Head of Operational Excellence & Digital Transformation

Abbott Laboratories; Maidenhead; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Defined contribution pension

Private healthcare

Life assurance

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Abbott is seeking a Head of Operational Excellence in the UK to lead healthcare services operations, drive continuous improvement, and champion digital transformation across forecast, inventory, and service delivery. You will partner with Supply Chain, Commercial, Finance, and Operations to enhance outcomes for patients and customers.

This strategic role requires strong leadership, stakeholder management, and a track record of implementing automation and AI-driven improvements within regulated

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Operational Excellence

Lean Six Sigma

Stakeholder Mgmt

Communication

Team Leadership

Analytical

Project Management

SAP

CRM platforms

Digital Transformation

Education

A-level standard education

Tools

SAP

CRM platforms

Job description

Abbott is seeking a Head of Operational Excellence in the UK to lead healthcare services operations, drive continuous improvement, and champion digital transformation across forecast, inventory, and service delivery. You will partner with Supply Chain, Commercial, Finance, and Operations to enhance outcomes for patients and customers.

This strategic role requires strong leadership, stakeholder management, and a track record of implementing automation and AI-driven improvements within regulated