Chief Operating Officer (COO) / VP Manufacturing and Technical Operations

CONFIDENTIAL RETAINED SEARCH | SAN DIEGO LIFE SCIENCES

Search Reference: TNF-LS-COO-2026 | Manufacturing and Operations Leadership Mandate, Life Sciences

ABOUT THIS SEARCH

Top Notch Finders has been retained on an exclusive and strictly confidential basis to identify a COO / VP of Manufacturing and Technical Operations for a client in the San Diego / CaliBaja life sciences corridor. To protect the interests of our client and of every candidate who engages with us, the identity of the company is disclosed only to qualified candidates under a confidentiality agreement. All inquiries and applications are received and managed solely by Top Notch Finders.

POSITION SNAPSHOT

• Company profile: Commercial-stage or late clinical-stage biopharma or medtech with active manufacturing operations.
• Reports to: CEO.
• Location: San Diego / CaliBaja region; specifics disclosed to qualified candidates.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The COO or VP/SVP of Manufacturing and Technical Operations oversees commercial-scale production, supply-chain resilience, and cross-functional operations as companies transition from clinical development to commercial launch.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversee end-to-end manufacturing operations, including commercial-scale production and quality systems.
• Lead supply-chain strategy, including de-risking single-source dependencies and building redundancy.
• Manage cross-functional operations spanning manufacturing, quality, and technical operations.
• Partner with CMC and Process Development leadership on tech transfer and scale-up execution.
• Oversee capital planning and facility investment decisions for manufacturing capacity.
• Ensure GMP compliance and inspection readiness across all manufacturing sites.
• Build and lead the broader technical operations organization as the company scales commercially.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in engineering, life sciences, or business preferred; MBA a plus.
• 15+ years of manufacturing and technical operations leadership experience in biopharma or medtech.
• Demonstrated experience scaling manufacturing from clinical to commercial volume.
• Strong track record managing complex, multi-site supply chains, including advanced-therapy (cell/gene) manufacturing where applicable.
• Experience with GMP compliance and successful health authority manufacturing inspections.
• Cross-border manufacturing experience, including CaliBaja and Mexico maquiladora operations, is a differentiator for San Diego-region roles.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND HOW TO APPLY

This is a discreet, retained engagement. Your candidacy will never be presented to any organization without your explicit prior authorization, and no application will be visible to the hiring company at this stage. Accomplished manufacturing and operations executives are invited to submit a resume in confidence through the Top Notch Finders website. Please reference search code TNF-LS-COO-2026 in your submission. Do not include patient-identifiable, trial-blinded, or other confidential clinical information of any kind in your application materials. Only candidates whose backgrounds align closely with the mandate will be contacted.