Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Manager

Thermo Fisher Scientific•Cincinnati, OH

About The Position

The Local Site Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Manager is responsible for the end-to-end delivery of digital initiatives at site level, enabling debottlenecking, productivity, quality, and COGS reduction through the Practical Process Improvement (PPI) business system and digital technologies. The role translates local business problems into executable digital projects, coordinating cross-functional site teams from opportunity framing through deployment and value realization. The Local Site Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Manager owns execution, timeline, budget within the site envelope, risk management, and change management for assigned initiatives, ensuring that each use case is delivered safely, compliantly and with a verified financial impact aligned with the site AOP and the divisional PPI & Digital roadmap.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences, Business, or related field; Master’s degree is an asset.
5+ years of experience in project management, continuous improvement, or operations/digital roles in manufacturing Pharma/biotech, CDMO or other highly regulated environments is a plus
Experience delivering or supporting digital, automation, data/analytics or MES/quality-related projects on the shop floor, in labs or quality functions.
Experience with continuous improvement / Lean / Six Sigma / PPI; Green Belt or equivalent certification preferred.
Understanding of pharmaceutical / GMP manufacturing and quality processes
Working knowledge of relevant systems and technologies such as AI, MES/EBR, LIMS/LES, DMS, historians, SCADA/PLC, data platforms and BI/analytics tools preferred.
Solid project management skills (scope definition, planning, stakeholder management, risk and issue management); familiarity with Agile or hybrid delivery approaches (e.g. sprints, backlogs, incremental releases) is a plus.
Ability to build and interpret basic financial business cases
Good understanding of data and analytics concepts (KPIs, basic statistics, dashboards, visualization; ability to work with Data & Analytics teams on requirement definition).
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to interact effectively with operators, supervisors, functional managers and site leadership, and to translate technical topics into clear business language.
Structured, analytical and results-oriented, with the ability to break down complex problems into clear, manageable actions and drive them to completion.
High learning agility and curiosity toward new technologies, data and ways of working; comfortable with “test & learn” and iterative improvement.
Proven ability to work collaboratively in a matrix and cross-functional environment, balancing operational priorities and project timelines.
Strong commitment to safety, quality, compliance and the company’s values and leadership behaviors.

Nice To Haves

Formal project management certification (e.g. PMP, PRINCE2, etc) preferred.
Agile certification preferred (Scrum Master)
Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent.
Change Management certification preferred (e.g. PROSCI or equivalent)
Equivalent combinations of education, training, and meaningful work experience may be considered.

Responsibilities

Site Digital Project Delivery Manage the full lifecycle of assigned digital use cases at site Translate site’s needs into clear project charters, scope, milestones, resource plans and success criteria, using PPI / Lean methods and standard divisional templates. Build and maintain detailed project plans, project risk and issue management and status reports; escalate risks and issues to the Site PPI Lead and relevant stakeholders with clear mitigation plans. Coordinate site, divisional, group stakeholders and if necessary external technological partners to ensure on-time, on-budget, in-full delivery.
Site Digital Roadmap & Portfolio Management Support the Site PPI Lead and site leadership team in maintaining a prioritized, value-based digital use case pipeline aligned with site strategy, PPI savings targets, & the divisional roadmap. Contribute to the definition of annual and multi-year digital plans for the site, including sequencing of initiatives, resource needs and key milestones. Provide regular insight on capacity, constraints and dependencies across projects to support realistic planning and decision-making.
Business Case and Benefits Realization at Site Develop robust site-level business cases for digital initiatives in partnership with the site PPI Lead, finance and process owners Track impact using a bottom-up approach and align with the site PPI savings plan. Define and monitor KPIs for each use case and ensure benefits are documented and signed off with Finance and owners. Provide accurate, timely input to divisional digital/PPI dashboards and reviews.
Stakeholder Engagement, User Experience and Change Management Act as the primary day-to-day contact at site for assigned digital initiatives, working closely with the Site PPI Lead, site leadership team and functional managers. Lead change management activities at site: stakeholder mapping, communication and engagement plans, training plans, and adoption KPIs (e.g. active users, usage frequency, compliance to new ways of working). Ensure SOP / Work Instruction updates and training completion are in place before go-live; treat adoption as a delivery milestone Apply “test & learn” and pilot approaches with end users to validate concepts, refine user experience and de-risk scale-up before full deployment. Facilitate workshops, Kaizens and design sessions with site teams to map current state, define future state and agree implementation roadmaps. Ensure that new digital solutions are embedded into standard work, tier meetings, visual management and PPI routines, avoiding “one-off pilots” with no sustained usage.
Governance, Standards, Data & Compliance Apply the DPD PPI & Digital governance model and standards at site level, ensuring alignment with divisional roadmaps, IT/OT architecture, cybersecurity and data standards. Use agreed PPI templates and methods, use case definitions, project documentation, validation and deployment checklists. Work with IT, OT and Data & Analytics to ensure data quality, consistent definitions and basic data governance for the solutions owned (e.g. master data, reference data, data integrity controls). Define KPI, data definitions, and implement basic data quality checks with owners to ensure a single source of truth. Ensure all digital initiatives at site comply with GxP, data integrity, cybersecurity, privacy and EHS requirements; partner with the organization to define and execute validation activities in line with site and divisional procedures.
Innovation, Technology Scouting and External Partners Monitor relevant Industry 4.0 trends and technologies and recommend opportunities to improve site performance or simplify work. Support evaluation of potential solutions and vendors through structured criteria (value, scalability, compliance, fit with standards), and coordinate site-level vendor interactions in alignment with central functions. Where relevant, provide input on local eligibility for public or internal funding programs (e.g. grants, incentives) related to digital and Industry 4.0 investments.
Capability Building, Digital Culture and Continuous Improvement at Site Support training of site personnel on new digital tools and associated work processes, focusing on practical usage in day-to-day operations. Help build a “digital and data-driven mindset” at site by acting as a visible advocate for digital, facilitating local communities of practice or “digital champions” within departments. Coach local project leads, SMEs and PPI practitioners on basic digital project management, benefit tracking and problem-solving methods. Capture and share lessons learned and best practices from site implementations with other sites and divisional PPI & Digital teams; propose improvements to templates, routines and governance based on experience.