Operational Excellence Specialist & Trainer
About The Position
Our purpose is grounded in care, respect, and a deep commitment to the well-being of every life we touch—patients, partners, and team members. We believe that every colleague at NIPRO plays a vital role in our mission: to push innovation forward, improve patient outcomes, and make world-class healthcare accessible to all. Respect is active and essential at NIPRO - it is our way of working, thinking, and growing together. We promote an environment where people feel safe to contribute, constructive ideas flow freely, and every person is treated with dignity. Our Westport, Indiana location is seeking an Operational Excellence Specialist & Trainer who is experienced, hands‑on, and an effective communicator to join our team at Nipro PharmaPackaging. This role plays a critical part in strengthening our site’s capability through continuous improvement, training excellence, and deployment of Operational Excellence (OPEX) systems. The Specialist partners across Operations, Quality, Engineering, and site leadership to enhance performance, elevate training systems, and cultivate a culture of disciplined problem solving and continuous improvement.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in engineering, Operations Management, Business, or related field.
- 3-5 years of experience in Operational Excellence, Lean, Continuous Improvement, or similar operations-focused role.
- Experience facilitating kaizen events, leading CI projects, and coaching cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated experience designing and delivering training programs in a manufacturing or operations environment.
- Knowledge of Lean tools (5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, Value Stream Mapping, Problem Solving, TPM).
- Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret operational data to guide improvement decisions.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and ability to work with digital training systems or LMS platforms.
- Understanding of quality systems, regulatory requirements, and manufacturing processes.
- Strong coaching and influencing skills with the ability to lead without direct authority.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills across all levels of the organization.
- Demonstrated problem-solving capability and structured thinking.
- High degree of initiative, ownership, and follow-through.
Nice To Haves
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
- Experience in pharmaceutical or regulated manufacturing environments.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute the site’s OPEX and learning strategies.
- Partner with site leadership to define training and improvement priorities.
- Serve as a coach on lean culture, problem solving, and change management.
- Lead major kaizen events, value-stream analyses, and CI initiatives.
- Track, analyze, and communicate OPEX results, KPIs, and improvement outcomes.
- Ensure continuous improvement gains are sustained and embedded into daily operations.
- Build, manage, and improve the site training processes.
- Implement and maintain competency models and certification processes.
- Maintain accurate training matrices, competency assessments, and learning records.
- Evaluate training effectiveness through data, assessments, and feedback.
- Develop and deliver multi-level training programs.
- Lead cross-site training, benchmarking, and OPEX collaboration activities.
- Teach and reinforce OPEX tools including 5S, standard work, visual management, and problem solving and TPM.
- Provide on-the-floor coaching during implementation of new standards.
- Facilitate improvement workshops, troubleshooting, and OPEX coaching.
- Help teams identify opportunities and act on KPIs, and metrics.
- Use data to refine training and OPEX priorities.
- Partner with functional teams to assess skill gaps and training needs.
- Collaborate with site leadership to evaluate progress and build capability.
- Share best practices within the site and across the organization.
- Ability to work across multiple shifts to support training and CI.
- Maintain strong presence on the production floor.
- Travel may be required for cross-site initiatives
- Perform other duties as assigned
Benefits
- Cash Incentive Plan
- Dental, Medical, Vision insurance
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching with a non-elective contribution based on your combined age and years of service.
- Employer Paid Life Insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Employer Paid Short and Long Term Disability
- Career Advancement
- Paid Time Off
- Employee Referral Bonus up to $1,000
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
