cLEAN Partner III - Virginia

Novo Nordisk; Petersburg (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance bonus

Paid time off + 14 holidays

Health, dental, vision insurance from

401K with company match

Parental & family leave

Tuition assistance

Life & Disability Insurance

Job summary

Novo Nordisk is seeking a site-wide CI leader to enable and inspire a culture of continuous improvement at our Petersburg, Virginia site. You will implement lean tools, provide training, and coach teams to drive measurable improvements across production and support functions.

You will develop KPIs, lead kaizen workshops, and facilitate cross-functional initiatives while collaborating with site leadership to ensure timely execution and strategic alignment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years in manufacturing, maintenance, quality assurance, engineering, supply chain or process improvement.
• Alternate: 8+ years with an Associate’s degree in relevant fields.
• Alternate: 12+ years with a High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Demonstrated expertise in pharmaceutical manufacturing or related industry.
• Certification & demonstrated Six Sigma/LEAN proficiency (Black Belt) required.

Responsibilities

• Provide formal cLEAN training site-wide to employees and leaders.
• Lead cross-functional CI projects and develop site CI plans.
• Create and track KPIs to measure improvements and processes.
• Facilitate kaizen workshops and problem-solving sessions.
• Coordinate with multiple sites to share best practices and drive execution.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Training & coaching

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's Degree in engineering, science, statistics, business

Associate’s Degree in engineering, science, business

High School Diploma or equivalent

Tools

MS Office

AutoCAD

Statistical software

Job description

About The Department

For more than 100 years, Novo Nordisk has been tackling the unmet medical needs of people living with serious chronic diseases, such as diabetes & obesity. Being part of Novo Nordisk allows our employees to embark on the opportunity to help improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world.

About The Department

For more than 100 years, Novo Nordisk has been tackling the unmet medical needs of people living with serious chronic diseases, such as diabetes & obesity. Being part of Novo Nordisk allows our employees to embark on the opportunity to help improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world.

Our new Petersburg, Virginia site marks a strategic move to advance our capabilities in Emerging Technologies (ET) within Chemical API development and production. The highly experienced site is designed to strengthen and accelerate our Small Molecule (SMOL) strategy while amplifying our operational capacity. This is to safeguard and support ET's SMOL projects in the coming years, aligning with our vision and strengthening our potential for growth and innovation.

What We Offer You

• Leading pay and annual performance bonus for all positions
• All employees enjoy generous paid time off including 14 paid holidays
• Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance – effective day one
• Guaranteed 8% 401K contribution plus individual company match option
• Family Focused Benefits including 14 weeks paid parental & 6 weeks paid family medical leave
• Free access to Novo Nordisk-marketed pharmaceutical products
• Tuition Assistance
• Life & Disability Insurance
• Employee Referral Awards

At Novo Nordisk, you will find opportunities, resources, and mentorship to help grow and build your career. Are you ready to realize your potential? Join Team Novo Nordisk and help us make what matters.

The Position

Enable & inspire the site to "live cLEAN" by implementing & driving continuous improvement (CI) mindset throughout the site. Provide cLEAN tools, training & expertise; lead CI projects & initiatives and develop a culture of daily CI by coaching and leading shopfloor personnel and department leadership.

Relationships

Reports to Senior Manager.

Essential Functions

• Provide formal cLEAN training site-wide to employees, managers & project leaders/team members through teaching, coaching, supporting & continuous feedback
• Develop, manage and lead complex cross-functional cLEAN CI projects/initiatives for the site, to include assisting all levels of site leadership to develop CI plans identifying, prioritizing & initiating CI activities and ensure follow-through on CI initiative
• Create Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of site-wide improvements and processes
• Develop, lead and/or facilitate CI kaizen workshops, problem solving workshops, failure investigations; assist in developing facilitation skills of others
• Partner across the NNPILP sites to share best practices, success stories and ideas as appropriate
• Apply various lean methodologies to achieve significant, measurable improvement in business, support & production processes
• Provide expertise to site in a variety of other areas (as appropriate): statistical & data analysis, MS Office products, project management, change management, etc
• Own the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) operating rhythm: prepare agendas, decision materials and pre-reads; plan & facilitate SLT meetings and offsites; capture decisions, actions and owners; and drive disciplined follow-up so priorities move from discussion to execution
• Strengthen SLT effectiveness by acting as a trusted strategy partner to the Site Head and leadership team: coach leaders on ways of working, improve decision quality and meeting discipline, support leadership team development and embed digital / AI tools to reduce manual work, improve visibility and accelerate execution
• Lead the implementation of site strategies by coordinating with cross-functional teams and ensuring adherence to timelines and budgets
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging feedback and implementing new processes that enhance strategy execution
• Serve as a key internal partner and facilitator, helping teams navigate cross-functional dependencies, resolve barriers, improve communication and maintain execution momentum
• Support organizational decision-making by providing executive leadership with clear program visibility, dashboards, reporting, risk assessments and progress updates
• Provides coaching and consulting to leaders and their teams on strategy development, organization assessment, process improvement, employee engagement and culture integration
• Follow all safety and environmental requirements in the performance of duties
• Other duties as assigned

Physical Requirements

May move equipment &/or supplies weighing up to 33 pounds within the facility using various body positions. May be required to be on your feet for up to a 12-hour shift. May required corrected vision to 20/20 or 20/25 based on role. May require colour vision based on role. May require the ability to work in loud noise environments with hearing protections.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in engineering, science, statistics, business or related field from an accredited university with a minimum of eight (8) years of experience in manufacturing, maintenance, quality assurance, engineering, supply chain and/or process improvement required, preferably in a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment
• In lieu of BS degree with eight (8) years of experience, may consider an Associate’s Degree in engineering, science, statistics, business or related field from an accredited college or university with a minimum of ten (10) years of experience in manufacturing, maintenance, quality assurance, engineering, supply chain and/or process improvement required, preferably in a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment
• In lieu of BS degree with eight (8) years of experience, may consider a High School Diploma or equivalent with a minimum of twelve (12) years of experience in manufacturing, maintenance, quality assurance, engineering, supply chain and/or process improvement required, preferably in a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated expertise in pharmaceutical or related industry required
• Certification & demonstrated experience/results as cLEAN 3-Star and/or Six Sigma Black Belt required
• Demonstrated competency (knowledge) in 8 Wastes, SMED, H.O.C., Pull Systems, Takt Time, LEAN Layout, Standardized Work, & 5S required
• Proven expertise in planning/organizing, managing execution, checking results required
• Revising complex, cross functional projects required
• Proven leadership skills required

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in engineering, science, statistics, business or related field from an accredited university preferred
• Demonstrated expertise in Six Sigma, cLEAN & Change Management. Demonstrated coaching, communication, change management & leadership skills preferred
• Strong computer skills, including experience in MS Office, MS Project, AutoCAD, statistical analysis software or related software packages preferred
• Demonstrated flexibility, adaptability, agility, credibility & change management skills preferred

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk, we're not chasing quick fixes – we're creating lasting change for long-term health. For over 100 years, we've been driven by a single purpose: to defeat serious chronic diseases and help millions of people live healthier lives. This dedication fuels our constant curiosity and inspires us to push the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare. We embrace diverse perspectives, seek out bold ideas, and build partnerships rooted in shared purpose. Together, we're making healthcare more accessible, treating and defeating diseases, and pioneering solutions that create change spanning generations. When you join us, you become part of something bigger – a legacy of impact that reaches far beyond today.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.