Quality Assurance Engineer (358) - Civica Rx

About Civica

Civica is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization established in 2018 by health systems and philanthropies to reduce chronic generic drug shortages and related high prices in the United States. Civica is led by an experienced team of healthcare and pharmaceutical industry leaders. 

Today, more than 55 health systems have joined Civica. They represent over 1,500 hospitals and one-third of all U.S. hospital beds. Civica has also begun to supply the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile of essential medicines. 

Civica recently announced plans to expand its mission, via a unit called CivicaScript, to into the outpatient pharmacy space and to manufacture and distribute insulins that, once approved, will be available to people with diabetes at significantly lower prices than insulins currently on the market. The availability of Civica’s affordable insulins, beginning in 2024, will benefit people with diabetes who have been forced to choose between life sustaining medicines and living expenses, particularly those uninsured or underinsured who often pay the most out of pocket for their medications.

Civica’s mission is to ensure that quality generic medications are accessible and affordable to everyone. Since established, the #1 Policy for the Civica team has been “Do What Is in the Best Interest of Patients.” Civica’s manufacturing facility in Petersburg, Virginia, is the future home of affordable insulin and essential sterile injectable medicines. The facility is currently in late-stage construction and hiring for the site is well-underway.

To find out more about how Civica’s innovative model is directly impacting patient care, click here to read a summary from the New England Journal of Medicine. (https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.21.0189)

To learn more about Civica’s plans to bring affordable insulin to Americans living with diabetes, click here to read an article in BioSpace.

(https://www.biospace.com/article/civica-is-rallying-leaders-to-make-insulin-affordable-by-2024-/)

Job Description

The Quality Assurance Engineer will join the Civica, Inc. (“Civica”) Quality organization at the Petersburg, Virginia site by bringing their knowledge and experience in service to patients and pursuit of excellence in quality and compliance.  The Petersburg site serves as Civica’s new fill finish facility dedicated to the manufacture and supply of essential generic sterile injectable medications. 

Responsibilities of the position include maintaining quality systems and oversight to ensure the validation/qualification and operation of process, facility, equipment, and computer systems meet cGMP and Civica compliance requirements from the onset of facility start up to a successful U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the facility and the ongoing introduction and approval of new medications. 

Responsibilities also include, but are not limited to, the generation, review and/or approval of policies, procedures, reports, and other records necessary to provide quality oversight of Civica Engineering functions including validation, qualification and ongoing operation activities of facility, utilities, processes, equipment, instrumentation and to ensure FDA requirements are met. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Working across functions, to ensuring the site’s quality system processes related to GMP compliance of the facility, equipment, computer systems and processes. 
• Work with validation and engineering teams to provide Quality oversight for validation and qualification activities and ensure work is performed in a compliant and controlled manner.
• Maintain current knowledge of local and international regulatory and legislative requirements and trends to ensure that expert advice and appropriate technical support on all quality related matters is provided to the site.
• Works across functions to develop and implement processes.
• Ensure compliance of product and process transfers, including validation, from and/or to other manufacturing sites.
• Support implementation and quality oversight related to the overall compliance of the facility, equipment, and manufacturing processes.
• Support quality processes and systems across the product lifecycle including, but not limited to, change control, CAPA, deviations and investigations, laboratory control, product quality complaints, Annual Product Quality Review (APQR), and management notification.
• Provide quality review and support for calibration and maintenance programs and ensure they are run in accordance with GMP regulation and site procedures.
• Lead or participate in deviation investigations.
• Lead and participate in quality risk analysis.
• Proactively identify and work collaboratively to resolve problems applying functional and technical expertise while taking risk-based and compliant approaches to solutions.
• Promote a quality mindset and quality excellence approach to all activities.
• Promote a safety mindset and focus on safety for all operations activities.
• Travel (up to 10%) may be required.

Basic Qualifications and Capabilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline with a minimum of 7 years Quality/cGMP experience in the pharmaceutical industry. 
• Experience in facility and equipment qualification, process validation, computer system validation, and calibration and maintenance programs.
• Knowledge in 21CFR Part 11, Electronic Records and Signatures and data integrity is required.
• Strong project management, organization, and execution skills to manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Participation and leading activities to support regulatory agency inspections required.
• Self-motivated, flexible, and able to work in a small, fast-paced, dynamic, environment.
• Ability to work autonomously and within established guidelines, procedures, and practices.
• Serve as a Quality subject matter expert to support driving investigations to root cause.
• Leverage experience and share industry best practices to support continuous improvement of site procedures.
• Committed to delivering high quality results, working with others to overcome challenges, and focusing on what matters.
• Continuously looking for opportunities to learn, build skills and share knowledge with others.
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills and experience using various software/electronic applications required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience across the product development and commercialization lifecycle.
• Technical expertise in sterile pharmaceutical isolator technology, and combination product.