Director, PPI/Operational Excellence - Join A $40B Industry Leader!

Thermo Fisher Scientific • Waltham, MA

12h

About The Position

As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer. DESCRIPTION: As Director of PPI Business System, you will implement Thermo Fisher Scientific's Continuous Improvement Business System across the Drug Substance Division. This leadership role guides strategic change, cultivates operational excellence, and develops a culture of continuous improvement to achieve business goals. Working closely with executive leadership, you will establish multi-year strategic roadmaps, guide process improvement initiatives, and support teams in lean methodologies. Your efforts will directly impact customer satisfaction, quality, productivity and growth while enhancing how we serve science globally. This position collaborates with business leaders to identify transformational opportunities, develop and execute improvement strategies, and build sustainable processes that enhance operational efficiency. You'll guide the PPI Steering Committee, manage an active pipeline of improvement projects, and facilitate adoption of lean management systems including tiered daily management, Gemba walks, and leader standard work. Through coaching and capability building at all levels, you'll help teams increase autonomy and facilitate positive change.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, operations or business.
• 10+ years of related experience leading operational excellence, process improvement, or quality management in a large, complex organization.
• Black-belt Certification in Lean, Six Sigma, or other recognized operational excellence methodologies.
• Practical experience as a Six Sigma Black Belt with the use of statistical software, such as Minitab and/or R, as well as emerging technologies like AI models, to create and analyze technical data to drive improvements.
• Experience leading kaizen events including elements such as standard work, process design, SIPOC, strategy deployment, A3 Thinking, value-analysis/value engineering, error-proofing, material flow, Heijunka, and kanban.
• Proven track record in moving strategy into action and delivering measurable business results through the implementation of operational excellence initiatives.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated experience in change management and leading cross-functional teams.
• Proficient in using data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
• Understanding of industry-specific regulations and best practices related to operational excellence.
• Understanding of applicable regulatory requirements and industry guidance (esp. FDA, EMA, ICH, ISPE).
• Ability to build strong relationships and influence internal functions, leaders and customers.
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills and ability to present to customers and senior management.
• Ability to define strategies, manage complex issues, and set goals for others.
• Ability to lead a team by driving accountability, performance, and engagement.
• Ability to dig into details, quickly get to the essence, and bring people together to act.
• Strong business acumen with a track record of sound decision-making.
• Ability to develop and implement processes and systems in a dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

• Masters degree preferred, but not required.
• Audit experienced is preferred.
• Experience in deploying technology solutions to support operational excellence initiatives is a plus.

Responsibilities

• In collaboration with executive leadership, develop an operational excellence vision and strategy supporting the Division’s long-term goals.
• Coach leaders in communicating and deploying this operational excellence strategy, expectations of others, and associated improvement goals within their organizations.
• Prioritize opportunities for process improvement, cost reduction, and operational efficiency gains through data analysis, process mapping, and benchmarking.
• Implement operational excellence methodologies and techniques, such as Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management (TQM) to enhance overall performance.
• Develop the operational excellence capabilities of colleagues within the Division enabling them to proactively identify and implement improvements, coach them in implementing the associated principles, practices, and techniques.
• Develop and mature the business system leadership culture using various mentor tools and methodologies KPI Leadership, tiered daily management systems, Gemba walks, leader standard work, etc.
• Own the Divisional PPI Steering Committee to ensure there is an active pipeline of continuous improvement projects aligned to business priorities, metrics, and results.
• Partner with leaders to identify, monitor, and measure the appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) and other metrics to track progress of improvement activities and proactively identify and drive corrective actions.
• Partner with business stakeholders and support functions (e.g. IT, Quality, etc.) to identify, evaluate, and deploy technology solutions that support operational excellence initiatives.
• Matrix leadership responsibilities for DSD site PPI leaders, direct managerial responsibility for divisional PPI leaders.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and quality by engaging employees, promoting open communication, and recognizing achievements.
• Keep abreast of emerging trends, best practices, and regulatory requirements related to operational excellence, and ensure the organization remains compliant and competitive.
• Regularly report to the executive team on the progress of operational excellence initiatives and their impact on the organization's performance.

Benefits

• competitive remuneration
• annual incentive plan bonus
• healthcare
• employee benefits
• A choice of national medical and dental plans, and a national vision plan, including health incentive programs
• Employee assistance and family support programs, including commuter benefits and tuition reimbursement
• At least 120 hours paid time off (PTO), 10 paid holidays annually, paid parental leave (3 weeks for bonding and 8 weeks for caregiver leave), accident and life insurance, and short- and long-term disability in accordance with company policy
• Retirement and savings programs, such as our competitive 401(k) U.S. retirement savings plan
• Employees’ Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) offers eligible colleagues the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director