMP documentation to improve equipment uptime, safety, quality, and throughput. You will also work closely with Engineering and QA on capital and reliability initiatives, while supporting the 24/7 manufacturing operation through early, mid, occasional night shifts and callouts.

This is an opportunity to shape maintenance excellence within a new GMP manufacturing environment—using Lean/6S, RCM, FMEA, RCA, digital-first approaches and emerging Generative AI tools to identify opportunities, strengthen technical knowledge, improve maintenance decision-making, and increase equipment effectiveness.

Here's What You'll Do:

Own equipment uptime and reliability within an assigned area, tracking performance against KPIs and driving improvements in equipment effectiveness.
Lead structured troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for complex equipment issues, acting as Deviation and CAPA owner and ensuring robust follow-through to resolution.
Plan and coordinate preventative and corrective maintenance (PM/CM), including planned shutdown activities, while prioritizing and approving work orders within the CMMS.
Author, review, and continuously improve maintenance procedures, maintenance plans, and job plans to ensure they remain effective and compliant with cGMP requirements.
Act as a technical escalation point for technicians during shifts, lead daily maintenance huddles, and coach colleagues to strengthen technical capability.
Lead small capital projects and reliability initiatives in partnership with Engineering and QA, including URS development, vendor selection, and FAT/SAT/IOQ support.
Own CMMS data integrity for your area, including bills of materials, critical spares, and task lists, while developing spare-parts and equipment-criticality strategies.
Manage external vendors and contractors, including permits to work, RAMS review, performance management, and supervision to ensure compliance with site GMP requirements and safety policies.
Champion EHS by enforcing LOTO and safe systems of work, leading risk assessments and implementing safety improvements that eliminate hazards and reduce operational risk.
Administer and perform work safely in accordance with site EHS policies and procedures, role-modelling Moderna's safety culture.
Support regulatory inspections and internal audits as a maintenance SME and ensure observations and associated actions are closed in a timely manner.
Support 24/7 operations as part of the team, providing on-shift support across early, mid, and occasional night shifts, together with callouts as required.
Drive continuous improvement through Lean/6S, reliability engineering methodologies including RCM and FMEA, and digital-first approaches that eliminate waste and increase equipment effectiveness.
Supervise and mentor contractors and technicians while remaining a sole contributor, providing technical direction and ensuring work meets GMP, maintenance, and safety expectations.
Deliver On-the-Job Training (OJT) as a Qualified Trainer, developing training materials and verifying technical competency.
Troubleshoot automated process equipment and PLC-controlled systems, alongside pneumatics, vacuum systems, pumps, valves, heat exchangers, mixing vessels, and utilities within the GMP manufacturing environment.
Apply CMMS platforms such as Maximo or SAP PM alongside risk-based maintenance and reliability tools including RCM, FMEA, and RCA.
Author and review technical documentation including SOPs, maintenance plans, deviations, CAPAs, and change controls within a cGMP environment.
Use maintenance and equipment data to inform decisions, leveraging Excel, Word, and PowerPoint and exploring appropriate opportunities to work with Generative AI tools to accelerate learning, technical problem-solving, knowledge capture, and continuous improvement.
Build productive relationships across functions, presenting technical work to peers and cross-functional leaders, influencing decisions, managing competing priorities, and progressing multiple complex assignments with minimal direction.

The key Moderna Mindsets you’ll need to succeed in the role:

“We pursue options in parallel to make the best choice later.”
“We question convention because proven models don’t always fuel the future.”

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table:

Level 3 Certificate in an engineering discipline from City and Guilds, NVQ or similar.

3 to 5 years relevant experience working in a regulated (cGMP preferred) environment.

Understanding of automated process equipment (PLC controls) for simple troubleshooting is required.

Understanding and experience with pneumatics’ and vacuum systems.

Experience of high-speed packaging machines and robotic controls.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) are required.  Expected to be able to present own work to peers and cross-functional managers and influence leadership decisions.  Technical writing skills required.

Must have a customer service mindset. Ability to manage competing priorities is critical.

Must be able use his/her technical background to investigate issues using a structured problem-solving approach to determine true root cause and develop effective corrective and preventative actions.  Must be able to find true root cause and path forward for complex problems.

Ability to identify and drive improvements to preventative maintenance tasks and strategy.

Demonstrated ability to learn new equipment/systems.

Familiarity with Excel, Word, and PowerPoint are required.

Ability to interact well with other groups and must be able to take ownership of and follow through on assignments.  Must be able to drive results on multiple complex assignments simultaneously with minimal required direction from his/her supervisor.

Ability to represent Moderna’s interests, objectives, and policies in a professional and responsible manner.

As part of Moderna’s commitment to workplace safety, this role may require an enhanced pre-employment check.

Our Working Model

As we build our company, we have always believed that an in-person culture is critical to our success. This role is 100% onsite, reflecting the importance of being physically present to support the work, collaborate closely with colleagues, and contribute to our site-based operations.

Working onsite enables real-time collaboration, strong team connections, direct mentorship, and the hands-on partnership needed to deliver our mission. Join us in shaping a world where every interaction is an opportunity to learn, contribute, and make a meaningful impact.

Moderna is a smoke-free, alcohol-free, and drug-free work environment.

Pay & Benefits

At Moderna, we believe that when you feel your best, you can do your best work. That’s why our benefits and well-being resources are designed to support you—at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

Competitive healthcare, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs
A holistic approach to well-being with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support
Family building benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support
Generous paid time off, including vacation, bank holidays, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year-end shutdown
Savings and investments to help you plan for the future
Location-specific perks and extras

The benefits offered may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Moderna and the country where you work.

About Moderna

Since our founding in 2010, we have aspired to build the leading mRNA technology platform, the infrastructure to reimagine how medicines are created and delivered, and a world-class team. We believe in giving our people a platform to change medicine and an opportunity to change the world. 

By living our mission, values, and mindsets every day, our people are the driving force behind our scientific progress and our culture. Together, we are creating a culture of belonging and building an organization that cares deeply for our patients, our employees, the environment, and our communities.

We are proud to have been recognized as a Science Magazine Top Biopharma Employer, a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators, and a Great Place to Work in the U.S.

If you want to make a difference and join a team that is changing the future of medicine, we invite you to visit modernatx.com/careers to learn more about our current opportunities.

Moderna is a place where everyone can grow. If you meet the Basic Qualifications for the role and you would be excited to contribute to our mission every day, please apply!

Moderna is committed to equal opportunity in employment and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry or citizenship, ethnicity, disability, military or protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, or any other personal characteristic protected under applicable law. We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

We’re focused on attracting, retaining, developing, and advancing our employees. By cultivating a workplace that values diverse experiences, backgrounds, and ideas, we create an environment where every employee can contribute their best.

Moderna is committed to offering reasonable accommodation or adjustments to qualified job applicants with disabilities. Any applicant requiring an accommodation or adjustment in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should contact the Accommodations and Adjustments team at leavesandaccommodations@modernatx.com.

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