Department Leader, Operations Trainer

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd; Opelika (AL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 133,000; Full time

Job summary

Pharmavite is seeking a Department Leader, Operations Training to drive workforce capability and capability strategy across the site.

You will build scalable training frameworks, coach leaders, and partner with operations to improve safety, quality, and productivity while aligning with GMP and corporate requirements. This role emphasizes continuous improvement and business impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• 4-6 years of leadership experience in manufacturing, learning and development, operations, CI, or organizational capability.
• Lean Manufacturing, Training Within Industry (TWI), adult learning principles, and structured problem solving.
• TWI trainer certification within 2 years of employment.
• Ability to develop course content, exercises, and presentation materials.

Responsibilities

• Partner with site leadership to identify capability needs affecting business performance and translate priorities into workforce development strategies.
• Develop frameworks for operators, technicians, leaders, and trainers; lead cross-training and succession readiness.
• Support leadership development through site and enterprise programs; scalable capability systems across sites.
• Act as an operational performance partner to improve OEE, quality, safety, and schedule attainment.
• Coach Training Specialists and Coordinators; enforce accountability and continuous improvement.
• Establish onboarding, qualification processes, and standard work for the Training & Development function.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

TWI

Adult learning

Project Management

Cross-functional collaboration

Coaching

Training design

Performance consulting

Analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Project

Excel

Visio

Job description

HELP US BRING THE GIFT OF HEALTH TO LIFE. Working at Pharmavite is an experience like no other. With a focus on complete nutrition for all, each endeavor is urgent and every day counts. You'll have the opportunity to work on the #1 selling national vitamin and supplement brand, NatureMade, as well as an exciting portfolio of other products that are shaping the future of the healthy living industry. Consumer-driven innovation, high quality products and a promising portfolio, all driven by a team with a shared sense of purpose– that's Pharmavite. Join us to bring the gift of health to life. This role is not available for any form of immigration sponsorship or support, including completion of the Form I‑983 training plan required for STEMOPT.

Position Summary

The Department Leader, Operations Training, serves as the strategic capability leader for assigned training operations. This position partners with Operations, Quality, Engineering, EHS, Human Resources, and Business Excellence to develop the workforce capabilities required to safely, efficiently, and consistently achieve business objectives. The Department Leader is responsible for establishing the site's capability strategy, aligning workforce development with operational priorities, and leading a high-performing Training&Development team. Rather than managing training activities alone, this role builds organizational capability by integrating learning, coaching, continuous improvement, and performance consulting into daily operations. This leader ensures Training&Development is viewed as a business partner that enables execution, not simply a function that delivers training. Success is measured through improvements in organizational capability and operational performance, including safety, quality, productivity, flexibility, and leadership effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

Partner with Site Leadership to identify capability needs affecting business performance and translate operational priorities into workforce development strategies through development of time‑bound capability roadmaps, anticipate future workforce capability requirements, and represent Training&Development as a strategic partner during site planning and business reviews. Build organizational capability through creation or improvement of frameworks for operators, technicians, leaders, and trainers, lead cross‑training and workforce flexibility initiatives, improve succession readiness for critical operational roles. Support leadership development through site and enterprise programs, and ensure capability systems are scalable across sites. Serve as an operational performance partner to manufacturing leaders to improve operational performance through building and supporting workforce capability by identifying capability gaps contributing to operational challenges and developing sustainable solutions that improve: Safety, Quality, OEE, Throughput, Schedule Attainment, Case Fill Rate, Workforce Flexibility, and Startup Readiness. Coach and develop Training Specialists and Coordinators through establishing clear priorities aligned with business objectives, building a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, and managing team performance and development Build capability governance through standardized onboarding and qualification processes, alignment with GMP and corporate requirements, consistency across shifts, departments, and sites, and review and improve capability metrics and organizational readiness through establishing standard work for the Training&Development function. Prioritize and allocate work resources based on business impact across departments and locations; balance onboarding, qualification, improvement initiatives, and strategic projects, and support surge staffing requirements during business‑critical periods by coordinating and securing all training resources. Integrate Continuous Improvement and Lean principles into capability systems, support Kaizen events, BRPS, RCA, and process improvement initiatives, identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, and improve training processes, and ensure capability systems evolve alongside business needs. Monitor and improve capability metrics to drive operational outcomes including OEE, Quality, Safety, and Schedule Attainment through measurement of Time‑to‑Proficiency, Qualification Completion, Cross‑Training Coverage, Training Attainment, Capability Gap Closure, Workforce Readiness, Trainer Effectiveness, and Stakeholder Satisfaction.

Additional Expectations

• Lead strategically while remaining connected to shop‑floor execution.
• Influence leaders without formal authority.
• Develop systems instead of solving individual problems.
• Make decisions using business data.
• Coach leaders as effectively as employees.
• Build capability that improves business performance.
• Create alignment across Operations, Quality, Engineering, EHS, HR, and Business Excellence.

Support all training and development functions as a leader, participant, facilitator, or support leader, when required.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience Experience in designing and developing technical end‑user training on multiple, complex projects, and Project Management experience. 4-6 years of related progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, learning and development, operations, continuous improvement, or organizational capability. Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing, Training Within Industry (TWI), adult learning principles, and structured problem solving. TWI trainer certification within 2 years of employment. Knowledge, Skills & Competencies Ability to collaborate with others to develop course content, exercises, and presentation materials to support rollout of new processes and tools. This work includes the development of job aids and online help materials for end‑user training across the organization. Ability to develop technical materials in support of a manufacturing operations environment. Skilled in the use of personal computing equipment and software packages such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Project, Excel, Visio, and others. Proven skills that will help in evaluating and setting project schedules and making recommendations for future training needs. The ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and schedule multiple tasks with minimal supervision, and adjust to changing priorities and assignments. Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to communicate and relate well with others from a variety of backgrounds and levels.

Physical or Work Requirements

Performs work in manufacturing, warehouse, or production environments and requires frequent standing, walking, bending, reaching, climbing, and repetitive motion throughout the shift. Employees may be required to operate machinery or powered equipment, wear personal protective equipment (PPE), work in environments with varying temperatures, noise levels, moving equipment, or manufacturing materials, and lift or move materials weighing up to 25–50 pounds. Some roles may require overtime, shift work, weekends, or extended schedules based on business needs.

OUR OFFER

Here, career paths aren't predefined, and bureaucratic limitations don't exist -- you have the opportunity to grow, learn from industry pioneers, and develop the way you want to. Pharmavite is investing more in the development of our team -- to help us deliver on our purpose and help you achieve your career aspirations. Our environment is geared to fuel curiosity, encourage experimentation, and generate learning as this is the way we develop ourselves and our organization. Pharmavite is committed to meeting the needs of our employees and their families with a Total Rewards package that's as comprehensive as the vitamins and supplements we deliver to consumers. With competitive compensation programs and standout benefits, we provide employees with optimal health and well‑being -- as well as peace of mind. These rewards -- plus our new recognition program -- ensure employees feel supported both at work and home. National Target Base Pay Range: $80,000.00 - $133,000.00. The salary range for this position is based on national standards. For candidates in California and the New York metro, the Target Base Pay Range is $88,000.00 - $146,000.00, to reflect the cost of living and market conditions in those areas. Actual compensation will take into account a wide range of factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to geographic location, education, experience, qualifications, and job‑related skills. It is not typical for an individual to be hired above the midpoint of the range for their role, and compensation decisions depend on the facts and circumstances of each case. This information is provided to applicants in accordance with state and local laws. Base pay is only one component of our total rewards offerings, and we will take the full offering into consideration when presenting an offer of employment. Our total rewards package for this position may also include an annual performance bonus, Medical, dental, and vision benefits, 401(k) match, and other wellness benefits.

Equal Opportunity

Pharmavite is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit employment discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, and any other basis protected by state and federal law. Pharmavite recruits, hires, employs, trains, promotes, and compensates individuals solely based on job‑related qualifications and abilities. Pharmavite also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief, in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about an accommodation to complete the application process, please email [e-mail].

Disclaimer The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications of employees assigned to this job. CALIFORNIA FAIR CHANCE ACT: Qualified Applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for Employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

More than 50 years ago, our founders aimed to improve health & wellness by focusing on the basics—good nutrition and essential vitamins & minerals. Since that day, we’ve become a leader in the health and wellness industry and have earned the trust of consumers, healthcare professionals, and retailers alike. Our sole purpose then and now is to bring the gift of health to life, by helping people achieve a healthier way of living. This purpose is our passion and priority. Helping people live healthier, fulfilling lives is no simple task. Guiding us on our journey are our core beliefs. Simply put, we believe energy and vitality fuel the pursuit of happiness. We believe our world of plenty is creating a poverty of health, but good health should be within reach for all. We also believe in achieving good health through the power of complete nutrition—not quick fixes—and that you can’t have trust without truth. Culture isn't something that's easily explained, but you know it when you feel it. And at Pharmavite, we like our people to feel supported. PRO-GROWTH You deserve opportunities to excel and grow professionally, no matter what role you play at Pharmavite. So we offer training and development opportunities to help you pursue your goals. FULLY DIVERSE Everyone has a different view of the world, and we love that. Having a workplace where everyone is heard is key to good collaboration and meaningful participation. HEALTH-MINDED Health isn't something we deliver only to customers. Our employees and their families are on the receiving end too, through wellness programs that help us practice what we preach.