Head of Operational Excellence

CSL Plasma Inc.; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

CSL Seqirus is seeking an Associate Director, Head of Operational Excellence to join the Liverpool Site Leadership Team. You will lead the site's OE function, deploying Lean, Six Sigma and COS to translate strategy into prioritized actions and financial benefits.

Reporting to the Manufacturing Site Lead, you will coach leaders, build capability, drive governance, KPI reporting and structured problem solving to deliver sustained improvements in quality, productivity and cost performance across

Qualifications

• 6+ years leading Operational Excellence or Continuous Improvement initiatives in complex environments.
• Experience within pharmaceutical, biotechnology or highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Proven leadership ability with teams and cross-functional influence.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, influencing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the site's Operational Excellence roadmap aligned to business strategy.
• Drive organisational focus on the critical metrics and outcomes that matter most.
• Lead COS deployment and site-level governance with leaders to mature improvements.
• Facilitate Lean events, value stream improvements and structured problem solving.
• Coach and develop leaders in OE principles and change leadership.
• Lead the annual Site Strategic Planning process and cross‑functional collaboration.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Change management

Workshop facilitation

Senior team leadership

Project management

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Education

Engineering/Science/Business degree

MBA/MSc

Job description

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director, Head of Operational Excellence (OE) to join our Liverpool Site Leadership Team and play a pivotal role in shaping the future performance of one of CSL Seqirus' most important manufacturing sites. You will lead the site's Operational Excellence function and drive a culture of continuous improvement through the deployment of Lean, Six Sigma and the CSL Operating System (COS) to translate strategy into actionable operational priorities and financial benefits. The role owns the operating model for the site management system, structured problem solving, and continuous improvement, ensuring COS is embedded as a durable management system rather than a discrete set of tools. It helps develop and implement scalable, standardized approaches that drive sustained improvements in operational effectiveness, quality, productivity, and cost performance at the site. Acting as a trusted advisor to the Site Leadership Team, you will coach and develop leaders in OE principles and influence decision-making through data-driven insights, structured problem solving and change leadership. The Role Reporting to the Manufacturing Site Lead, you will partner closely with senior leaders to identify performance opportunities, prioritise improvement initiatives and ensure sustainable business impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the site's Operational Excellence roadmap aligned to business strategy.
• Drive organisational focus on the critical metrics and outcomes that matter most.
• Build and grow a culture of continuous improvement by upskilling and creating a lean culture at all levels of the Liverpool organisation.
• Own the deployment of COS at site level through partnering with site leadership including agreeing improvement plans and managing the maturity assessment process.
• Facilitate Lean events, value stream improvements and structured problem‐solving activities.
• Ensure robust governance, benefits tracking and sustainable implementation of improvements.
• Establish meaningful KPI frameworks and performance reporting.
• Analyse operational data to identify trends, risks and improvement opportunities.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions to address systemic issues.
• Lead the successful adoption of strategic change initiatives across the site and strengthen the understanding of how change impacts day‑to‑day operations for all employees.
• Lead the annual Site Strategic Planning process.
• Working with leaders locally and colleagues globally, you will foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation and continuous learning.
• Lead, develop and engage the Operational Excellence team to build capability and deliver business outcomes.

About You

• Degree qualification in Engineering, Science, Business or a related discipline.
• Advanced qualifications (MBA, MSc or equivalent) highly regarded.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt preferred: Green Belt desirable.
• Credible Lean and Six Sigma subject matter expertise.
• Formal project management training, ideally with certification.
• 6+ years' experience leading Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement or Business Transformation initiatives and delivering measurable business outcomes within complex operational environments.
• Experience within pharmaceutical, biotechnology or highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Effective leadership capability with experience leading and developing teams.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, influencing and communication skills.
• Advanced analytical, problem-solving and process improvement expertise.
• Superb written and verbal communication skills and ability to drive results in cross‑functional teams.
• Extensive experience in successfully leading and facilitating workshops.
• Experienced Change Practitioner.
• Senior team leadership experience.

About CSL Seqirus

CSL Seqirus is part of CSL. As one of the largest influenza vaccine providers in the world, CSL Seqirus is a major contributor to the prevention of influenza globally and a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness. With state‑of‑the‑art production facilities in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, CSL Seqirus utilizes egg, cell and adjuvant technologies to offer a broad portfolio of differentiated influenza vaccines in more than 20 countries around the world. To learn more about CSL, CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus and CSL Vifor visit https://www.csl.com/ and CSL Plasma at https://www.cslplasma.com/.

Our Benefits

For more information on CSL benefits visit How CSL Supports Your Well-being | CSL.

You Belong at CSL

At CSL, Inclusion and Belonging is at the core of our mission and who we are. It fuels our innovation day in and day out. By celebrating our differences and creating a culture of curiosity and empathy, we are able to better understand and connect with our patients and donors, foster strong relationships with our stakeholders, and sustain a diverse workforce that will move our company and industry into the future. To learn more about inclusion and belonging visit https://www.csl.com/careers/inclusion-and-belonging

Equal Opportunity Employer CSL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Watch our ‘On the Front Line’ video to learn more about CSL Seqirus CSL is an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please visit https://www.csl.com/accessibility-statement.

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