Site OpEx Lead

Smith & Nephew; Oklahoma City (OK); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k Matching Program

Tuition Reimbursement

Discounted Stock Options

401k Plus Program

Flexible Personal Time Off

Paid Holidays

Flex Holidays

Paid Community Service Day

Hybrid Work Model

Hands-On Training

Mentorship

Discounts on fitness clubs

Travel discounts

Job summary

Smith+ Nephew is seeking an experienced OpEx leader to standardize improvement tools, coach leaders, and partner with Franchise leadership to drive lean transformations across the network.

This role develops talent, sustains gains through a learning platform, and requires 12+ years in Lean Six Sigma with cross‑functional value stream experience and a Bachelor’s degree. Hybrid work and travel up to 15% are available. Join a culture of care, collaboration and courage.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Business, Science, or equivalent field required.
• 12+ years of hands‑on Lean Manufacturing / Six Sigma / Project Management deployment experience.
• 12+ years across multiple value-stream functions (production, materials, manufacturing engineering, QA, IT, EH&S, facilities, purchasing).
• 12+ years applying Lean techniques (5S, RCA, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, Visual Management, SIPOC, Flow, Pull, TAKT, TQM, JIT, SPC, CPK).
• Travel 5–15% required.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and coaching to new and existing leaders to foster Operational Excellence.
• Standardize improvement tools across the network (5S, VSM, kaizen, etc.).
• Mentor OpEx community members on tool usage and sustainment activities.
• Partner with Franchise leadership to support business strategies.
• Consolidate improvement activities and track benefits across business units.
• Provide hands-on support to areas in need while developing long-term sustainability.
• Align improvement culture and common language across Smith+ Nephew.
• Develop OpEx learning management system, trainings and content.

Skills

Strategic Mindset

Customer Focus

Decision Quality

Cultivates Innovation

Drives Results

Collaborates

Develops Talent

Drives Vision and Purpose

Builds Effective Teams

Change Management

Instills Trust

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Business, Science, or equivalent field

Job description

Life Unlimited. At Smith+ Nephew we design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living.

What will you be doing?

• Provide leadership and coaching to new and existing leaders to foster a culture of Operational Excellence throughout the S+N network, “to win the Hearts and Minds” of all stakeholders throughout the value stream.
• Standardize the improvement tools and techniques across S+N including standard work, Value Stream Mapping, Waste identification, SIPOC, 5S, Root Cause Analysis and kaizen activity.
• Provide coaching and mentoring for all OpEx community members on how and when to use the standard tool sets and assist in activities to grow the culture.
• Be a strategic partner to the Franchise leadership team supporting their business strategies.
• Consolidate and coordinate improvement activities to ensure that benefits are tracked and shared across all applicable business units.
• Provide direct, hands‑on support to areas of the business in immediate need while engaging local OpEx teams to coach and develop long term sustainability.
• Create an aligned improvement culture across S+N that shares common terminology and practices and language.
• Develop and evolve the OpEx Centers of Excellence learning management system, trainings and OpEx content proactively.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Mindset – able to anticipate future trends and implications accurately.
• Customer Focus –identifies opportunities that benefit the customer.
• Decision Quality – makes sound decisions, even in the absence of complete information.
• Cultivates Innovation – comes up with useful ideas that are new, better or unique.
• Drives Results – has a strong bottom‑line orientation.
• Ensures Accountability – follows through on personal and team commitments.
• Collaborates – works cooperatively across the organization to achieve shared objectives.
• Develops Talent – places a high priority on developing others.
• Drives Vision and Purpose – talks about future possibilities in a positive way.
• Builds Effective Teams – incorporate appropriate and diverse mix of styles, perspectives, and experience.
• Manages Conflict / Resistance /Ambiguity – deals comfortably with the uncertainty of change.
• Instills Trust – follows through on commitments and viewed as direct and truthful.

What will you need to be successful?

• Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Business, Science, or equivalent field.
• Combination of education and experience to be considered in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.
• 12+ years of hands‑on experience in Lean Manufacturing / Six Sigma / Project Management principles and best practices deployment.
• 12+ years of experience in multiple functions within the value stream (i.e., production, materials management, manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, IT, EH&S, facilities, purchasing etc.)
• 12+ years of experience and demonstrated application of Lean techniques (5S, Root Cause Analysis, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, Visual Management, SIPOC, Flow, Pull, TAKT, TQM, JIT, SPC, CPK etc.)
• Between 5%-15% travel required (site‑based focused role).

Desired Skills and Qualifications:

• Strong business acumen, with a broad understanding of OpEx, lean, and continuous improvement principles.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to collaborate and build a consensus in a high‑pressure environment.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to influence people at the highest levels of the company.
• Excellent understanding of Quality Systems and Measures.
• Proven high energy leader with strong ability to change culture and successfully manage multiple lean projects and make lasting relevant impact across an organization.
• Strong people and change management skills.
• Excellent communication skills throughout all levels of the organizations.
• Develop written communication such as but not limited to executive report outs S+N intranet, Objectives status update forums newsletters, S+N Net Transformation blog and other periodicals.
• Excellent people leader with integrity.

Your Future:

• 401k Matching Program, 401k Plus Program, Discounted Stock Options, Tuition Reimbursement
• Work/Life Balance: Flexible Personal/Vacation Time Off, Paid Holidays, Flex Holidays, Paid Community Service Day
• Your Wellbeing: Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account (Employer Contribution of $500+ annually), Employee Assistance Program, Parental Leave, Fertility and Adoption Assistance Program
• Flexibility: Hybrid Work Model (For most professional roles)
• Training: Hands-On, Team-Customized, Mentorship
• Extra Perks: Discounts on fitness clubs, travel and more!

You Unlimited. Inclusion + Belonging: Committed to Welcoming, Celebrating and Thriving. Learn more about our Employee Inclusion Groups on our website https://www.smith-nephew.com/

Smith+ Nephew provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

Stay connected by joining our Talent Community. We're more than just a company - we're a community! Follow us on LinkedIn to see how we support and empower our employees and patients every day. Check us out on Glassdoor for a glimpse behind the scenes and a sneak peek into You. Unlimited., life, culture, and benefits at S+N. Explore our website and learn more about our mission, our team, and the opportunities we offer.

Smith+ Nephew is a global medical technology company. We design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living. We support healthcare professionals to return their patients to health and mobility, helping them to perform at their fullest potential. From our first employee and founder, T.J. Smith, to our team today, it’s our people who make Smith+ Nephew a unique place. Yes, we love to innovate and develop exciting technologies, and we offer competitive salaries and progressive benefits. But it’s our culture - of Care, Collaboration and Courage - that really sets us apart. Through a spirit of ownership and can‑do attitude we work together to win. We’re a company of people who care about each other, about our customers and their patients, and about our communities. Together, we fulfill our shared purpose of Life Unlimited.