Senior Lean Six Sigma Lead — Operational Excellence

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.; Rieti; On-site; EUR 59,000 - 82,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Financial Benefits

Healthcare Insurance

Employee stock purchase plan

Learning & Development

Job summary

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is seeking a seasoned Operational Excellence leader to own and deploy the strategy across our Rieti and Pisa plasma-derived medicines sites in Italy.

You will drive Lean/Six Sigma programs, coach leaders, and collaborate with Quality, Production, and Digital teams to deliver measurable safety, quality, and efficiency gains. Ideal candidates bring 5–8 years in manufacturing/operations with GMP experience, strong change management, and proficiency with SAP/MES/Minitab.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Own and execute the Operational Excellence strategy and AOS roadmap across the Rieti and Pisa sites.
• Lead Lean / Six Sigma initiatives that deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, productivity, labor utilization, and cost.
• Translate business priorities into a clear site strategy deployment process aligned with the PDT Business Unit.
• Facilitate Kaizen events, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, and other structured improvement workshops, with clearly defined operational and financial outcomes.
• 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

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Structured problem solving

Change management

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 Pharmaceutical Co. is seeking a seasoned Operational Excellence leader to own and deploy the strategy across our Rieti and Pisa plasma-derived medicines sites in Italy.

You will drive Lean/Six Sigma programs, coach leaders, and collaborate with Quality, Production, and Digital teams to deliver measurable safety, quality, and efficiency gains. Ideal candidates bring 5–8 years in manufacturing/operations with GMP experience, strong change management, and proficiency with SAP/MES/Minitab.