Project Manager (m/w/d) Manufacturing & QC Transfer

CYTENA is a young and fast-growing high-tech company dedicated to developing automated, high-precision laboratory instruments for life science research and the pharmaceutical industry. Our award-winning instruments are used in leading academic and pharmaceutical laboratories around the world to automate workflows across a wide range of applications, including stable cell line development, single-cell omics, high-throughput screening, and drug discovery. CYTENA has been part of the BICO Group since 2019.

Our mission is: At CYTENA, we make the development of modern therapies faster, safer, and more affordable.

Join CYTENA as Project Manager (m/w/d) Manufacturing & QC Transfer and play a key role in one of our most critical strategic initiatives. This position is offered on a fixed-term basis for 24 months and is focused on leading the successful transfer of manufacturing, assembly, configuration, and quality control activities to an external contract manufacturing partner (CDMO). This position combines strong project leadership, stakeholder management, and operational execution, requiring the ability to manage complex international programs and drive alignment across multiple workstreams.

• Own end-to-end program management for the transfer of assembly, configuration and QC activities to a contract manufacturer (CDMO): timeline, budget, risks and dependencies across all workstreams

• Act as the central coordination point between our organization, the CDMO and the internal workstream owners, consolidating individual plans into one coherent program plan

• Build, maintain and continuously update a robust program plan including milestones, critical path and early-warning indicators, and track progress through the CDMO's qualification/gate reviews

• Provide regular reporting on progress, budget and KPIs to senior management and the steering committee; prepare and facilitate steering committee meetings

• Coordinate workforce and organizational planning together with HR and the relevant functions as internal roles and responsibilities evolve during the transfer

• Plan and track knowledge-transfer and training activities to ensure a smooth, well-documented handover of manufacturing know-how to the CDMO

• Coordinate system and process harmonization (incl. ERP/CRM) together with IT, to support a clean transition between our organization and the CDMO

• Assess and align capacity, logistics and quality-oversight requirements between our organization and the CDMO

• Ensure supply and quality continuity throughout the transfer, without disruption to ongoing customer business

• Proactively identify and manage schedule risks (CDMO onboarding and qualification, knowledge transfer, system changes, capacity ramp-up) that could jeopardize the program's success

• Degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a comparable qualification.
• Relevant professional experience in managing complex international programs, ideally in manufacturing transfer, CDMO onboarding, supply chain transformation, or comparable operational transformation projects.
• Solid understanding of project management methodologies and tools (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, Agile frameworks, or equivalent approaches).
• Experience working with external contract manufacturers (CDMOs) or strategic manufacturing partners is considered an advantage.
• Proven ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and stakeholders in an international and multicultural environment.
• Strong communication, presentation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Structured, analytical, and self-driven way of working with strong capabilities in budget management, KPI tracking, and program governance.
• Ability to manage multiple parallel workstreams and drive execution in a dynamic business environment.
• Professional fluency in English and German, both written and spoken.
• Willingness to travel internationally as required by the role.

Being part of CYTENA means being part of something bigger, as our goal is to help shape the future of medical innovation. We are a growing life science company with award-winning products and a great team that is characterized by fun, friendliness, collaboration, and mutual support.

• Agile Start-up Culture: We are a dynamic and internationally operating company and are proud of our flat organizational structure. We work in an agile environment and in cross-functional teams.
• Flexible Working: We focus on results. We want our employees to be as productive and happy as possible, which is why we support a flexible working model.
• Team Building: Collaboration is highly valued at CYTENA. We are open-minded, support one another, and enjoy organizing team events.
• Benefits: The CYTENA team always gives its best, and we want to give something back. You can choose from three great benefits: a public transportation ticket, a Givve Card, or Hansefit membership. The choice is yours!
• On Top: We offer free fruit, water, and coffee, a cereal bar and additional snacks, a well-connected office with a stunning rooftop terrace, a ball pit, a chill-out area, underground parking spaces, and much more.
• Green City Freiburg: Our modern Green City Office is located in Freiburg’s vibrant Güterbahnhof district. Situated on the doorstep of the Black Forest in the sunny southwest of Germany, Freiburg is a green university city renowned for its historic city center, unique charm, and wide variety of leisure and cultural activities.
• Company Pension Scheme: The future of our employees is important to us. We offer the opportunity to participate in a direct insurance scheme with attractive conditions and an above-statutory employer contribution through our insurance partner.
• The Chance to Make a Difference: We are part of the life science industry, and our work provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of new medicines and treatments that can help hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Together, we are helping to shape the future.

Would you like to become part of our success story? Then apply online through our application portal. Please note that, for data protection reasons, we cannot accept applications via email.

At CYTENA, we don’t just accept difference, we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. We are an equal opportunity workplace and will always pride ourselves on being a collaborative environment.

BICO leverages a global portfolio of pioneering brands fusing automation, intelligence, and data to unlock scientific discovery at scale in pharma and biotech. With 53,600+ instruments installed in over 65 countries, BICO products, software, and solutions are found in more than 3,500 laboratories, including the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies, and have been cited in over 13,000 publications. BICO strives towards the vision to enable life-science labs to accelerate the discoveries that change lives. BICO is listed on Mid-Cap, Nasdaq Stockholm under BICO. www.bico.com 

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