Job Description Summary

Step into a role where innovation meets purpose. As a Project Manager at Novartis, you’ll lead transformative investment projects in visual inspection, packaging, and automated material handling—ensuring our life-changing medicines reach patients safely and efficiently. You’ll guide a team of internal and external engineers, drive strategic site planning, and shape the future of pharmaceutical operations. If you're passionate about leading with impact and thrive in a dynamic, high-tech environment, this is your opportunity to make a difference.

Job Description

#LI-Hybrid

Location: Puurs, Belgium

Internal Job title: Project Manager

Relocation Support: This role is based in Puurs, Belgium. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support: please only apply if accessible.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead and coach a team of internal and external project engineers within your scope
Ensure availability of skilled, high-performing talent and actively develop the team’s capabilities
Onboard and train project engineers to ensure successful project execution
Promote and implement best practices in project management and project control
Develop and maintain long-term masterplans for your domain
Create high-level business cases to support strategic investment decisions
Oversee financial, planning, and risk control for capital investment projects
Evaluate feasibility of proposed technological or equipment improvements
Prepare monthly engineering reports highlighting key performance indicators (Capex, HSE, and quality)

Essential Requirements:

Proven experience in managing capital investment projects in a technical or manufacturing environment
Strong leadership skills with the ability to guide and develop engineering teams
Solid understanding of project control principles including budgeting, planning, and risk management
Ability to evaluate technical feasibility of equipment and process improvements
Familiarity with automated packaging and material handling technologies
Fluent in Dutch and English

Desirable Requirements:

Experience in pharmaceutical or GMP-regulated environments
Skilled in developing strategic business cases and long-term masterplans
Advanced knowledge of Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GxP) / Quality Assurance (QA) standards

What You Can Expect from Us

You’ll join an open and stimulating company culture where collaboration, growth, and well being are at the heart of everything we do. We offer you the opportunity to develop yourself and expand your knowledge across various domains.

At our Puurs site, we place great importance on both the physical and mental well-being of our employees. That’s why we provide a supportive work environment that includes: a bike leasing program, an on-site fitness facility freely accessible to employees, and the presence of a mental coach on site.

Skills Desired

Api (Application Programming Interface), Api (Application Programming Interface), Automation, Back-End Development, Business Continuity, Change Control, Chemistry, Design Development, Electronic Components, General Hse Knowledge , Including Gdp, Java (Programming Language), Knowledge Of Capa, Knowledge Of Gmp, Kubernetes, Managing Performance Improvement, Manufacturing Production, Mathematical Optimization, Project Commissioning, Project Engineering, Project Execution, Reactjs, Risk Management, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Scheduler {+ 2 more}

Project manager inspection, packaging and material handling

Novartis