Director Operational Excellence

Illumina•San Diego, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Operational Excellence Director is a key leader and partner to all functions at Illumina. In this role, you will partner with the leadership team and their functions to drive transformations in support of our company strategy, deploy our Operational Excellence business systems and build self-sustaining capabilities. You thrive on solving complex problems, navigating across various disciplines and functions, and empowering/inspiring/mentoring others to make their work easier and drive improvements with significant business value. This role will also support our AI journey at Illumina and will be instrumental to provide guidance and build capabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in technical/quantitative field
18 years of experience.
10 years in business process transformation/ Operational Excellence deployment
10 years of Management experience
Strong leader with the ability to establish clear strategy that can inspire others to deliver and influence to drive change across the organization
Demonstrated experience in driving continuous improvement culture and operating system across an enterprise and ability to navigate and influence across all levels of an organization, translating strategic vision into tangible outcomes
Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt/Master Blackbelt
Ability to interact effectively in a complex organization and in ambiguous situations; ability to manage sensitive situations with exceptional judgment and discretion
Consistent track record of collaboration, including the ability to work with cross-functional teams, and across complex ecosystems
Exceptional written and verbal communications skills (including articulating vision, inspiring teams, and presenting to senior executives).
Strong sector AND enterprise mindset & strong business/financial acumen
Strong negotiation and interpersonal skills required
Excellent stakeholder management and networking skills required.

Nice To Haves

PhD / MBA / MS
Preferred Area of Study: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
10 years of experience from within a regulated healthcare environment.

Responsibilities

Leads process improvement initiatives through the disciplined use of measurements, accountability, analysis and discussion of process alternatives to arrive at best practices.
Plans, manages, and controls the activities of a team that provides operational support for a business segment, group or team.
Brings expertise or identifies subject matter experts in support of multi-functional efforts in process improvement, data capture and analysis, infrastructure support, tool ownership and compliance with procedures, etc.
Advises business groups by providing strategic direction to initiative prioritization, integration and resource application.
Ensures that policies and procedures align with corporate vision.
Drive the adoption, scaling, and impact of AI and intelligent automation across Illumina.
Partner with Sr Leaders and their leadership teams in Lean/Operational Excellence system deployment and maturity
Supports and leads complex improvement and optimization projects/initiatives in the areas of Safety, Quality, Productivity and Cost savings
Conducts training in continuous improvement methodologies and mentor others in the application of these methods
Facilitates/assists business process management and the teams supporting continuous improvement.
Contributes to/Drives business process management and helps to ensure sites have installed and are effectively practicing business processes
Coordinate stakeholders to develop area specific roadmap as part of site/functional strategy.
Lead functions to development, implementation and monitoring of goals and KPI’s through strategy deployment
Oversees functional Operational Excellence Project Portfolio and chairs the Operational Excellence Steering committee
Promote site level communication and sharing through network
Partners with executive and functional leadership to drive enterprise transformations that directly support company strategy through the deployment of Operational Excellence business systems.
Leads the design, deployment, and sustainment of scalable Operational Excellence management systems (e.g., problem solving, performance management, standard work, and continuous improvement) that deliver measurable business value.
Builds self‑sustaining continuous improvement capabilities across functions by coaching, mentoring, and empowering leaders and teams to solve complex problems and improve their own work.
Sponsors and leads highly complex, cross‑functional improvement initiatives requiring systems thinking, advanced problem solving, and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments.
Serves as a trusted advisor and thought partner to senior leaders, influencing decisions through data‑driven insights, structured problem solving, and change leadership.
Navigates across multiple disciplines and functions to align stakeholders, remove barriers, and embed new ways of working while preserving strong, trust‑based relationships.
Plays a key role in Illumina’s AI journey by providing guidance, governance, and capability building to ensure AI is effectively integrated into Operational Excellence practices.
Leads and develops experienced professionals and/or enterprise capabilities, exerting significant influence over improvement priorities, methodologies, and resource deployment through direct, matrixed, or influence‑based leadership.