Director Continuous Improvement

Merck & Co.; Marlborough (MA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement benefits

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

Merck & Co. is seeking a skilled professional based in Marlborough, MA, to lead process improvements within SG&A functions. The ideal candidate will have a background in engineering, operations, or business, and over a decade of experience working with executives.

This role emphasizes collaboration, strategic thinking, and a commitment to fostering a culture of continuous improvement. A competitive salary package ranging from $175,000 to $190,000, including various benefits, is offered.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of success in managing relationships with Director to C Suite.
• Experience in Visual management/5S, value stream mapping, etc.
• Strong ethical standards to support a professional business conduct.

Responsibilities

• Develop RPS Deployment plans for SG&A functions.
• Ensure alignment to RPS Standards and facilitate events.
• Drive continuous improvement to enhance process performance.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Lean/Six Sigma Practices

Problem-solving

Coaching and Training

Strategic Thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, operations, or business

Job description

About the Company

We’re united by a mission to inspire advances in bioprocessing as a preferred partner in the production of biologic drugs that improve human health worldwide. At Repligen, every role contributes to shaping innovative therapies and fostering a culture of purpose, collaboration, and shared success.

Location & Travel

Based in Marlborough, MA with frequent support required at our Waltham HQ and other SG&A sites. Expected travel: 40%.

Responsibilities

• Partner with SG&A Functional Leaders to develop an RPS Deployment plan for each function in alignment with the RPS Standard Deployment Plan.
• Support the Executive Steering Committee and facilitate SG&A events chosen for execution.
• Ensure continuous alignment to the RPS Standards within SG&A and utilize the RPS Documentation Process to process any potential best practices.
• Utilize advanced statistical analysis to proactively identify opportunities to improve processes linking SG&A Functions to each other and Operations.
• Collaborate with SG&A Leaders to establish Strategy Deployment in their functions and ensure a matrix relationship with Operations.
• Drive implementation of the Digital RPS Strategic Initiative within SG&A.
• Facilitate tangible business results from SG&A Functions through the use of Standard RPS Tools (Productivity Savings, Increased Quality, etc.).
• Build organizational capabilities in Leading Through RPS at all levels of leadership within the SG&A Functions.
• Lead or work with functional teams to streamline processes to improve the customer experience, enable profitable growth, and become more efficient.
• Diplomatically cultivate an action-biased culture of continuous improvement to improve KPIs in the areas of customer, finance, people, and quality.
• Provide support to develop problem solving capability within the organization at all levels.
• Train, coach, and follow up with teams to ensure system improvements are sustained and stakeholders are running processes independently.
• Work closely with business leadership and Repligen Business System steering committees to identify ways to accelerate culture change necessary to support the Repligen Business System.
• Provide ongoing support to multiple teams.
• Help teams identify new projects through value stream mapping, data analysis, and daily management systems. Coordinate the project funnel to keep an ongoing queue of projects to meet productivity goals.
• Work with the expanded team to develop, promote, and standardize the Repligen Business System further.

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, operations, or business.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence leadership and all organization levels.
• 10+ years of demonstrated success coaching and managing dotted line relationships with Director level through C Suite.
• A Lean/Six Sigma Practitioner with 12+ years of experience and a hands‑on track record of implementing Toyota Production System/lean fundamentals, including:
• Visual management/5S, value stream mapping, standard work, metric boards, stand‑up meetings, and project funnel coordination
• Expertise in problem-solving utilizing a formal program/process
• A holistic thinker who can look enterprise‑wide to integrate and streamline systems.
• Ability to drive strategic thinking and continuous improvement in both non‑operational and operational areas, including cross‑functional resources to improve extended value streams.
• Passion for driving improvement and leading change in a complex, global environment.
• Proven track record for developing, training, and coaching teams.
• Excellent communication, including solid written, oral, and presentation skills.
• Broad knowledge of multi‑functional processes and financial business methods.
• High ethical standards to support a professional business code of conduct.
• Leadership roles from disciplines such as operations, engineering, quality, or product management.
• Broad knowledge of multi‑functional, multi‑site, global organizational processes and financial business methods (SIOP, Customer Connections, Strategic Sourcing, etc.).

Benefits

Estimated salary range: $175,000‑$190,000. Compensation includes base salary, variable cash programs (bonus or commission), potential equity, paid time off, health/dental/vision, retirement benefits, and flexible spending accounts.