Associate Director, Operations Excellence

Becton Dickinson Medical Devices•Sparks, NV

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Director, Operations Excellence (OpEx) is a strategic and ISC LT member leader responsible for developing, governing, and accelerating the ISC Continuous Improvement (CI) strategy across the global manufacturing network. This role provides functional leadership, coaching, and oversight to CI leaders embedded within each plant (dotted-line), ensuring alignment, standardization, measurable, and sustained improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity. The Associate Director partners closely with Plant Managers, Operations Directors, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, GP Task Force, and Finance to drive a culture of operational excellence and sustain CI as a core business capability. We are the makers of possible BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world. Advancing the world of health™ is our Purpose, and it’s no small feat. It takes the imagination and passion of all of us—from design and engineering to the manufacturing and marketing of our billions of MedTech products per year—to look at the impossible and find transformative solutions that turn dreams into possibilities. We believe that the human element, across our global teams, is what allows us to continually evolve. Join us and discover an environment in which you’ll be supported to learn, grow and become your best self. Become a maker of possible with us.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or related field required.
8+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, or supply chain roles.
Proven track record leading CI/Lean transformations in a multi-site environment.
Experience influencing without authority and leading dotted-line teams.
Strong experience with Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and structured problem-solving (A3, DMAIC).
Lean/CI certification required.
Strong leadership and coaching capability.
Ability to influence cross-functionally and drive change at all levels.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
Data-driven decision-making with strong analytical capability.
Ability to manage complex initiatives and balance enterprise vs. site-level priorities.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
Experience in regulated manufacturing (medical device, pharma, food, industrial) preferred.
Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt preferred.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Governance Develop, deploy, and continuously refine the DS ISC OpEx strategy, roadmap, and annual objectives in alignment with ISC priorities.
Establish CI standards, methodologies, and best practices (Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, Problem-Solving, Value Stream Management).
Govern plant CI maturity, ensuring consistent application of tools, frameworks, and performance expectations across the network.
Oversee and challenge CI project selection to ensure alignment with business priorities and financial benefit targets.
Network CI Leadership Provide dotted-line leadership, coaching, and performance guidance to CI Managers/Leaders at each manufacturing site.
Facilitate a strong CI community of practice, driving alignment, knowledge sharing, and cross-site collaboration.
Support Plant Managers and regional Ops leaders in developing site-level CI strategies, annual improvement plans, and KPI targets.
Conduct site assessments (Gemba evaluations, maturity assessments) and provide actionable feedback to improve performance.
Operational Execution Lead enterprise-wide CI initiatives that impact multiple plants, including productivity programs, waste elimination, flow optimization, and digital enablement.
Serve as the primary CI subject matter expert to functional leaders in Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, HR (training), and EHS.
Partner with Finance to validate project results, savings, and productivity impacts.
Support deployment of tiered accountability systems, CI training programs, and certification pathways (Lean/Six Sigma).
Culture & Capability Building Build CI capabilities across all levels of the organization—from frontline associates to senior leaders.
Enable and coach leaders in behaviors that reinforce a continuous improvement mindset.
Support change-management efforts to ensure CI initiatives are adopted, sustained, and integrated into daily operations.
Metrics & Performance Management Establish and maintain enterprise CI dashboards and KPIs (productivity, OEE, labor efficiency, scrap, service/delivery, etc.).
Track and report progress of major CI initiatives, ensuring transparency to the VP ISC and executive leadership.
Drive accountability for results at both the plant and enterprise level.