Associate Director, Development Quality Assurance

Associate Director, Development Quality Assurance

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dublin, Ireland, Ionis has been at work for more than three decades discovering medical breakthroughs that have redefined life for people with serious diseases. We're pioneers in RNA-targeted medicines, and our platform continues to revolutionize drug discovery and transform lives for patients with unmet needs. With multiple marketed medicines and a leading pipeline in neurology, cardiology and select areas of high patient needs, we continue to drive innovation in RNA therapies in addition to advancing new approaches in gene editing to provide greater value to patients and are well positioned financially to deliver on our strategic goals.

At Ionis, we pride ourselves on cultivating a challenging, motivating and rewarding environment that fosters innovation and scientific excellence. We know that our success is a direct result of the exceptional talents and dedication of our employees.

With an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of human health, we look to add diverse individuals, skill sets and perspectives to our exceptional team. We continue to invest time, money and energy into making our onsite, hybrid and remote work environments a place where solid and lasting relationships are built and where our culture and employees can thrive.

We're building on our rich history, and we believe our greatest achievements are ahead of us. If you're passionate about the opportunity to have meaningful impact on patients in need, we invite you to apply and join us. Experience and contribute to our unique culture while you develop and expand your career!

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join as an Associate Director, Development Quality Assurance. This position is responsible for leadership, planning, conduct, and reporting of GCP audits to ensure that clinical tasks are conducted in compliance with applicable international regulations, guidelines, and Ionis standards. This role also has responsibility for preparation, management, and follow-up of global Health Authority (HA) GCP inspections, and provision of quality oversight and consultation at the clinical trial or program team level in support of proactive quality management.

This individual actively leverages audit / inspection outcomes / trends to affect improvement in clinical trial quality and compliance with Ionis and global regulatory requirements. Responsibilities also include leading and/or contributing to identification, development, implementation, management, and enhancement of Development QA operational processes, systems, tools, and best practices.

Responsibilities:

• Perform QA risk assessments and contribute to the maintenance of a comprehensive, risk-based GCP/GLP/GVP audit program.
• Lead, conduct, and coordinate internal and external GCP-related audits, both domestic and international, of service providers, investigators, internal processes, and computerized systems supporting GxP-regulated activities.
• Lead or perform for-cause audits, high-profile audits, special projects, and investigations to evaluate noncompliance, identify root causes, and report results to leadership.
• Prepare and/or review timely, well-written audit reports, and communicate findings to auditees, cross-functional representatives, and management.
• Assess and review audit responses to ensure CAPA plans adequately address findings and root causes, including effectiveness checks where appropriate, and maintain, track, and follow up on CAPAs through completion.
• Lead end-to-end preparation for and management of global Health Authority GCP inspections.
• Oversee inspection readiness activities, including creation and maintenance of pre-inspection materials, training for designated SMEs, conducting pre-inspection visits at investigator sites and service providers and coordination of preparation meetings for functional area heads and appropriate staff.
• Lead and/or contribute to the assessment of Health Authority inspection reports and results, including associated risks and recommendations, for communication to relevant leadership.
• Oversee inspection follow-up activities, including preparation of final response documents, cross-functional coordination of required actions, and tracking and maintenance of Development QA-managed Health Authority inspection data.
• Mentor, support, and/or manage the activities of internal and external Development QA personnel.
• Maintain ongoing awareness of program- and trial-level quality, safety, and efficacy issues, and provide quality oversight and consultation to ensure GCP compliance and continuous inspection readiness throughout the trial.
• Support RBQM and risk management activities (e.g., RACT), including risk identification and mitigation for potential or identified quality issues.
• Appropriately escalate quality and compliance issues to relevant leadership.
• Independently manage procedural deviations, CAPAs,…