Associate Director, Operational Excellence

Purdue Pharma L.P.•Wilson, NC

About The Position

Purdue Pharma L.P. and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market medications to meet the evolving needs of healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers. We were founded by physicians, and we are currently led by a physician. Beyond our efforts to provide quality medications, Purdue is committed to supporting national, regional and local collaborations to drive innovations in patient care. Privately held, Purdue is pursuing a pipeline of new medications through internal research & development and strategic industry partnerships. For close to two decades Purdue has engaged in many initiatives to stem prescription opioid abuse. We are committed to bringing lifesaving relief to communities and individuals suffering from substance use disorder and overdose. We are currently developing or supporting the development of two essential life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications and have the capability to manufacture others for medication assisted treatment. Providing these medicines has the potential to improve and save countless lives. We are driven by our purpose: Compassion for patients and excellence for science inspire our pursuit of new medicines. We are building an exciting path forward, and we are committed to recruiting a dedicated team of professionals who advance our expertise through a commitment to Purdue’s Values: Integrity and Courage, underpinned by Innovation, and always in Collaboration with each other. At Purdue Pharma and our subsidiaries, you have a unique career opportunity to work differently, uncover and seize new opportunities, and take a hands-on, ownership approach to your work. We go beyond traditional roles and find creative ways to extend our skills and interests, challenging ourselves to contribute in different, meaningful ways. We strive to create an environment where you can bring your best to work each day. We welcome the opportunity to have you on our team! Job Summary Lead the Operational Excellence program to drive improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Productivity, and Cost across the business. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making. Acting as a change agent, this position will foster a continuous improvement environment that is data-driven and results-oriented, collaborating with leadership teams to lead and guide Operational Excellence initiatives to achieve targets. Responsibilities also include capacity planning, headcount planning, process optimization, and training across all levels of the business to build organizational capabilities. This is a highly strategic and facilitative role that requires a combination of focus and flexibility, as well as a willingness to play an active, behind-the-scenes role (team over self). The role requires a highly resourceful individual with strong emotional intelligence, self-motivation, facilitation skills, and excellent communication skills.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related discipline, with at least 15 years of experience in manufacturing, operations, or supply chain roles; or
Master’s degree (strongly preferred) with a minimum of 12 years of experience in manufacturing, operations, or supply chain roles.
Minimum 5 years of demonstrated experience driving Operational Excellence or Continuous Improvement initiatives within a manufacturing environment. Proven track record of leading Operational Excellence programs, applying Lean management principles and Six Sigma methodologies.
Ability to not only use, but also effectively instruct in the proper use of Operational Excellence principles such as Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, DMAIC, 5S, Visual Management and other process improvement and statistical problem-solving tools.
Experience in both training and leading cross-functional teams on projects that utilize lean concepts (5S, SMED, Kaizen, etc.).
Maintain high level of trust and integrity; and demonstrate discretion as necessary.
Excellent project management skills/experience with sound technology skills, analytical ability, good judgment and strong operational focus
Working knowledge of cGxP's and FDA guidelines and the ability to conceptualize and execute solutions to resolve problems.
Proficiency in MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Word is a must.
Excellent communication skills, oral and written.

Nice To Haves

Preferred: Knowledge of pharmaceutical manufacturing (GMP environment) or process manufacturing.
Six Sigma Black Belt and/or Lean Certification strongly preferred.
Experience in SAP or related MRP systems is desired.

Responsibilities

Continue to develop the site Operational Excellence strategy aligned with business goals:
Develop and execute the site Operational Excellence strategy to align with business objectives
Diagnose and drive improvement opportunities using data and observations from a diverse range of external and internal sources
Establish and monitor KPIs; facilitate operational performance reviews with senior leadership
Prioritize areas (Elite 8 projects) and assist with removing hurdles that would hinder their completion by collaborating with site and Tech Ops leadership
Establish and maintain productivity and quality metrics/measurements (KPIs) and facilitate weekly/monthly/quarterly operational performance reviews with senior leadership teams to track performance against baseline
Build site capabilities through training on Lean tools (5S, SMED, Kaizen, DMAIC, Value Stream Mapping, etc.)
Build organizational capabilities:
Champion Lean and Six Sigma principles; lead cross-functional teams to eliminate waste and improve productivity.
Develop training materials and deliver training content to build site capabilities to address basic process improvement elements
Create cohesive cross-functional teams capable of driving Operational Excellence projects in-line with business strategy and foster a culture of continuous improvement
Build strong, collaborative relationships throughout the organization
Deliver impact related to the site strategy:
Maintain the site capacity model to assist management in discussions on equipment utilization and planning to resolve bottleneck operations.
Deliver quantifiable process performance improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Productivity.
Support product transfers and new product introductions to ensure operational readiness
Utilize TQM tools for problem-solving and implement best practices in GxP environments.
Maintain and update production standards for current and new products
Utilize cycle time metrics to highlight the site’s ability to efficiently meet product supply demands
Additional activity to support the business:
Prepare reports and presentations for senior management as required
Partner with Cost Accounting to provide cost for new products and track cost savings.
Utilize TQM tools for effective problem solving as well as apply 5S and SMED principles to eliminate non-value-added activity.
Manage and continuously improve the OEE systems to report the effectiveness of processes
Use the OEE system as a tool to drive performance improvements within Operations.
Maintain strong relationships across all departments within the business