Why this role matters
Validation is at the heart of pharmaceutical manufacturing — it's how we make sure every process, system, and piece of equipment consistently delivers safe and effective medicines. At Douglas NZ, we're growing fast, and strong validation leadership is critical to that success.
As Validation Team Leader, you won't just deliver technical excellence — you'll shape and lead a team of specialists, empowering them to thrive in a complex, high-stakes environment. You'll set the vision for validation, inspire your team to deliver their best, and create an environment where people grow, ideas are valued, and continuous improvement is second nature. This is a dynamic leadership role where you'll collaborate widely, rotate through workstreams, and play a direct part in ensuring the quality, safety, and trust behind every product we deliver.
What you'll do
Leadership & People Development
- Lead, coach, and mentor a team of validation professionals, helping them grow their expertise and confidence.
- Set clear goals, provide regular feedback, and build a culture of accountability and recognition.
- Develop team capability by identifying strengths, nurturing future leaders, and supporting career growth.
- Create a positive, inclusive, and high-performing team environment.
Technical Leadership
- Lead validation programmes across facilities, equipment, processes, and cleaning systems, ensuring full compliance with GMP standards.
- Shape and implement validation strategies that keep Douglas at the forefront of industry best practice.
- Champion risk-based approaches to validation and qualification activities, turning compliance requirements into practical solutions that strengthen product quality and patient safety.
- Provide expert technical guidance across the business, ensuring governance and documentation are inspection-ready.
Collaboration & Influence
- Work closely with manufacturing, quality, and R&D teams to bring new products to market.
- Champion validation excellence across the business by influencing stakeholders and driving cross-functional alignment.
What you'll bring
- A degree in Science or Engineering (Chemistry, Chemical/Mechanical Engineering, or similar); postgraduate study a bonus.
- Ideally 5+ years in a cGMP pharmaceutical or related environment, with at least 3 years in validation and proven leadership experience.
- Strong knowledge of regulatory guidelines and the ability to turn complex requirements into practical, risk-based solutions.
- A proven people leader who inspires, motivates, and develops high-performing teams.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to bring people together and drive outcomes.
- Sharp problem-solving skills, a data-driven mindset, and resilience in fast-paced, changing environments.
- A proactive learner who brings fresh ideas and champions continuous improvement.
Why join us?
- Award-winning culture - Join a team that's genuinely a great place to work (and we've got the awards to prove it).
- Career growth - We're big on developing our people and promoting from within.
- Extra leave - After six years with us, you'll get five weeks of annual leave.
- Parental perks - Get 16 weeks of top-up payments during your parental leave.
- Security matters - We've got you covered with life and income protection insurance.
- Feel good with THRIVE - Our wellbeing program helps you be your best, inside and out.
- Exclusive discounts - Enjoy special deals on big-name brands like Clinicians, BraveFace, Avene, Ego, and more.
About Us
At Douglas, we're more than just a company—we're a community of people driven to make a difference. We're proud to be one of New Zealand's biggest pharmaceutical success stories, and we're growing globally. Privately owned and future-focused, our team of 700 includes scientists, engineers, and all kinds of experts, working together to create high-quality healthcare products that help people around the world.
Come join us on this mission to improve lives!
Next Steps
If you're invited to complete a video interview as the next stage of your application, we'd love you to embrace it. Video interviews allow more people the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to the hiring manager in a new and innovative way, giving you a better chance of securing your ideal role. Relax, be yourself and don't worry, we all feel a bit awkward in front of the camera.