Associate Director, Operational Excellence

Samsung Biologics•Rockville, MD

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Samsung Biologics is seeking an experienced Associate Director, Operational Excellence to play a pivotal leadership role in shaping the future of our manufacturing operations. Reporting to the Senior Director, Operational Excellence, you will lead enterprise-level continuous improvement initiatives that directly impact customer delivery, operational performance, quality compliance, and workforce capability. This is an opportunity to help design and implement the operational foundation that enables sustainable growth, supports new product introductions, enhances regulatory readiness, and positions the site as a world-class manufacturing organization. If you thrive on driving change, developing people, and delivering measurable business results, we want to hear from you. The Impact You'll Make As our Associate Director, Operational Excellence, you will help to create the systems, capabilities, and culture that enable our site to consistently achieve four critical outcomes: Customer Excellence: Deliver products on time, in full, every time. Operational Excellence: Build efficient, scalable processes that improve performance and accelerate growth. Quality Excellence: Protect our license to operate through right-first-time execution and robust compliance. People Excellence: Develop an engaged, capable workforce empowered to drive continuous improvement. As the site expands its portfolio and manufacturing capabilities, you will help to ensure that growth is supported by standardized processes, strong governance, and a culture of operational discipline and innovation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Life Sciences, Business, or a related technical discipline
15+ years of manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, operations, safety, or continuous improvement experience within a complex production environment
Proven success leading Lean transformation and Operational Excellence programs across diverse stakeholder groups
Demonstrated ability to drive sustainable culture change and continuous improvement initiatives that deliver measurable results
Experience partnering with Finance to improve business performance, operational cost drivers, and value realization
Track record of delivering year-over-year improvements resulting in both financial and operational benefits
Strong change leadership, coaching, and stakeholder management capabilities

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (BS, MS, Engineering, or related discipline)
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent certification
Experience within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments
Experience supporting site expansion, operational scale-up, or new product introductions

Responsibilities

Build and deploy a Lean Center of Excellence that establishes the tools, governance, and methodologies necessary to drive sustainable operational improvements across the organization.
Help design key business governance forums, including Business Performance Reviews and Site Scorecard Reviews.
Champion a mindset where continuous improvement becomes everyone's responsibility. Develop systems, recognition programs, and engagement strategies that empower employees at all levels to identify opportunities, eliminate waste, and improve performance.
Coach and develop leaders, frontline teams, and Operational Excellence professionals in Lean principles, problem-solving methodologies, and performance management practices. Create lasting capabilities that strengthen the organization for years to come.
Lead high-impact improvement initiatives focused on cost, quality, productivity, delivery, and customer satisfaction. Use Lean and Operational Excellence methodologies to unlock measurable business value while enhancing operational stability.
Partner with Manufacturing, Technical Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, and PMO teams to support new product introductions and campaign readiness. Ensure operational systems and processes are prepared to deliver successful launches and sustainable execution.