Head of Operational Excellence

CSL Vifor; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

CSL Vifor in Liverpool seeks an Associate Director, Head of Operational Excellence to lead the OE function, shape site performance, and embed the CSL Operating System across the site to drive sustainable improvements in quality, productivity and cost.

Reporting to the Manufacturing Site Lead, you will develop the OE roadmap, coach leaders, run Lean events, manage governance and benefits tracking, and partner with global teams to foster accountability, collaboration and change leadership.

Qualifications

• 6+ years’ experience leading Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement or Business Transformation initiatives and delivering measurable business outcomes within complex operational environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the site's Operational Excellence roadmap aligned to business strategy.

Education

Degree qualification in Engineering, Science, Business or a related discipline

MBA or MSc or equivalent

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Six Sigma expertise

Project management training/certification

Experience leading Operational Excellence/Continuous Improvement

Strong leadership and team development

Stakeholder engagement and communication

Analytical and problem-solving skills

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. Specifically, you will also:

• 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

To be successful, you will bring:

• 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.