Associate Director, Operational Excellence
About The Position
The Operational Excellence and Training Lead enables scalable, efficient, and inspection-ready execution across Development. The role designs standardized processes, builds operational capabilities through training, and drives consistent adoption and continuous improvement. It owns the end-to-end design, implementation, and optimization of assigned processes and systems; translates strategic objectives into efficient, scalable, inspection-ready standards; and defines process guidance, performance measures, roles, and accountability. The position also develops training and curricula, supports change management and adoption, improves documented and auditable processes, and reports performance, outcomes, and risks to Operational Excellence and Clinical Compliance leadership. As a subject-matter expert and trusted advisor, the role supports leadership in building learning and capability strategies and a culture of accountability, consistency, and continuous improvement.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences or a related field.
- 8–10+ years of experience in operational excellence, process improvement, training, or operational leadership within a regulated life sciences or clinical development environment.
- Proven experience owning and implementing end-to-end processes or systems across multiple functions.
- Hands-on experience designing and delivering process and role-based training.
- Experience supporting audit and inspection readiness, including documentation and behavioral readiness.
- Competence in end-to-end process design, standardization, and optimization.
- Knowledge of Lean and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Knowledge of training design, curriculum development, and adult learning principles.
- Experience with process documentation, including SOPs, guidance, and work instructions.
- Experience with process performance metrics, KPIs, and dashboarding.
- Understanding of compliance and inspection expectations in regulated environments.
- Strong systems thinking and ability to translate strategy into execution.
- Excellent facilitation, communication, and stakeholder-engagement skills.
- Ability to influence and drive adoption without direct authority.
- Pragmatic change leadership and strong execution discipline.
- Trusted-advisor mindset with high credibility and accountability.
- Collaborative, service-oriented, and improvement-focused approach.
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree, such as an MBA or MSc.
- Certification or formal training in Operational Excellence, Lean, Six Sigma, or Process Improvement.
Responsibilities
- Own and lead end-to-end design, implementation, and optimization of assigned processes and systems across Development.
- Translate strategic objectives into fit-for-purpose, standardized processes that are efficient, scalable, and inspection-ready.
- Define process standards, guidance, and performance measures, ensuring clarity of roles and accountability.
- Develop and deliver training on new or changed processes, including compliance expectations and inspection-readiness behavior.
- Design and maintain role-based and process-based curricula, including onboarding.
- Identify inefficiencies, risks, and variability through data analysis and stakeholder input, and lead targeted improvement initiatives.
- Support functions in adopting new or improved processes through change management, training inputs, and practical guidance.
- Ensure processes are well documented, consistently applied, and auditable to support inspection readiness.
- Track and report process performance, improvement outcomes, and residual risks to Operational Excellence and Clinical Compliance leadership.
- Act as a subject-matter expert and trusted advisor to functional teams on process excellence and operational rigor.
- Support leadership in defining and executing the learning and capability-building strategy for Development functions.
- Support leadership in building a learning culture that reinforces accountability, consistency, and continuous improvement.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
