Head of Operational Excellence

Thornton Tomasetti; Maidenhead; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Pension scheme

Private healthcare

Life assurance

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Abbott is seeking a Head of Operational Excellence to lead transformation for Healthcare Services in the UK, including Digital Health Solutions and supply chain. You will drive continuous improvement, develop a high‑performing team, and advance automation and AI-enabled processes to raise service levels and patient outcomes.

This leadership role is based in Maidenhead and Sittingbourne with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading operational excellence and business transformation programmes.
• Proven expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement frameworks.
• Strong background in supply chain operations, customer services, inventory management, or healthcare operations.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience with SAP, CRM platforms, and digital transformation projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver operational excellence initiatives across Healthcare Services.
• Drive continuous improvement programmes to increase efficiency and reduce waste.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Commercial, Finance, and Operations to improve forecasting, inventory, and service.
• Lead Customer Service and Digital Health Solutions teams to ensure outstanding experiences.
• Develop strategies supporting business continuity and service resilience.
• Champion digital transformation initiatives leveraging automation and AI.
• Monitor key metrics like service levels, customer satisfaction, and cost optimisation.
• Coach and develop teams to champion operational excellence.

Skills

Operational leadership

Lean Six Sigma

Supply chain

SAP CRM

Education

A-levels or equivalent

Tools

SAP

CRM platforms

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. We are seeking an exceptional Head of Operational Excellence to join our Abbott. This position works out of our Maidenhead and Sittingbourne locations in the Nutrition division. Our nutrition business develops science-based nutrition products for people of all ages, from helping babies and children grow, to keeping adult bodies strong and active. Millions of people around the world count on our leading brands – including Similac®, PediaSure®, Pedialyte®, Ensure®, – to help get the nutrients they need to live their healthiest life.

The Opportunity

This is a strategic leadership role responsible for driving operational excellence, continuous improvement, digital transformation, and supply chain efficiency across our healthcare services operations. You will play a pivotal role in enhancing the end‑to‑end customer journey, ensuring service excellence, supporting business growth, and delivering innovative solutions that positively impact patients, healthcare professionals, and customers throughout the UK.

What You'll Do

• Lead and deliver operational excellence initiatives across Healthcare Services.
• Drive continuous improvement programmes, identifying opportunities to increase efficiency, eliminate waste, and optimise performance.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Commercial, Finance, and Operations teams to improve forecasting, inventory management, demand planning, and service delivery.
• Lead Customer Service and Digital Health Solutions teams, ensuring outstanding customer experiences and operational performance.
• Develop and implement strategies that support business continuity, service resilience, and customer satisfaction.
• Champion digital transformation initiatives, leveraging automation, AI, and technology to improve processes and service delivery.
• Monitor and improve key operational metrics including service levels, customer satisfaction, inventory performance, and cost optimisation.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement, coaching and developing teams to become advocates for operational excellence.
• Act as a key customer‑facing leader, ensuring services consistently meet customer and contractual requirements.
• Own and manage the Healthcare Services Business Continuity Plan and ISO22301 standards.

Who We're Looking For

We're interested in experienced leaders who can demonstrate:

• Significant experience leading operational excellence and business transformation programmes.
• Proven success in continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, or similar frameworks.
• Strong background in supply chain operations, customer services, inventory management, demand planning, or healthcare operations.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience managing and developing high‑performing teams.
• Strong analytical, project management, and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Experience working with SAP, CRM platforms, and digital transformation projects.
• A‑level standard education (or equivalent) including English and Mathematics.
• Experience within healthcare, medical nutrition, pharmaceutical, FMCG, or regulated healthcare environments.
• Knowledge of digital health solutions and healthcare service delivery models.
• Experience implementing automation and AI‑led operational improvements.

WHAT WE OFFER

As you’d expect from a global healthcare company, we offer a fantastic range of benefits including competitive salaries, a superb defined contribution pension scheme, private healthcare, life assurance and a flexible benefits scheme.

• competitive salaries
• superb defined contribution pension scheme
• private healthcare
• life assurance
• flexible benefits scheme

The base pay for this position is N/A In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

Location and Working Details

• JOB FAMILY: Customer Service
• DIVISION: ANI International Nutrition
• LOCATION: United Kingdom > Maidenhead : Abbott House
• ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS:
• WORK SHIFT: Standard
• TRAVEL: Yes, 20 % of the Time
• MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE: Not Applicable
• SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES: Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day)

Company Culture and Diversity

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

An equal opportunity employer, Abbott welcomes and encourages diversity in our workforce.

About Abbott

Abbott is about the power of health. For more than 135 years, Abbott has been helping people reach their potential because better health allows people and communities to achieve more. With a diverse, global network serving customers in more than 160 countries, we create new solutions across the spectrum of health, around the world, for all stages of life. Whether it’s next‑generation diagnostics, life‑changing devices, science‑based nutrition, or novel reformulations, we are advancing some of the most innovative and revolutionary technologies in healthcare, helping people live their best lives through better health. The people of Abbott come to work each day with relentless energy, enthusiasm and a promise to enhance the health and well‑being of millions of people. They push the boundaries to help manage and treat some of life’s greatest health challenges. Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. We invite you to explore opportunities at Abbott, to see if your talents and career aspirations may fit with our openings.

Contact

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews.

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