Validation Specialist - Pharmaceutical / GMP / Medical Cannabis

Validation Specialist (GMP)

Pharmaceutical Industry / Medical Cannabis

Location:Dumfries & Galloway, Langholm, Scotland DG13 (Hybrid: 4 days on-site, 1 day remote)

Please only apply if you have experience with GMP in a Pharmaceutical company.

Company Overview

Founded in 2019, with 12 employees, my client is the only Scottish & UK-based medical cannabis pharmaceutical company that holds both EU GMP certifications and licenses to cultivate medical cannabis domestically in the UK, whilst also holding the licences to import and distribute medical cannabis.

Over the past four years, they’ve built a brand-new, EU GMP-certified medical cannabis production facility in Scotland — including a large-scale, high-tech greenhouse. With all infrastructure and approvals now in place, they’re preparing to launch their first in-house cultivated and manufactured medical cannabis medicines into the UK market.

Since 2020, the business has taken a dual-track approach: building out its domestic cultivation and

medical cannabis pharmaceutical production capabilities—including hiring a top-tier team, establishing R&D operations, implementing SOPs, and securing full Home Office and MHRA approvals—while simultaneously running an active medical cannabis importation and distribution operation. For the past two years, they’ve been importing EU GMP medical cannabis medicines from global partners and supplying to the UK market for patients. This hybrid model ensures they can provide UK patients access to both internationally sourced and soon, UK-grown medical cannabis medicines

Job Summary

With an experienced and senior Quality team of three already in place — including both an RP and a QP— they are now looking for a dedicated Validation Specialist to help them validate their GMP production facility, to enable internal manufacturing and production of medical cannabis. This is a critical role for a Validation Specialist with strong experience working in GMP-regulated pharmaceutical environments.

You will be responsible for planning, executing, and documenting validation activities for the company’s new medical cannabis production facility and cleanrooms. This includes facility, software, equipment, and process validation, all in compliance with EU GMP standards. You'll work alongside the existing Quality team (including a QP and RP) to ensure all new production areas are fully qualified & validated for medical cannabis manufacturing.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct, develop, and execute validation protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ) for cleanrooms, equipment, utilities, and systems.
• Ensure all validation activities are aligned with EU GMP and regulatory requirements.
• Draft and maintain Validation Master Plans, reports, and validation documentation.
• Conduct risk assessments to determine appropriate validation strategies.
• Support the commissioning and qualification of new production areas.
• Collaborate closely with Quality, Engineering, and Production teams.
• Provide training and guidance to operational teams on validation requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives related to qualification and validation processes
• Capable of supporting general GMP and QMS activities.
• Help upskill the team.
• Review and define the supporting SOPs and procedures
• Review and define FATs and SATs

Qualifications & Experience

• You must have proven experience in a validation-focused role in Pharmaceuticals / Medical Cannabis / Biotech in a GMP environment with at least 2 years’ experience.
• You must have strong knowledge of GMP and be confident when it comes to Validation
• An analytical mindset with strong attention to detail, with a growth mindset
• Effective communicator with excellent collaboration skills.
• Comfortable working in a small startup, where you must be extremely hands on, and roll up your sleeves. We are looking for people who are happy to wear multiple hats.
• Bonus Points for experience with QA activities and managing a QMS system
• Bonus points for experience with GDP

Compensation & Benefits

• £35,000–£50,000 base depending on experience (Potential flexibility for Validation superstars)
• 1-day WFH
• Company pension(All Legal UK Benefits)
• Free on-site parking
• Be part of a pioneering UK company shaping the future of medical cannabis access.

How to Apply

If you are interested and would like more information then please apply through this site or email me at