Senior Manager Operations

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine; Leiden; On-site; EUR 82,900 - 144,210; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Vacation days

Parental leave

Well-being reimbursement

Insurance plans

Job summary

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine in Leiden is seeking a Senior Manager Operations – Primary Recovery to lead the day-to-day and long-term performance of the Primary Recovery shift organization. You will work with your team and cross-functional partners to ensure safety, quality and reliability while developing people, implementing continuous improvement, and driving operational excellence within GMP.

This role requires 8–10 years of manufacturing operations experience and strong leadership,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 8–10 years of practical industrial experience in operations management.
• 5+ years in a leadership role and strong GMP knowledge.
• Proven ability to lead change in a complex manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of manufacturing supervisors and operators with direction, coaching and support.
• Build a strong team culture, set clear objectives aligned with business goals and drive development.
• Maintain engagement, motivation and effectiveness within the shift organization.
• Embed quality and GMP compliance in daily decisions and operations.
• Collaborate with Quality, MSAT, Maintenance, Planning and EHS to optimize processes.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder management

Team development

Change management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Job Function

Supply Chain Manufacturing

Job Sub Function

Manufacturing Pharmaceutical Process Operations

Job Category

People Leader

Job Posting Location

Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands

Job Title

Senior Manager Operations – Primary Recovery

About The Role

Primary Recovery is a key part of our Upstream Operations organization. It is a department where operational discipline, teamwork and people leadership come together every day. We are looking for a Senior Manager Operations Primary Recovery who can lead this environment with clarity, energy and care — someone who understands the importance of safety, quality and reliability, while also investing in the people who make it happen.

In this role, you will be responsible for the day‑to‑day and long‑term performance of the Primary Recovery shift organization. You will work closely with your team, peer departments and the Upstream Leadership Team to ensure we deliver our plans in a safe, compliant and reliable way.

As part of the Upstream Leadership Team, you will play an important role in strengthening our operational performance, building a strong people culture, and preparing the department for future needs and growth.

The Responsibilities And The Impact You Will Have

In this role, you will lead and develop a team of manufacturing supervisors and operators by providing direction, coaching and support. As a people manager, you are responsible for building a strong team culture, setting clear objectives aligned with business goals, supporting development, and leading the performance and talent cycle.

You will be accountable for maintaining engagement, motivation and effectiveness within the shift organization. This means creating an environment where people feel ownership, collaboration is encouraged, and there is attention for both performance and development. You will also play an important role in building a strong succession pipeline for key positions within JBV.

You are accountable for the effective performance of the department against production planning and key performance indicators. You will work with your teams to identify risks, remove barriers, set priorities and ensure that day‑to‑day operational activities are completed in a safe, compliant and timely way.

A required and important part of your impact will be to help the department take the next step in quality and compliance culture. This means making quality visible in daily decisions, consistently reinforcing GMP expectations, addressing issues early and openly, and creating the discipline needed to prevent repeat events. You will help teams understand that compliance is not a separate activity, but part of how we run the operation every day.

A key part of the role is to drive continuous improvement. You will lead and support improvement initiatives to increase efficiency, strengthen reliability and manage future growth. You will encourage a mindset of learning, ownership and structured problem solving across the department.

You will also work closely with cross‑functional partners, including Quality, MSAT, Maintenance, Planning, EHS and other Operations departments. Together, you will optimize processes, address operational challenges and contribute to a strong “one team” approach across the site.

What You Bring

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; a Master’s degree is preferred.
• At least 8–10 years of practical industrial experience in operations management.
• At least 5 years of experience in a leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing operations, operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Experience leading change in a complex operational environment.
• Strong communication, coaching and stakeholder management skills.
• Good problem‑solving and decision‑making capabilities.
• The ability to stay calm, focused and constructive in a dynamic environment.
• A collaborative mindset and the ability to build trust across teams and departments.

Preferred Skills

Agile Manufacturing, Business Intelligence (BI), Change Management, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC), Collaboration, Cost‑Benefit Analysis (CBA), Developing Others, Gap Analysis, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Inclusive Leadership, Leadership, Manufacturing Compliance, Operational Excellence, Organizational Knowledge, Plant Operations, Process Optimization, Team Management

Base Pay Range

€82,900.00 - €144,210.00

Benefits

In addition to base pay, we offer an annual bonus with set target (% of pay) depending on pay grade / location, where the actual amount is based on the employees’ and company’s performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. We also offer vacation days, parental leave for a minimum of 12 weeks, bereavement leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, well‑being reimbursement, programs for financial, physical and mental health. We also offer service anniversary and recognition awards, and subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees – and in some locations eligible dependents – can participate in several insurance plans.

For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well‑being & career growth | Johnson & Johnson Careers.

• This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.