Senior Manager, Manufacturing

Panther is unlocking the tremendous biological power of our skin, delivering efficacious, shelf-stable treatments directly to customers. Panther's precisely engineered smart microarray patches (SmartPatches) address a wide range of needs in Skin Health (cosmetics, medical aesthetics) and are designed to treat conditions in Systemic Health (infectious diseases, allergies, cancer, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders). Billions of people around the world lack access to effective treatment, and we will change this.

SmartPatches enable effective, tech-enabled customer experiences, and our AI platform provides valuable insights for improved patient outcomes and the development of even better treatments. SmartPatches are affordable to manufacture and distribute, and easy to apply, resulting in greater access and market expansion. Panther is developing clinically validated products, the first of which launches in 2027.

The Opportunity

Panther Life Sciences is seeking a Senior Manager, Manufacturing to lead our internal manufacturing operations in Pittsburgh.

If you enjoy leading teams, solving complex operational problems, and building manufacturing systems from the ground up, this is an opportunity to take real ownership of bringing a novel product into commercial production. You will be the manufacturing leader on the ground, building the operation and expanding your leadership scope as production scales.

Panther Life Sciences is seeking an Associate Director of Manufacturing to build and lead the internal manufacturing operation supporting the commercialization of our SmartPatch platform. This is a rare opportunity to take a novel product platform from pilot scale manufacturing into true commercial production and help define how it will be manufactured at scale.

Based in Pittsburgh, this leader will take ownership as products transition from Panther’s formulation and process engineering teams into dedicated commercial manufacturing. The role will initially be highly hands on, leading technology transfer, standing up manufacturing operations, building and managing the production team, establishing operating systems, and ensuring Panther can reliably produce high quality products at increasing volumes. Over time, this individual will help build the manufacturing organization and infrastructure required to support hundreds of thousands and ultimately millions of units.

This is an opportunity to build the operation, shape how manufacturing is done, and have direct ownership of Panther’s ability to successfully commercialize its products.

Responsibilities

• Lead Panther’s internal commercial manufacturing operations in Pittsburgh, with accountability for production output, quality, yield, cost, and delivery.

• Own the transition of products and processes from pilot and pivotal scale into repeatable, scalable commercial production.

• Lead technology transfer in partnership with Formulation and Process Engineering and establish the processes required for successful commercial manufacturing.

• Build, lead, and develop the manufacturing team, managing 2+ technicians and growing the organization as production expands.

• Own production planning and scheduling to meet commercial and clinical demand as volumes scale to hundreds of thousands and ultimately millions of units.

• Oversee daily manufacturing operations, including equipment readiness, maintenance, troubleshooting, and production continuity.

• Establish and track key manufacturing metrics, including throughput, yield, quality, downtime, cost, and on time delivery.

• Identify bottlenecks and drive improvements in automation, throughput, reliability, quality, and efficiency.

• Manage the local supply chain supporting production, including raw materials, components, inventory, packaging, logistics, and fulfillment.

• Partner closely with Quality, Regulatory, Process Engineering, Formulation, and Manufacturing Operations to ensure manufacturing readiness and compliance.

• Support manufacturing budgets, forecasting, capacity planning, headcount planning, and longer term capital requirements.

• Help build the systems, processes, and operating discipline required to scale Panther’s internal manufacturing organization.

Qualifications

• Experience leading manufacturing operations within cosmetics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, or another regulated manufacturing environment.

• Demonstrated experience taking a product or manufacturing process from pilot or R&D scale through commercial production.

• Experience managing commercial production at significant volume, ideally hundreds of thousands of units per quarter or greater.

• Experience directly managing a manufacturing team.

• Demonstrated ownership of manufacturing performance, including output, throughput, yield, quality, cost, and production schedules.

• Experience with technology transfer, manufacturing scale up, and new product or production line introduction.

• Experience managing or working closely with supply chain, inventory, logistics, and fulfillment.

• Strong operational and financial acumen, including production planning, capacity planning, budgeting, and forecasting.

• Experience working within a digital QMS and regulated quality environment.

• Strong leadership, attention to detail, adaptability, decisiveness, and accountability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct involvement taking a cosmetic or medical device product from R&D through commercial manufacturing.

• Proven success managing internal production at volumes reaching hundreds of thousands or millions of units.

• Track record of building a new manufacturing operation, production line, or team.

• Demonstrated ability to scale manual or semi automated processes into high throughput automated production.

• Familiarity with microdispensing, nanodispensing, precision liquid dispensing, or similar manufacturing technologies.

• Leadership of managers or larger manufacturing organizations.

• Background supporting clinical manufacturing alongside commercial production.

Benefits

• Build something unique and high-impact with a world-class team of experts in technology, healthcare, and science.

• Equity in the form of stock options

• Competitive health insurance, including 90% employer-paid medical, plus dental and vision

• Life, AD&D and short-term disability insurance

• Paid time off and paid company holidays

• In-person company events

• Fully stocked kitchen

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.