Manufacturing Application Engineer – Digital Manufacturing & Automation, Cell Therapy

Location: Tarzana, CA 91356, United States of America

Are you ready to architect the digital backbone of Cell Therapy manufacturing and see your work accelerate life-changing treatments to patients? In this role, you will be the internal authority on what gets built, how it's built, and why — owning the product vision for next-generation digital platforms that power our global Cell Therapy operations while governing delivery through external partners.

You will connect Manufacturing Operations, Automation Engineering, Digital, Quality, and Product teams to deliver scalable, compliant, and intelligent manufacturing ecosystems. From custom-built LIMS applications and MES to robotics integration, Tulip applications, and end-to-end process orchestration, you will turn complex GMP workflows into simple, reliable digital experiences that reduce cycle time, increase reliability, and protect chain of identity and custody. This is a strategic individual contributor role focused on building internal digital manufacturing expertise, reducing dependence on external integrators, and ensuring AstraZeneca retains full intellectual ownership of its manufacturing platforms.

• Delivery Partner Governance & Product Ownership:
  Serve as the internal technical product owner across digital manufacturing work streams; define what gets built and hold external delivery partners accountable to quality, compliance, and architectural standards. Review and challenge vendor technical designs, ensure AstraZeneca retains full knowledge and ownership of delivered solutions, and prevent dependency on any single integrator. Map and own the product roadmap from day one, gathering requirements from stakeholders and translating operational needs into a coherent, prioritized delivery plan.
• Custom LIMS Applications & Digital Manufacturing Platforms:
  Own the delivery of custom-built LIMS applications and scalable digital manufacturing platforms across Cell Therapy operations. Define requirements for MES, LIMS, automation interfaces, robotics workflows, and orchestration capabilities that enable digital batch execution, electronic work instructions, device integration, and real‑time visibility. Ensure delivery partners build to specification and compliance standards.
• MES & LIMS Workflow Orchestration:
  Define and govern orchestration frameworks that integrate MES, LIMS, ERP, automation systems, robotics, and data platforms for autologous and allogeneic processes. Specify process flows, APIs, data exchange patterns, and event‑driven architectures. Validate vendor‑delivered implementations against technical and compliance requirements.
• Tulip Manufacturing Applications:
  Own the Tulip application roadmap and delivery; define requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria. Oversee development of reusable components, connectors, and low‑code workflows that streamline operator execution, deviations, equipment monitoring, and process visibility. Partner with manufacturing SMEs to prioritize and validate solutions.
• Robotics & Manufacturing Automation Integration:
  Ensure successful integration of robotics platforms, automation equipment, OT systems, and edge devices by defining requirements, validating technical designs, and holding delivery partners to implementation quality standards. Technical fluency in middleware (High Byte, OPC‑UA), industrial connectivity, and file system management is required to credibly govern this work and identify when vendor approaches create unnecessary risk or dependency.
• Enterprise Systems Integration:
  Define integration requirements between MES, LIMS, SAP, automation, and analytics platforms to enable real‑time sample tracking, chain of identity/custody, and manufacturing genealogy. Own canonical data models and govern API integrations with ERP, vein‑to‑vein systems, and custom supplier applications.
• Technical Leadership & Solution Delivery:
  Act as technical product owner, managing roadmaps, sprints, and stakeholder expectations. Apply Agile, CI/CD, Dev Sec Ops , automated testing, and version control principles to ensure delivered solutions are scalable, secure, maintainable, and…