Pharma Operational Excellence Lead — Lean/Six Sigma

Takeda; Santa Rufina; On-site; EUR 59,000 - 82,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare Insurance

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Employee discount programmes for shops

Job summary

Takeda is seeking an Operational Excellence Lead for its Rieti and Pisa sites in Italy. You will turn strategy into measurable, sustainable results, leading Lean/Six Sigma programs, coaching cross-functional teams, and driving improvements in safety, quality, service, productivity, and cost.

You will partner with Quality, Production, Engineering, and Digital teams to simplify processes, accelerate digital transformation, and embed a culture of continuous improvement in a highly regulated

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in technical or scientific discipline; MBA is an advantage.
• 5–8 years of experience in manufacturing or operations with focus on Operational Excellence, Lean, or Continuous Improvement.
• Lean/AOS and Six Sigma certification at Green Belt level or above; Yellow Belt training preferred.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and delivering measurable business results.
• Strong project management, analytical, facilitation, and problem-solving capability.
• Experience in change management and coaching stakeholders from the shopfloor to senior leadership.
• Ability to operate effectively in a GMP-regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute the Operational Excellence strategy and AOS roadmap across the Rieti and Pisa sites.
• Lead Lean / Six Sigma initiatives delivering improvements in safety, quality, productivity, labor utilization, and cost.
• Translate business priorities into a site strategy deployment process aligned with the PDT Business Unit.
• Facilitate Kaizen events, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, and structured improvement workshops.
• Coach leaders and teams in Lean methods, structured problem‑solving, daily management, and continuous improvement practices.
• Build site capability by overseeing the Six Sigma program, mentoring Yellow and Green Belts, and certifying Yellow Belt candidates.
• Partner with Quality, Production, Engineering, and Digital (DD&T) teams to integrate and sustain improvement initiatives.
• Advance digital transformation by identifying opportunities for automation, better use of data, and process optimization.
• Track key performance indicators, identify performance gaps, and assure implementation of effective corrective actions.
• Apply Organizational Change Management principles to secure adoption and sustain project outcomes.
• Ensure every initiative meets applicable safety, quality, GMP, and regulatory requirements.
• Strengthen the wider Operational Excellence community by contributing to Community of Practice activities, sharing best practices, and promoting locally active shopfloor engagement.

Skills

Lean

Six Sigma

Change management

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Communication

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree in technical or scientific discipline

MBA or relevant master's degree (advantage)

Tools

SAP

MES

Minitab

Microsoft Office

Job description

Takeda is seeking an Operational Excellence Lead for its Rieti and Pisa sites in Italy. You will turn strategy into measurable, sustainable results, leading Lean/Six Sigma programs, coaching cross-functional teams, and driving improvements in safety, quality, service, productivity, and cost.

You will partner with Quality, Production, Engineering, and Digital teams to simplify processes, accelerate digital transformation, and embed a culture of continuous improvement in a highly regulated