GPS Continuous Improvement Leader,

Baxter International Inc.; Deerfield (IL); On-site; USD 200,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Baxter International Inc. seeks a senior GPS CI Leader to drive enterprise continuous improvement across the organization.

You will partner with senior leaders to identify and prioritize cross-functional opportunities, deploying Lean Six Sigma methods, coaching leaders, and embedding standard work to sustain gains at scale. You will lead a team of managers, foster a culture of accountability and disciplined problem solving, and ensure governance and performance routines align with strategic

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in transformation, operational excellence, continuous improvement, or enterprise process improvement, including responsibility for large-scale cross-functional initiatives.
• Proven success leading enterprise transformation programs with measurable improvements in performance, productivity, quality, cost, service, or experience.
• Experience leading a continuous improvement portfolio of more than 800 projects annually and building a large CI community.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification required; Master Black Belt preferred; experience with mature business systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise GPS continuous improvement agenda, translating strategic priorities into actionable improvement opportunities across functions.
• Build enterprise capability to identify, scope, and implement CI projects with disciplined problem solving and clear accountability for results.
• Lead a team of managers delivering enterprise-wide projects, coach problem solving, ensure consistent GPS, Lean, Six Sigma practices.
• Drive enterprise process improvement to enhance output, efficiency, and sustained business results.
• Partner with senior leaders to identify end-to-end priorities, remove barriers, and accelerate cross-functional programs.

Skills

Leadership

Executive presence

Strategic thinking

Governance

Problem solving

Communication

Change management

Operational excellence

Lean Six Sigma

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

This is where your work makes a difference.

At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond.

Our Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results.

Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride.

Your Role at Baxter

This is a senior leadership role within the GPS (Growth & Performance System) organization responsible for leading enterprise continuous improvement through the GPS Office. This role partners with business and functional leaders to identify, prioritize, and advance improvement opportunities that are directly connected to Baxter’s value creators and most meaningful business outcomes. The role applies GPS continuous improvement methods, Lean, Six Sigma, and disciplined performance routines to improve performance and build sustainable organizational capability.

This leader develops enterprise capability to identify, prioritize, and implement continuous improvement projects in partnership with senior GPS leadership, ensuring improvement efforts are linked to value creators, focused on measurable business impact, and supported by the right methods, coaching, and governance. The role leads a team of managers implementing enterprise-wide improvement projects and cross‑functional programs, driving end‑to‑end process transformation, and ensuring consistent methodology, strong governance, realization of targeted value, and sustainment across functions. The GPS CI Leader is also accountable for coaching teams and leaders to embed standard work, problem solving, performance management, and follow‑up mechanisms that sustain gains and prevent backsliding after project completion.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead the enterprise GPS continuous improvement agenda by translating strategic priorities into actionable improvement opportunities that are linked to Baxter’s value creators and business outcomes across functions.
• Build enterprise capability to identify, scope, and implement continuous improvement projects with disciplined problem solving, strong methodology, and clear accountability for results.
• Lead a team of managers responsible for implementing enterprise-wide projects, setting expectations for delivery, coaching for problem solving, and ensuring consistent application of GPS, Lean, Six Sigma, and disciplined continuous improvement practices such as daily management, leader standard work, visual management, kaizen, and structured follow‑through.
• Drive enterprise process improvement by identifying, prioritizing, and leading cross‑functional continuous improvement opportunities that enhance output, improve efficiency, simplify work, and deliver enduring business results.
• Partner with senior business and functional leaders to identify end‑to‑end improvement priorities, remove barriers, and accelerate cross‑functional programs and process transformation.
• Champion continuous improvement capabilities through training, coaching, leader standard work, and hands‑on support to build a culture of accountability, problem solving, and operational excellence.
• Facilitate goal deployment and performance management routines that connect improvement work to strategy, clarify ownership, and support follow‑through on value‑creating priorities and KPIs.
• Ensure benefits realization and sustainment by embedding standard work, visual management, daily management, operating cadence, and review mechanisms into business‑as‑usual processes.
• Partner with Digital, IT, Analytics, and Data teams to improve transparency, measurement, and process enablement through dashboards, automation, and scalable tools.
• Lead enterprise workshops, kaizen events, and structured problem‑solving sessions to accelerate decisions, close performance gaps, and strengthen cross‑functional collaboration.
• Develop organizational capability by coaching managers and senior leaders, supporting talent planning, and building a pipeline of continuous improvement leaders grounded in disciplined management practices, accountability, structured problem solving, and operational rigor.
• Represent GPS in executive and cross‑functional forums to align on improvement priorities, share insights on business impact, and support actions needed to sustain results.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree required in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in transformation, operational excellence, continuous improvement, or enterprise process improvement, including responsibility for large‑scale cross‑functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise transformation programs and driving measurable improvements in performance, productivity, quality, cost, service, or employee/customer experience.
• Proven ability to lead managers and build high‑performing teams responsible for implementing complex projects across a matrixed global organization.
• Demonstrated experience leading a continuous improvement portfolio of more than 800 projects annually, leading the Baxter GPS CI Community of Practice of 300+ continuous improvement practitioners, and establishing regional CI Dojos to build capability, share best practices, and accelerate results at scale.
• Deep expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, PDCA, kaizen, structured problem solving, change management, and operating system deployment, with strong solid understanding of focused continuous improvement practices such as daily management, policy deployment, leader standard work, visual management, and rigorous performance follow‑up.
• Experience operating in environments with strong continuous improvement rigor, with the ability to translate those practices into enterprise capability‑building, cross‑functional program delivery, and end‑to‑end process improvement.
• Strong executive presence and communication skills with the ability to influence senior leaders, align stakeholders, and drive decisions in complex environments.
• Strong strategic, financial, and business acumen with the ability to translate transformation opportunities into clear business cases, ROI, and benefits realization plans.
• Experience establishing governance, KPIs, dashboards, and performance routines to monitor transformation progress and sustain outcomes at scale.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification required.
• Master Black Belt certification or equivalent advanced continuous improvement credentials preferred; Danaher, Fortive, or other mature business system experience strongly preferred, along with experience in regulated, global, or enterprise shared services environments.

US Benefits At Baxter (except For Puerto Rico)

This is where your well‑being matters. Baxter offers comprehensive compensation and benefits packages for eligible roles. Our health and well‑being benefits include medical and dental coverage that start on day one, as well as insurance coverage for basic life, accident, short‑term and long‑term disability, and business travel accident insurance. Financial and retirement benefits include the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), with the ability to purchase company stock at a discount, and the 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), with options for employee contributions and company matching. We also offer Flexible Spending Accounts, educational assistance programs, and time‑off benefits such as paid holidays, paid time off ranging from 20 to 35 days based on length of service, family and medical leaves of absence, and paid parental leave. Additional benefits include commuting benefits, the Employee Discount Program, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and childcare benefits. Join us and enjoy the competitive compensation and benefits we offer to our employees. For additional information regarding Baxter US Benefits, please speak with your recruiter or visit our Benefits site: Benefits | Baxter

Equal Employment Opportunity

Baxter is an equal opportunity employer. Baxter evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.

Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal

Reasonable Accommodations

Baxter is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities globally. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or interview process, please click on the link here and let us know the nature of your request along with your contact information.

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