Sr. Specialist, Operational Excellence

Merck•Elkhorn, NE

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Specialist, Operational Excellence to serve as our Company's Production System Lead at our Elkhorn, NE facility. In this role, you will act as a Lean Practitioner, Coach, and Project Manager, driving operational excellence and continuous improvement across the site. You will lead the development and execution of the site’s improvement strategy, serving as the primary point of contact for Production System initiatives. As a Lean Practitioner and Coach, you will identify, analyze, and implement improvements while mentoring colleagues at all levels to embed lean principles into daily operations. As a Project Manager, you will lead strategic projects focused on improving supply reliability, increasing productivity, and reducing costs. This role is part of a larger network of similar positions, and offers the opportunity to work with regional and global resources to identify best practices and benchmarking for production system implementation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Project Management, Business, Biology, Engineering, or related field.
Minimum 5 years of experience in a continuous improvement environment within biopharmaceuticals, manufacturing, or quality. Military service, coursework, and degrees may be considered as alternatives.
Proven experience in project facilitation and project management.
Strong analytical skills with experience in data analysis and trend visualization.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Project, Minitab).
Ability to coach and influence at all levels, with demonstrated change management skills.
Hands-on experience deploying lean tools and concepts in multiple environments.
Familiarity with strategy deployment (Hoshin Kanri, Policy Deployment) and A3 Thinking.
Continuous Improvement
Continuous Monitoring
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
Kaizen (Continuous Improvement)
Lean Principles
Operational Excellence
Process Improvements
Project Management
Roadmapping
Site Implementation

Nice To Haves

Project Management Certification.
Formal Lean training or advancement in our Company’s Competency System.
Lean Practitioner Certification
Six Sigma Greenbelt/Blackbelt Certification

Responsibilities

Initiate and implement improvement projects using Lean tools (e.g., Standardization, 5S, Poka-Yoke, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Management, SMED, Capacity Analysis/Debottlenecking).
Provide hands-on support for operational problem-solving and cross-functional investigations using scientific problem-solving techniques.
Coach lean roadmaps and deliver training on foundational competencies (tier management, problem solving, leader standardized work, standardized work, and Hoshin Kanri).
Act as a role model for continuous improvement, inclusion, and change management while developing colleagues at all organizational levels.
Serve as point of contact to plant manager and regional team for production system implementation.
Facilitate value scouting workshops and Kaizen events.
Lead larger cost-savings and productivity improvement projects to achieve business objectives.