Sr. Specialist, Operational Excellence

Overview

The Operational Excellence Senior Specialist will support the development, management, and execution of Operational Excellence in Philadelphia, PA, reporting to the Senior Director, Operational Excellence. This individual will be responsible for planning, leading, and managing projects utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, and Project Management methodologies to strengthen and streamline site operations and eliminate waste. The Senior Specialist will provide guidance and support to other Operational Excellence specialists. This role will act as a change agent to instill a culture of continuous improvement and support building operational excellence capabilities to enable individuals and teams to identify opportunities for improvement and independently implement solutions.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate process improvement (ex: Lean/DMAIC projects, workouts / rapid process improvements, and Kaizen events) and cost reduction projects with minimal oversight through all life cycle phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing.
• Deliver timely, high-quality output on multiple projects simultaneously by utilizing project management skills including clear project charters, timeline management, data collection and analysis, and communication plans. Utilize escalation plans and countermeasures when outcomes or timelines are at risk.
• Collect and analyze data to develop a baseline and enable root cause analysis, opportunity identification, solution development and implementation, and sustainment.
• Act as a subject matter expert coaching all levels of the organization in Operational Excellence principles, systems, and tools. Teach process improvement methodologies, project management concepts, and tool application to increase the capability of the business to respond to problems.
• Work with department leaders to identify appropriate metrics at various employee levels that align with business objectives. Provide coaching on data collection, analysis, visualizations, and control plans to deliver results and drive sustainability.
• Provide support to leadership in developing, implementing, maintaining, and improving an efficient and effective Daily Management System to connect them to frontline.
• Support the vision of Operational Excellence and act as a change agent to instill a continuous improvement culture throughout the organization.
• Must adhere to core values, policies, procedures, and business ethics.
• Perform miscellaneous duties as assigned.

Required Education, Skills, and Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, business, or other related field.
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
• Project Management Professional or equivalent experience.
• Five years of related work experience in Operational Excellence / continuous improvement cultures. Three of these years should be in a dedicated role.
• Proven experience in facilitating and leading simultaneous initiatives to progress from a current state to a desired future state with strategy to execution involvement.
• Knowledge of and experience successfully implementing process improvement tools.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, influencing, change management, and people leadership skills.
• Proactive, results oriented, self-starter with attention to detail and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced setting.
• Expertise in Excel and PowerPoint as well as proficient with Visio.

Preferred Education, Skills, and Knowledge

• Master’s degree in science, engineering, business, or other related field.
• Degree(s) in Industrial Engineering a plus.
• Manufacturing experience, ideally in a Biopharmaceutical environment and/or Cell and Gene Therapy.
• Change Management / Agent Training.
• Experience teaching others in Operational Excellence, particularly Lean / LSS concepts and tools.
• At least 5 years experience in a leadership role.
• Proficient with Smartsheet.

Physical Demands and Activities Required

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time.
• Must be able to move about inside an office and exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
• Must have visual acuity to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures, viewing a computer screen, and extensive reading.
• This position requires repetitive motion, substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Must be able to communicate with others to exchange information.

Work Environment

This job works in a professional office environment and a manufacturing lab setting. Potential exposure to latex, bleach, loud noise, lab equipment hazards, strong odors, and chemical/biochemical is possible. Requires operating standard office equipment and keyboards.