mRNA CoE Operational Excellence Leader - Vaccines

Sanofi•Waltham, MA

13d•$133,500 - $192,833•Onsite

About The Position

As Function OE Leader within our Vaccine mRNA team you’ll take ownership on improvement & performance initiatives. Ready to get started? Join the team protecting half a billion lives every year with next-gen science, mRNA innovation, and AI-driven breakthroughs. In Vaccines, you’ll help advance prevention on a global scale - and shape the future of immunization. The Function OE Leader is responsible for supporting the deployment of the VRD Excellence Model (VRD EM) within their assigned function, in alignment with the global OE strategy. This role empowers operational teams to take ownership on improvement & performance initiatives by providing coaching, training, and methodological support. The Function OE Leader fosters an impact - driven and improvement - oriented culture by enabling teams to apply OE principles, tools, and routines effectively to achieve function ambitions.

Requirements

Bachelor's or master's degree (e.g., Engineering, Life Sciences, Business or relevant field), with at least 5 years of experience in Operational Excellence
Operational excellence, agile and Lean methodologies experiences.
Experience working in a matrix and cross-functional environment.
Workshop animation: Skill in leading interactive and structured workshops to co-build solutions with teams.
Project management: Ability to plan and execute projects, including risk mitigation, timeline tracking, and stakeholder alignment. (finance management, resource management, business case…)
Problem solving: Strong root cause analysis and structured problem-resolution capabilities.

Nice To Haves

Change management: Familiar with change models and techniques to foster adoption and engagement.
Training & coaching: Competency in educational training design, storytelling, and facilitation techniques to transfer knowledge and inspire teams.
Data analysis: Proficient in analyzing performance data to inform decisions and monitor impact.
Ability to bridge digital innovation with operational excellence.

Responsibilities

Conduct diagnostics and/or gap analyses (business case) with operational teams to identify improvement opportunities.
Propose the most appropriate methodology for each improvement initiative within the function.
Ensure that each improvement initiative within the function complies with the core principles of Operational Excellence.
Support or lead improvement initiatives within the function when specific OE competencies are required.
Proactively support function performance and measure the impact of the initiative.
Guarantee the practical problem-solving (standard improvement) process and ensure consistency in the implementation of improvement ideas.
Monitor and report progress of OE activities (improvement initiatives, level 2 practical problem-solving, and improvement ideas) to the Head of Function OE.
Ensure sustainability of improvements by integrating them into function performance management routines.
Identify impacts, define change strategy, check the gaps for efficient adoption, etc.
Identify individual OE development needs required to implement the function improvement initiatives.
Build the training plan in alignment with the function’s Operational Excellence roadmap improvement priorities.
Deliver OE training and coaching to improvement initiative leaders and members based on the defined training plan.
Conduct skill assessment and validation for initiative leaders.
Promote feedback culture and continuous learning mindset.
Ensure adoption and application of OE standards, routines, and methodologies.
Participate in transversal and cross-functional initiatives impacting the function.
Share best practices and contribute to harmonization of OE efforts across functions.
Contribute to the OE community by promoting the replication of effective approaches.
Perform return-on-experience process and support capitalization efforts from past initiatives.
Identify, document, and share lessons learned and successful practices.