Exela Pharma

Reliability Engineer

Exela Pharma$80K — $100K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or related field)
  • 5+ years of experience in reliability, maintenance engineering, or utilities engineering
  • Hands-on experience with SAP PM / SAP EAM (S/4HANA preferred)
  • Experience in pharmaceutical or GMP-regulated manufacturing environments
  • Strong understanding of utility systems, especially water systems (WFI, RO/EDI)
  • Demonstrated experience with RCA, FMEA, and data-driven problem solving

Responsibilities

  • Develop and implement reliability strategies for utility assets such as HVAC and electrical systems.
  • Perform RCA, FMEA, and reliability-centered maintenance analyses.
  • Analyze equipment performance data, downtime trends, and failure modes.
  • Optimize maintenance strategies to improve uptime and reduce lifecycle costs.
  • Establish and maintain asset criticality and risk-based maintenance plans.
  • Lead improvements in SAP EAM (S/4HANA) to ensure reliable asset data.
  • Drive adoption and consistent use of SAP workflows across teams.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work in a GMP-regulated environment
  • Hands-on role with significant responsibility for critical systems
  • Potential for professional development through continuous improvement initiatives
  • Engagement with advanced SAP EAM technologies
  • Chance to influence preventive maintenance strategies and reliability improvements
Full Job Description
Position Summary:

The Reliability Engineer, Utilities is responsible for establishing and driving a data-driven reliability program for critical pharmaceutical utility systems, including WFI, clean steam, HVAC, chilled water, compressed air, and electrical distribution.

This role focuses on improving equipment reliability, reducing repeat failures, and optimizing preventive maintenance strategies while building and utilizing SAP EAM (S/4HANA) as a system of record for asset performance and decision-making.

This is a hands-on role requiring both technical expertise and the ability to implement sustainable improvements in a GMP-regulated manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Reliability & Asset Management

  • Develop and implement reliability strategies for utility assets (e.g., HVAC, chilled water, boilers, WFI, clean steam, compressed air, electrical systems).

  • Perform RCA, FMEA, and reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) analyses
  • Analyze equipment performance data, downtime trends, and failure modes
  • Optimize maintenance strategies to improve uptime and reduce lifecycle cost
  • Establish and maintain asset criticality and risk-based maintenance plans

SAP EAM & Data Utilization
  • Lead improvements in SAP EAM (S/4HANA) to ensure it functions as a reliable source of asset data
  • Develop and maintain asset hierarchies, maintenance plans, and measuring points
  • Build and utilize reports and dashboards for:
    • Backlog and aging
    • PM effectiveness
    • Failure trends
  • Drive adoption and consistent use of SAP workflows across maintenance and engineering teams

Utilities Systems Expertise
  • Provide technical oversight and reliability support for:
    • Water systems (WFI, RO/EDI, storage & distribution)
    • Clean steam systems
    • HVAC and environmental control systems
    • Compressed air and process gases
    • Electrical distribution systems
  • Analyze and trend critical parameters (e.g., conductivity, TOC, temperature, pressure, flow)
  • Evaluate system performance relative to product quality and regulatory requirements

GMP Compliance & Quality Support
  • Ensure utility systems operate in compliance with FDA, EMA, and GMP requirements
  • Support deviations, CAPAs, change controls, and investigations related to utilities
  • Provide technical input for validation activities (IQ/OQ/PQ)
  • Maintain documentation aligned with SOPs and quality systems

Continuous Improvement
  • Drive measurable improvements in:
    • Equipment uptime
    • PM effectiveness
    • Reduction of repeat failures
  • Identify and implement predictive and condition-based maintenance strategies
  • Support capital projects and equipment upgrades with a reliability-focused approach
  • Train and mentor maintenance and engineering personnel on reliability best practices

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or related field)
  • 5+ years of experience in reliability, maintenance engineering, or utilities engineering
  • Hands-on experience with SAP PM / SAP EAM (S/4HANA preferred)
  • Experience in pharmaceutical or GMP-regulated manufacturing environments
  • Strong understanding of utility systems, especially water systems (WFI, RO/EDI)
  • Demonstrated experience with RCA, FMEA, and data-driven problem solving

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience improving PM programs and maintenance effectiveness
  • Familiarity with predictive maintenance technologies (vibration, thermography, etc.)
  • Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) or similar certification
  • Experience supporting regulatory inspections and audits
  • Experience building or improving CMMS data structures and reporting

Key Competencies
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
  • Ability to translate data into actionable improvements
  • Effective cross-functional communication
  • Ownership mindset with ability to drive change
  • Detail-oriented with strong compliance awareness

About Exela Pharma

Exela Technologies, Inc. is an American business process automation company. It was created with the merger of SourceHOV LCC, Novitex Holdings, Inc. and Quinpario Acquisition Corp. 2. Exela’s software and services include multi-industry department solution suites addressing finance & accounting, human capital management, and legal management, as well as industry-specific solutions for banking, healthcare, insurance, and public sectors. Exela Technology services include workflow automation, digital mail rooms, attended and un-attended cognitive automation, print communications, and payment processing. In 2018 the company declared serving 3,500 customers in more than 50 countries. It has 1,100 onsite client facilities and 150 "delivery centers" in the Americas, Europe and Asian continent. In June 2018, Exela Technologies was listed as a major contender in the Everest Group – "Know your customer-Anti Money Laundering BPO – State of the Market with PEAK Matrix Assessment 2018". In July 2019, Exela Technologies added Martin Akins to their board of directors. In March 2020, Exela completed the divestment of SourceHOV Tax, the company's tax consulting group, for $40 million to private equity firm Gainline Capital Partners. Greenlight Capital is one of the top investors in Exela Technologies. As per the latest financial results published in August 2022, the number of employees stood at approximately 17,500.
Learn more about Exela Pharma

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