Head of Operational Excellence

Abbott Laboratories; Thatcham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

Defined contribution pension

Private healthcare

Life assurance

Flexible benefits scheme

Job summary

Abbott is seeking a Head of Operational Excellence to drive strategic initiatives across Healthcare Services, focusing on continuous improvement, digital transformation, and supply chain efficiency in the UK. The role involves leading customer-facing teams, ensuring service excellence, and shaping resilience and continuity across Maidenhead and Sittingbourne locations.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimise forecasting, inventory, and service delivery while advancing

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading operational excellence and transformations.
• Proven Lean/Six Sigma and continuous improvement expertise.
• Strong background in healthcare operations or supply chain.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience leading high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational excellence initiatives across Healthcare Services.
• Drive continuous improvement to increase efficiency and reduce waste.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Commercial, Finance, and Operations.
• Lead Customer Service and Digital Health Solutions teams.
• Develop strategies for business continuity and resilience.
• Champion digital transformation with automation and AI.
• Monitor metrics like service levels, satisfaction, and cost.
• Coach teams to adopt a culture of continuous improvement.
• Serve as a key customer-facing leader and ensure contractual compliance.
• Own Healthcare Services Business Continuity Plan and ISO22301.

Skills

Operational excellence

Lean/Six Sigma

Supply chain operations

Stakeholder management

Project management

Team leadership

SAP

CRM platforms

Digital transformation

Data analytics

Education

A-levels (English & Mathematics)

Tools

SAP

CRM platforms

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

As Head of Operational Excellence, you will:

• 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:

Essential

• 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.

Desirable

• 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 Abbott Offers

At Abbott, you can:

• Work for a global healthcare leader improving lives worldwide.
• Lead impactful transformation projects that directly influence patient and customer outcomes.
• Develop your career within an organisation committed to innovation and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with talented teams across healthcare, operations, supply chain, and digital innovation.
• Be part of a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and professional growth.

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.

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

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