Operation Excellence Lead

Zimmer Biomet; Shannon; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Zimmer Biomet is seeking an Operations Excellence Lead in Ireland to drive Lean transformation and continuous improvement across our Irish manufacturing sites. You will lead rapid CI activities, champion cost reductions, and partner with senior leadership to deliver world-class operations.

Reporting to the Manufacturing Director, you will build high-performing teams, manage budgets, and guide capital optimization while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and supporting new product

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of progressive manufacturing/quality/dev engineering experience.
• 3–5 years in supervisory/management or equivalent.
• Experience in a highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Proven track record guiding large change initiatives to improve quality, cost, delivery, and learning.
• Proficient in building high-performing teams and budgeting, capacity planning, and NPI/process development.

Responsibilities

• Lead Lean transformation and CI initiatives to reduce costs and waste across Irish sites.
• Drive capital optimization and cost-savings programs in collaboration with senior leadership.
• Advance Industry 4.0 adoption in partnership with MES and PMO alignment.
• Develop and mentor future leaders and ensure accountability across sites.
• Manage cross-functional stakeholder relationships and ensure program execution.
• Maintain regulatory compliance while redesigning and evolving manufacturing systems.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Kaizen

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Regulatory knowledge

Data analysis

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional

People leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Technical/Business

Job description

At Zimmer Biomet, we believe in pushing the boundaries of innovation and driving our mission forward. As a global medical technology leader for nearly 100 years, a patient’s mobility is enhanced by a Zimmer Biomet product or technology every 8 seconds.

As a Zimmer Biomet team member, you will share in our commitment to providing mobility and renewed life to people around the world. To support our talent team, we focus on development opportunities, robust employee resource groups (ERGs), a flexible working environment, location specific competitive total rewards, wellness incentives and a culture of recognition and performance awards. We are committed to creating an environment where every team member feels included, respected, empowered and recognised.

What You Can Expect

The Operations Excellence Lead is a pivotal leadership role responsible for delivering strategic business imrpovements that reduce operating costs, drive organizational efficiency, and eliminate waste. Partnering closely with senior leadership, this role will lead Lean transformation efforts, capital optimization initiatives, and cost savings initiatives across the Irish manufacturing sites.

This position will champion a culture of continuous improvement, lead key Rapid CI activities across all shifts, and progress the sites toward World-Class & Shingo certification standards. The role requires a proven track record of leading through influence, delivering measurable results via Lean/ Six Sigma methodologies, and managing complex projects in a fast-paced multinational environment.

Reporting to the Manufacturing Director and collaborating closely with the Irish Senior Leadership Team, the Operations Excellence Lead will drive change, inspire accountability, and enable high-performance manufacturing operations.

How You'll Create Impact

• Lead the Operational Excellence strategic pillar in alignment with Zimmer Biomet's Ireland and global strategy. Embed a strong continuous improvement culture across all levels and shifts, empowering employees to drive change.

• Build & develop high-performing, outcome-driven teams through integrity, accountability, and collaboration.

• Design & execute strategies that strengthen performance across Quality, Cost, Delivery, and People.

• Identify & evaluate new methodologies enhancing operational capability.

• Manage cross-functional stakeholder relationships across all Zimmer Biomet sites/ shifts to ensure alignment and successful program execution.

• Advance site efficiency and performance improvement initiatives through Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen practices.

• Anticipate, redesign, and evolve manufacturing systems while maintaining regulatory compliance.

• Own and continuously improve operational budgets to deliver targeted cost reductions.

• Collaborate with PMO (project portfolio management office) and ensure full organizational alignment to annual goals.

• Develop future leaders by attracting, retaining, and mentoring top talent.

• Support and execute new product introductions, technology transfers, and line extensions aligned with business growth.

• Lead industry 4.0 adoption in partnership with the MES team.

What Makes You Stand Out

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly, succinctly and effectively.

• Proven problem-solving capabilities, essential for navigating operational, engineering and strategic challenges.

• Demonstrated success in leading teams to achieve business objectives, with a particular emphasis on developing and managing People Leaders.

• Strategic mindset with the ability to anticipate future needs & plan accordingly to ensure sustained success.

• In-depth understanding of relevant legal and regulatory requirements within the medical device industry.

• Creative and analytical thinker with a track record of applying innovative solutions to enhance manufacturing processes.

• Expertise in operational leadership, including successful implementation of Lean methodologies resulting in measurable productivity improvements.

• High level of resilience, flexibility & adaptability in fast-paced, evolving environments; able to maintain focus and lead teams through periods of change and challenge.

• Bold: With a compelling and inspiring vision, a BOLD leader courageously challenges the status quo, takes calculated risks, and cultivates new ideas that inspire and motivate others to action.

• Insightful: With a global perspective and focus on the future, and INSIGHTFUL leader anticipates obstacles, simplifies the complex, and leverages data, insights and experience to bring their strategy to life.

• Collaborative: A COLLABORATIVE leader seeks to achieve organizational priorities by intentionally creating a sense of shared purpose and connections that harness and enable the power of diverse teams.

• Proactive: A PROACTIVE leader is unwavering in their commitment to achieve results with a sense of urgency, even in the face of challenges, inspiring the same mindset within their team.

• Agile: An AGILE leader looks both outward and inward to identify and embrace opportunities to learn and grow, evolving and adapting their approach to ensure uncompromising results.

Your Background

• Bachelor's Degree in an applicable engineering, technical or business discipline (or equivalent experience) with 7-10 years of progressive and extensive applicable work experience in manufacturing, quality, or development engineering of which 3 to 5 years were in supervisory/ management or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience with manufacturing technologies used in a highly regulated environment.

• Experience guiding and implementing high velocity large scale change intiatives that produce greater level of innovation, quality, service, efficiency, and learning.

• Must be proficient and have experience with the following areas: building a high performing team, capacity planning and development; budgeting, development of quality/ productivity plans; new product introductions, process development; manufacturing flow analysis and implementation.

• Proven record of lean implementation to improve performance.

Travel Expectations

• Up to 20%

EOE/M/F/Vet/Disability