Manufacturing and Supply
Where the
miracles of
science are made
a reality for patients
Clean Utilities SME Engineer
At a glance
Our teams produce and deliver over 4 billion units of medicines and vaccines every year, ensuring every breakthrough gets to the people who need it most.
Our state-of-the-art facilities, AI-powered smart factories, and cutting-edge automation are redefining what’s possible: ensuring treatments reach patients faster, safer, and more sustainably than ever before. This is where your skills, ambition, and passion can shape the future of healthcare.
Job title: Clean Utilities SME Engineer
- Location:Waterford, Ireland
- Contract type: Fixed- Term, 23-months
About Sanofi:
We’re an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. Our deep understanding of the immune system – and innovative pipeline – enables us to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world. Together, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.
About the job
The Senior Clean Utilities Specialist/SME is the site's technical authority for all critical utility systems supporting GMP manufacturing — including Purified Water (PW), Water for Injection (WFI), Clean Steam (CS), and cleanroom HVAC. This is a hands-on technical expert role responsible for system design integrity, troubleshooting complex technical issues, ensuring regulatory readiness, and driving continuous improvement and innovation across the site's clean utilities infrastructure.
Main responsibilities:
- System Design & Engineering
- Lead technical design reviews for new installations, upgrades, and modifications to PW, WFI, CS, and HVAC systems
- Develop User Requirement Specifications (URS) and technical specifications for capital projects
- Ensure designs incorporate GMP principles
- Troubleshooting & Root Cause Analysis
- Serve as the site's escalation point for complex technical failures across all clean utility systems
- Lead root cause investigations and develop robust CAPAs for unplanned utility disruptions, excursions, or EM/chemical/endotoxin deviations
- Apply advanced troubleshooting techniques (trend analysis, failure mode analysis) to prevent recurrence
- Regulatory Compliance & Audit Support
- Act as key SME during regulatory inspections and internal/external audits for critical utility systems
- Ensure ongoing compliance with Pharmacopoeial standards for water and steam quality
- Support and review qualification documentation (IQ/OQ/PQ) and periodic requalification activities
- Process Optimization & Continuous Improvement
- Identify and implement reliability, maintainability, and efficiency improvement opportunities
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce downtime, extend asset life, and improve system robustness
- Partner with Reliability Engineering and Planning & Scheduling teams to optimize maintenance strategies
- Technology Innovation & Digitalization
- Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies for clean utilities applications
- Champion digitalization of monitoring, alarming, and data trending for critical systems
- Cross-Functional Technical Leadership
- Provide technical mentorship and training to maintenance technicians and junior engineers
- Represent clean utilities in cross-functional project teams (Quality, Validation, Production, EHS)
- Contribute site expertise to network/global technical forums and best-practice sharing
- Vendor Management & Technology Assessment
- Evaluate and select equipment vendors and service providers for clean utilities systems
- Manage technical relationships with OEMs and service contractors; assess new technology solutions during capital planning
About you
Required Experience & Capabilities:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, or related) or equivalent technical qualification
- 7+ years of experience operating and troubleshooting GMP critical utility systems in pharmaceutical, biotech, or comparable high-purity manufacturing (semiconductor, food/beverage)
- Demonstrated experience leading root cause investigations and CAPA development
- Experience supporting regulatory audits/inspections as a technical SME
- Working knowledge of CMMS, qualification protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ), and change control processes
- Familiarity with emerging digital/PAT technologies is a plus
- Technical skills: GMP Compliance, Energy Engineering, Utility Systems Design, Project management, Preventative and Corrective Maintenance, RCA and CAPA development
Why choose us?
- Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team
- Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally
- Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact
- Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave
#LI-EUR
nullPursue Progress. Discover Extraordinary.
Join Sanofi and step into a new era of science - where your growth can be just as transformative as the work we do. We invest in you to reach further, think faster, and do what’s never-been-done-before. You’ll help push boundaries, challenge convention, and build smarter solutions that reach the communities we serve. Ready to chase the miracles of science and improve people’s lives? Let’s Pursue Progress and Discover Extraordinary – together.
At Sanofi, we provide equal opportunities to all regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.
Final compensation will be determined based on demonstrated experience, skills, location, and other relevant factors. Employees may be eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs.
Find out more about this location
Why work with us
- We’re problem-solvers and pioneers. United by the belief that everyone deserves a healthier future. We create best-in-class vaccines that prevent disease and protect lives.
- Innovation drives us. From AI and mRNA to next-gen science, we push the boundaries to deliver first- and best-in-class vaccines for infectious diseases worldwide.
- Growth happens here. With bold investments in R&D and world-class facilities, Sanofians across the entire vaccine lifecycle are shaping the future of global health.
- We do what’s right. Sustainability and DE&I drive our positive global impact—because the diverse communities Sanofians represent are the patients we serve.
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