Operational Excellence & Transformation Lead, Site Operations

Syngenta Group; Pasco (WA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full Benefit Package (Medical, Dental,

401k with company match

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Job summary

Syngenta Seeds, a global Ag Tech leader, is seeking an Operational Excellence & Transformation Lead for Pasco, Washington. This role drives the site’s continuous improvement agenda, leading cross-functional initiatives in maintenance, reliability, digital tools, and process optimization to deliver measurable benefits.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's in a technical field, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (Black Belt preferred), and 5+ years in CI, transformation, operations, or maintenance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Agriculture, Supply Chain, or related technical field preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification required with ability to obtain Black Belt.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional improvement, digital, automation, capital, and reliability projects from opportunity identification through implementation, adoption, and benefits realization.
• Provide functional leadership for the maintenance department and own the site maintenance and reliability strategy.
• Partner with site HSE and Quality leadership to align operational-excellence, maintenance, and project work with site requirements and priorities.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Change management

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations/related technical field

Equivalent relevant experience

Job description

Operational Excellence & Transformation Lead, Site Operations

• Full-time
• Compensation: USD 95,200 - USD 142,800 - yearly

At Syngenta Seeds, we're shaping the future of agriculture and empowering farmers to meet the ever-growing demand for food and fuel. We're a global Ag Tech powerhouse, headquartered in the United States, with passionate, local experts collaborating with farmers to deliver solutions that create market opportunities. We unite precision breeding, advanced biotechnology trait choice, and digital platforms for unmatched in-field performance. Our seeds help mitigate risks such as disease, insect, weed, and extreme weather pressures, all while promoting sustainable farming practices that protect and enhance our planet. Join our mission of revolutionizing food security and transforming agriculture.

About Us

We invite you to help us shape the future of agriculture. At Syngenta, we believe every employee has a role to play in safely feeding the world and taking care of our planet. To support that challenge, Syngenta Seeds is currently seeking an Operational Excellence & Transformation Lead, Site Operations in Pasco, Washington.

This role will lead the site operational-excellence and transformation agenda for vegetable seed processing, delivering measurable and sustainable gains in delivery, cost, capability, reliability, and employee engagement.

Accountabilities

• Lead cross-functional improvement, digital, automation, capital, and reliability projects from opportunity identification through implementation, adoption, and verified benefits realization.
• Provide functional leadership for the maintenance department and own the site maintenance and reliability strategy as critical enablers of reliable, efficient operations.
• In partnership with site HSE and Quality leadership, strengthen processes, systems, equipment, and ways of working by working across Operations, Engineering, Supply Operations, and Finance.

Operational Excellence & Transformation:

• Translate site strategy into a prioritized operational-excellence and transformation roadmap and project portfolio; prioritize initiatives using delivery, cost, reliability, capability, and people data.
• Lead and implement transformation initiatives that improve processing flow, automation, digital tools, data visibility, systems, equipment, and operating practices; remove barriers and drive change adoption on the plant floor.
• Manage cross-functional projects from business case through implementation and benefits realization, including scope, schedule, budget, resources, risks, stakeholder alignment, communications, change adoption, and post-implementation review.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, visual management, standard work, and structured problem-solving methods to remove waste, improve process capability, and standardize successful improvements.

Maintenance & Reliability Leadership:

• Lead, coach, and develop the maintenance department, including maintenance technicians, contractors, and any supporting reliability resources; establish clear expectations, capability plans, and performance measures.
• Own the site maintenance strategy and execution, including preventive, predictive, corrective, and shutdown maintenance, to improve asset availability, reliability, and lifecycle performance.
• Establish and sustain maintenance planning, scheduling, work-order discipline, spare-parts management, and equipment-history practices in partnership with Operations.
• Monitor maintenance and reliability measures—including planned-versus-reactive work, schedule compliance, downtime, mean time between failures, maintenance cost, and critical-spares availability—and use trends to prioritize action.
• Manage maintenance operating budgets, contractor spend, and spare-parts investment; deliver sustainable cost, productivity, and reliability improvements.
• Partner with site HSE and Quality leadership to align operational-excellence, maintenance, and project work with site requirements and priorities.

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree, preferably in Engineering, Operations, Agriculture, Supply Chain, or a related technical field preferred. Equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification required, with the ability and commitment to obtain Black Belt certification.
• A Minimum of 5 years of related experience in continuous improvement, transformation, operations, engineering, maintenance, reliability, and/or manufacturing/processing environments.
• A Minimum of 3 years of people-leadership experience or demonstrated supervisory experience, including contractor management.
• Experience leading cross-functional improvement or transformation projects outside normal day-to-day plant activities.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship support from Syngenta.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with capital project development and execution.
• Ability to translate strategy into a prioritized operational-excellence and transformation roadmap.
• Ability to lead project teams, manage trade-offs, control scope, and deliver committed outcomes.
• Ability to create standard work and sustain improvements through effective management systems, visual controls, and coaching.
• Ability to plan and execute maintenance work safely and efficiently in coordination with production requirements.
• Ability to diagnose complex problems using data and structured root-cause methods.
• Ability to develop people and create ownership for operational excellence, equipment care, and operational standards.
• Strong influencing skills and resilience when leading change through ambiguity or competing demands.
• Ability to work independently while building strong partnerships across the site and broader organization.

What We Offer:

• A culture that celebrates belonging and collaboration, promotes professional development and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members. Offers flexible work options to support your work and personal needs.
• Full Benefit Package (Medical, Dental & Vision) that starts your first day.
• 401k plan with company match, Profit Sharing & Retirement Savings Contribution.
• Paid Vacation, Paid Holidays, Maternity and Paternity Leave, Education Assistance, Wellness Programs, Corporate Discounts, among other benefits.

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

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