Director Operational Excellence

DP World; Coventry; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

DP World is seeking a senior Operational Excellence leader to oversee multiple functions across WMS, CI, BI, HSEQ, Security, and PMO. You will drive budgets, forecasts, and deliverables while aligning with regional and global standards.

You will partner with sales and account management to win opportunities, launch new contracts, manage changes, and push continuous improvement through Lean and Six Sigma methods, ensuring value delivery and risk management.

Qualifications

• Identify opportunities for innovation and process improvement.
• Proven ability to work across functions and geographies.
• Make data-driven decisions in fast-paced environments.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean or Six Sigma.
• Understand financial and productivity metrics.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple Operational Excellence functions including WMS, CI, BI, HSEQ, Security, and PMO.
• Own planning and control of Operational Excellence budgets.
• Partner with Key Account Management and Sales for new business opportunities.
• Collaborate with commercial teams to communicate DP World's value proposition to customers.
• Ensure successful launch of new contracts and sites through standardized project methodologies.
• Drive change management for new customer requirements to prevent scope creep.
• Monitor and improve performance through customer KPIs and global standards.
• Ensure compliance with operating standards, processes, tools, and systems across operations.
• Lead Lean and Six Sigma initiatives (5S, Kaizen, Gemba, and GSA).
• Deploy Business Process Improvement methodologies for transformational enhancements.
• Identify, share, and implement best practices across sites and functions.
• Oversee deployment, maintenance, and enhancement of BI reporting tools.
• Drive profitability improvement initiatives including low-margin programs.
• Ensure continuous improvement of HSEQ and Security standards.
• Enhance WMS deployment and act as a key business partner to Operations, IT, and customers.

Skills

Customer focus

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decisions

Continuous improvement

Business acumen

People leadership

Job description

Job Description

• Lead and manage multiple Operational Excellence functions, including WMS Super Users, Contract Launches, Continuous Improvement (CI), Business Process Improvement (BPI), Business Intelligence (BI), HSEQ, Security, and PMO.
• Own the planning, management, and control of Operational Excellence budgets, including labor and non-labor expenses, forecasts, revisions, and actuals.
• Partner with Key Account Management and Sales teams to support the acquisition of profitable new business opportunities.
• Collaborate with commercial teams to effectively communicate and demonstrate DP World's value proposition to customers.
• Ensure the successful launch of new contracts and sites through a standardized project implementation methodology, delivering projects on scope, budget, timeline, and risk targets.
• Drive robust change management processes for new customer requirements, preventing scope creep and revenue leakage.
• Monitor and improve performance through the implementation of customer KPIs and DP World global operational standards.
• Ensure compliance with defined operating standards, processes, tools, and systems across all operations.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, including 5S, Kaizen, Gemba, and GSA.
• Deploy Business Process Improvement methodologies to deliver transformational operational enhancements.
• Identify, share, and implement operational best practices across sites and functions.
• Oversee the deployment, maintenance, and enhancement of Business Intelligence and reporting tools.
• Drive profitability improvement initiatives, including low-margin optimization programs.
• Ensure compliance with and continuous improvement of Health, Safety, Environment, Quality (HSEQ) and Security standards.
• Enhance Warehouse Management System (WMS) deployment and adoption, acting as a key business partner to Operations, IT, and customers.

What You Will Bring

• You are a customer-focused professional who consistently strives to meet and exceed expectations, proactively identifying opportunities for innovation, automation, and process improvement.
• strong team player and collaborator who builds trusted relationships and works effectively across functions, business lines, geographies, customers, and external partners.
• pragmatic and resilient leader with a strong sense of urgency, capable of making data-driven decisions and delivering results in fast-paced and challenging environments.
• continuous improvement champion who challenges the status quo, drives change, and demonstrates a relentless focus on operational excellence.
• Strong business acumen with a solid understanding of the logistics and supply chain industry, enabling the identification of growth opportunities and value-adding solutions.
• Knowledge of financial and productivity metrics, with the ability to apply commercial thinking to develop creative and effective business solutions.
• passionate people leader who is committed to coaching, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Flexibility and willingness to travel up to 25% of the time to support regional operations and strategic initiatives.

Compensation

DP World offers exciting and challenging roles within a growing international organization. We strive to hire and develop the right people, locally and globally, stimulating personal growth and self-development within an informal atmosphere. We offer a market competitive compensation package.

About DP World

Trade is the lifeblood of the global economy, creating opportunities and improving the quality of life for people around the world. DP World exists to make the world’s trade flow better, changing what’s possible for the customers and communities we serve globally.

With a dedicated, diverse and professional team of more than 120,000 employees spanning 75 countries on six continents, DP World is pushing trade further and faster towards a seamless supply chain that’s fit for the future.

We’re rapidly transforming and integrating our businesses – Ports and Terminals, Marine Services, Logistics and Technology – and uniting our global infrastructure with local expertise to create stronger, more efficient end-to-end supply chain solutions that can change the way the world trades.

What's more, we're reshaping the future by investing in innovation. From intelligent delivery systems to automated warehouse stacking, we’re at the cutting edge of disruptive technology, pushing the sector towards better ways to trade, minimising disruptions from the factory floor to the customer’s door.

WE MAKE TRADE FLOW