Operations Improvement Lead

Charles River Laboratories, Inc.; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Charles River Dublin is seeking an Operations Improvement Lead to drive continuous improvement and portfolio optimisation at the site. You will own the project portfolio and align with global CRL best practices as site SME for project management.

You will engage management in regular portfolio reviews, drive structured projects, and lead improvements across departments to meet site goals and strategy.

Qualifications

• A demonstrable track record of pragmatic direct experience in an Operational Improvement or Project Management role in a commercial setting.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and relationship building skill.
• Qualification in project management.
• Experience in improvement methodology – Lean, Agile etc.

Responsibilities

• Manage site continuous improvement program.
• Coordinate training and mentoring of improvement projects.
• Develop and manage the site portfolio of projects.
• Lead and execute the portfolio management process.
• Act as subject matter expert (SME) on project management.
• Develop and manage the site improvement program.
• Drive improvement projects within the portfolio to deliver ongoing continuous improvement.
• Lead and coach teams implementing improvement projects.
• Manage and coordinate improvement training on site.
• Coordinate people and resources to execute and deliver projects within a specified timeline.
• Communicating on PM Status both on site and within wider CRL network.
• Lead key projects from inception to completion according to a set timeline and budget.
• Work with leadership team to identify and eliminate blockers and potential risks.
• Serving as a point of contact for teams when multiple units are assigned to the same project to ensure team actions remain in synergy.
• Develop a culture of improvement and optimisation on site.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Leadership

Data analysis

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Power BI

MS Project

Job description

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For nearly 75years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.

Job Overview

The Operations Improvement Lead , reporting to the site director, is responsible for continuous improvement and optimisation at the CRL Dublin site through ownership and management of the project portfolio.

The Operations Improvement Lead will ideally come from a Pharmaceutical / Life Sciences or Manufacturing background and will engage the management team in regular reviews of the portfolio, identifying and managing projects through the project lifecycle to ensure prioritization and focus is placed on the key areas in line with site goals and strategy.

The Operations Improvement Lead is also the site subject matter expert (SME) on project management and sets standards and practices for project development, execution and delivery as well as for general project lifecycle management. As SME they will coordinate with global functions responsible for project management to ensure alignment of the Dublin approach with both microbial sites in the network and global CRL best practice standards.

As the site lead for continuous improvement and optimisation a key responsibility will be to manage the site continuous improvement program. Collaborating with the site departments and leadership team identify and drive improvement opportunities in their areas through structured projects.

Job Description

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage site continuous improvement program
• Coordinate training and mentoring of improvement projects.
• Develop and manage the site portfolio of projects.
• Lead and execute the portfolio management process.
• Act as subject matter expert (SME) on project management.
• Develop and manage the site improvement program.
• Drive improvement projects within the portfolio to deliver ongoing continuous improvement.
• Lead and coach teams implementing improvement projects.
• Manage and coordinate improvement training on site
• Coordinate people and resources to execute and deliver projects within a specified timeline.
• Communicating on PM Status both on site and within wider CRL network.
• Lead key projects from inception to completion according to a set timeline and budget.
• Work with leadership team to identify and eliminate blockers and potential risks.
• Serving as a point of contact for teams when multiple units are assigned to the same project to ensure team actions remain in synergy.
• Develop a culture of improvement and optimisation on site.

SKILL SET & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• A demonstrable track record of pragmatic direct experience in a Operational Improvement or Project Management role in a commercial setting
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and relationship building skill
• Excellent communication, influencing and interpersonal skills
• Qualification in project management
• Certification / training and or experience in improvement methodology – Lean, Agile etc.,
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Highly self motivated and focused on goal achievement while maintaining a strong sense of the commercial environment
• Proven ability and passion for improvement
• Ability to lead and motivate teams
• Knowledge of performance metrics and data analysis
• Experience in leading and delivering projects (ideally in a regulated environment)
• Excellent collaborator with cross functional customers and network partners
• Strong knowledge of portfolio management tools and reporting platforms, e.g. Power Bi, MS Project

About Microbial Solutions
Our Microbial Solutions business group has a comprehensive portfolio of endotoxin testing, microbial detection and microbial identification products and services is unlike any other, and has been purposefully designed to meet the complex and ever-changing needs of the industry. We help clients to ensure product safety and quality with easy-to-use yet robust testing solutions that satisfy regulatory requirements, support critical decision making and improve operational efficiencies.

About Charles River
Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients’ clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.

With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.

At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly worked on 80% of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past five years.

At Charles River Laboratories, we recognize and recruit all talent. We are a company committed to the principle of diversity and inclusion and work daily in this direction.

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