Associate Director, Lean Transformation / Continuous Improvement (Business Consulting)

MSD•Elkton, PA

21h•Hybrid

About The Position

Our Company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. Today, we are building a new kind of healthcare company—one that is ready to help create a healthier future for all of us. Our Manufacturing Division is committed to innovating to bring life-saving and affordable medicines and vaccines to patients around the world. With 43 sites around the world, our Manufacturing Division manufactures and distributes critical vaccines, sterile products, biologics, and animal health products to more than 140 countries. Our facilities, along with our external contractors, suppliers, and partners, comprise an interdependent global manufacturing network that’s dedicated to delivering a compliant, reliable supply to customers and patients on time, every time, across the globe. Today, we continue to be at the forefront of innovation in how we make and deliver life-saving medicines and vaccines to better meet the changing needs of patients. Across our Manufacturing Division, we are investing in cutting-edge technology, processes, and facilities to create capacity to meet growing demand on a scale that has never been seen before. Our Company's Production Systems (MPS) is an integrated production system for how we design, manage, and continuously improve operations and related business processes, enabled through the development of our people. The Global MPS Team (GMPS) is responsible for driving MPS throughout the organization to improve business performance by enabling change in the operating systems, management systems, and mindsets, behaviors and capabilities of our people to produce our product with the highest quality, lowest cost, and in the shortest lead time. Under the guidance of the MPS Director, and in collaboration with [Site/Regional/Functional] business leaders, the candidate will assess, diagnose, plan, and execute strategies to solve current business challenges using standardized processes and ways of working. Approximately 50% of their time will be spent at the Gemba/on the floor, or at the process, providing direct, hands-on support, and about 25% will be dedicated to coaching leaders and developing talent within the business. Given the nature of the role and the variety of work locations, travel is expected to be up to 50%, with occasional peaks up to 75%.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in related field (engineering, business, supply chain, sciences) with eight (8) years of required experience; Master of Science (MS) with six (6) years of required experience; PhD with three (3) years of required experience.
Experience analyzing complex processes or end-to-end supply chains and driving timely process improvement
Hands-on application of Lean tools and techniques not limited to standardized work, scientific problem solving, value stream mapping, mistake proofing, production leveling, SMED, 5S-Visual Factory
Experience in applying consultative skills: ability to influence decision making, ability to interact with all levels of the business (senior leaders to shop floor working teams)
Project management skills (demonstrated experience in managing large project teams)
Coaching / Teaching: Proven experience in coaching and equipping others to apply lean methods and tools.
Changing mindsets and behaviors to achieve a continuous improvement philosophy

Nice To Haves

Solid business acumen, proven team building skills, exceptionally good listening skills, results oriented, strong analytical skills, and prior process improvement experience
Experience in operations management, manufacturing, or related disciplines.
Experience in a Vaccines or Sterile pharmaceutical environment.
Secondary degree in supply chain or business administration
Extensive Lean application experience or deep understanding and successful application of the Toyota Production System (TPS).
Excellent skills using IT applications to organize and analyze data (MS-Access, MS-Excel, Minitab, Power BI).
Strategic Planning – Guiding team success using appropriate methods and a flexible interpersonal style to build, motivate and guide to complete shared goals
Networking and Partnerships – Building partnerships, developing and leveraging relationships within and across work groups to achieve results
Execution Excellence – Being Execution and results focused, per compliance standards, setting ambitious expectations for accomplishment and ensuring others contribute to organization strategies by focusing them on the most critical priorities, measuring progress and ensuring accountability against those metrics
Influence – Using effective involvement and persuasion strategies to gain acceptance of ideas and commitment to actions that support specific work outcomes
Change Catalyst – Facilitating change, encouraging others to implement better approaches to address problems and opportunities. Leading the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace

Responsibilities

Partner with and consult business unit leaders and their leadership teams to develop plans and execute performance improvement activities in line with organizational priorities
Develop Lean management and people development plans and processes
Utilize various Lean tools, techniques and apply GMPS standards to diagnose, analyze and improve business processes
Provide teaching and coaching to effectively transfer Lean skills into the organization for the development of Lean Leaders
Self-manage projects and teams, mitigate risks, allocate resources, and drive on time completion of initiatives and deliver intended results.
Develop visual controls and effective management systems to make problems visible, respond with urgency, effectively break down complex problems, lead root cause analysis, and develop effective countermeasures. 8 Step Problem Solving is the working standard in our Manufacturing Division.
Build trust and develop new relationships with internal and external clients and effectively coach senior leaders and E2E/IP Managers to collaborate and achieve successful outcomes at site/regional/global levels.
Leverage digital and data capabilities to properly measure, visualize and analyze information to support operations improvement.