Interim Management : Global Head of IT

Our customer need Interim Management as a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) headquartered in Munich, specializing in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, notably liquid and solid forms, for clients in Europe, Japan, and North America. The company stands out by offering an integrated approach covering the entire drug lifecycle: from development and technology transfer to commercial production. It currently operates six industrial plants worldwide, including a key site located close to Lyon, France.

Focus on the Rhône Alpes site, located halfway between Valence and Montélimar, has existed since 1918 and currently employs around 220 staff. The facility was acquired by our customer during group consolidation in 2021. The plant specializes in manufacturing sterile liquids (ampoules), suppositories, viscous products, and narcotics, with cold chain capability for sensitive products.

In 2024, our customer invested nearly 13 million euros in building a new aseptic line for injectable ampoules, boosting the site’s capacity by 35–40 percent. This line produce injectable solutions for hospital use such as painkillers, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatories. The investment also led to the creation of about forty new jobs. This is currently the group’s second most important site. The site’s digital maturity does not meet the group’s expectations. The current position holder, who joined in November 2022, has not met expectations and the group has decided to part ways with an interim management before recruiting :

Key Responsabilities :

• Local IT Operations : Lead and manage IT operations at the Livron site, ensuring stable, secure, and compliant IT services for business and production users.
• Team Leadership : Manage and develop a local IT team of three (1st level support, 2nd level support including OT, and infrastructure/network/cybersecurity specialist).
• Strategic Interface : Act as the key IT contact for the site leadership and central IT. Align local IT initiatives with global digital and IT strategy.
• Vendor Management : Oversee and coordinate local IT service providers and contractors.
• Cybersecurity & Compliance : Ensure implementation of corporate cybersecurity guidelines and contribute to local IT risk assessments.
• System & Infrastructure Oversight : Manage local infrastructure, Windows servers, Office 365 environment, and secure network
  operations.
• SAP Support : Act as the local SAP key user and support site-specific ERP processes in collaboration with the global SAP team.
• Project Support : Drive or support IT-related projects at the site, including process digitalization and preparation for potential shared IT services across future French sites.
• Budget & Cost Control : Monitor and control the local IT budget, identify cost-saving opportunities, and ensure efficient resource
  allocation.

Required Qualifications :

• Several years of hands-on experience in IT interim management of operations and team leadership.
• Solid knowledge of infrastructure, Windows server environments, Microsoft 365, and cybersecurity.
• Experience supporting SAP ERP systems in a manufacturing or industrial context.
• Strong understanding of local IT needs, culture change on users in a regulated production environment.
• Fluent in French (spoken and written), with strong English skills for communication with the global IT organization.

Soft Skills :

• Hands-on and pragmatic approach to IT challenges.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Autonomous, proactive, and capable of defending IT topics locally.
• Excellent communicator, socially skilled in dealing with diverse stakeholders.
• Growth mindset, eager to improve IT maturity and team capabilities.

Theme : turnaround recovery on IT.
Activity : Industrial Pharmaceutical.
Duration : 6 months minimum.
Status to be defined : THACT Portage