Sr Manager, Operational Excellence

West:By Your Sidefor Opportunity West Pharma; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

West Pharmaceutical Services seeks an experienced leader to coordinate transformation initiatives across the site, driving lean savings and operational improvements. You will plan, schedule, and execute projects aligned with corporate strategy, communicating status to senior leadership and stakeholders.

The role requires 10+ years in related work, 5+ years in manufacturing, and Six Sigma Green Belt certification with Lean tool experience. Travel is modest; cGMP knowledge is valuable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Statistics concentration; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years in related field.
• 5+ years in a manufacturing/production environment.
• Must possess a Six Sigma Green Belt certification and have at least 5 years using Six Sigma/Lean tools.
• Medical Device industry experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of all transformation projects on time, within scope and budget.
• Establish clear metrics and KPIs and report progress to SLT and stakeholders.
• Support the West Business System (WBS) to sustain site standards.
• Develop a comprehensive transformation strategy aligned with growth targets and operating units’ vision.
• Provide leadership for transformation activities and ensure prioritization and scheduling.
• Create strategic waste-elimination plans using lean processes and KPIs.
• Develop and execute change management to prepare teams for new processes and technologies.
• Ensure transformation initiatives are supported by effective communication plans.

Skills

Lean transformation

Six Sigma Green Belt

Six Sigma Black Belt

Leadership

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Statistics

Master's Degree preferred

Tools

Six Sigma tools

Job description

At West, we’re a dedicated team that is connected by a purpose to improve patient lives that has been at the center of our Company for more than a century. Our story began when Herman O. West solved the problem of supplying penicillin in mass quantities to the US Government during World war 2. Through our work to deliver thousands of life‑saving and life‑enhancing injectable medicines to millions of patients daily, West’s indelible mark on the healthcare industry has just begun. A name started our story. How will yours help write our future?

There’s no better place to join an inclusive community of professionals with opportunities for lifelong learning, growth and development. Supported by benefit programs, we empower the physical, mental, emotional and financial health of our team members and their families.

We believe in giving back to help those in need in the communities where we live and work. And are equally committed to creating a healthier environment and planet through our sustainability efforts.

Job Summary

In this role you will coordinate business unit lean savings, goals and objectives through the use of statistical techniques by planning, scheduling, and executing process projects. You will communicate project status, and define and shape strategic planning efforts, including critical goal and objective development that identifies and improves critical processes necessary to achieve annual targets, including waste reduction to drive technical and operational improvement. This role will focus on coordinating, managing, and driving all transformation initiatives across site, ensuring alignment with both site’s and operational goals and the corporate stakeholders’ broader strategic objectives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of all transformation projects, ensuring they are completed on time, with scope and within budget
• Establish clear metrics and KPI’s for each transformation initiative, regularly tracking and reporting on progress to SLT and key stakeholders
• Participate in the development and support of the West Business System (WBS), with the goal of sustaining operational standards on the site
• Develop and communicate a comprehensive transformation strategy that aligns with the site growth targets, technical & operational capability imperatives, operational excellence objectives and the Operating Units vision
• Provide thought leadership and direction for all transformation activities, ensuring they are prioritized, scheduled, and executed effectively
• Create strategic plans to eliminate waste within the business unit by utilizing lean processes, key performance indicators, metrics, cost savings, best demonstrated practices and enterprise resource management
• Create and execute a robust change management framework that prepares the site and its employees for upcoming changes, minimizes resistance, and maximizes adoption of new processes and technologies
• Ensures that all transformation initiatives are supported by effective communication plans that keep all stakeholders informed and engaged
• Develop robust, capable systems necessary to achieve the strategic goals and objectives and drive excellence through the manufacturing operations; assure that production processes are repeatable and capable of meeting specifications, by ensuring the consistent and uniform application of OPEX tool
• Provide leadership on lean thinking and lean processes to ensure established goals and objectives are met and provide methods to monitor processes to assure they remain in control
• Assist in the training and guidance for lean champions and team members to develop and implement Lean action plans and transfer lean initiatives to other West plants
• Sets up and/or participates in continuous improvement events related to establishing a process or process improvement
• Ensure that workplace process improvements are visible, that savings are tracked, validated and posted
• Review control charts/data generated from facility processes to assure they are in a state of statistical control
• Manage capital and non-capital projects to improve capacity, quality, efficiency, utilization and safety at the lowest cost. Manage projects by maintaining project timelines and continuously evaluating actual project costs with budgeted costs so projects will be completed on budget and in a timely manner
• Collaborate with QA and Engineering to set up and conduct capability studies, designed experiments, sampling programs, process validations, etc. to evaluate the manufacturing capability of products/ processes, and provide input, analysis and actions related to the data generated from these studies
• Experience in utilizing Value Stream Mapping to reduce waste and non‑value added activities, and enhance material and information flow
• Assists with facility/supplier audits and meetings, as required
• Performs other duties as assigned based on business need

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Statistics concentration; or recognized equivalent required
• Master’s Degree in related field preferred

Work Experience

• Minimum 10 years in related field required
• 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing/production environment. required
• Must possess a Six Sigma Green Belt certification and have at least 5 years of experience demonstrating and using Six Sigma/Lean tools and methodologies. required
• Medical Device industry experience. preferred

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• cGMP knowledge.
• Must have good interpersonal/leadership skills and be able to interface with all departments and team member levels.
• Must have excellent organizational, interpersonal and problem‑solving skills and be able to interface with employees in all levels of the organization.
• Able to be aware of all relevant standard operating procedures as per Company policy as they are related to the position covered by this Job Description.

License and Certifications

• ManufacturingSix Sigma Green Belt Certification Upon Hire required
• Health ServicesCSSBB – Six Sigma Black Belt Upon Hire preferred

Travel Requirements

5%: Up to 13 business days per year

Physical Requirements

Sedentary-Exerting up to 10lbs/4kgs of force occasionally, and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.

Additional Requirements

• Safely work in construction environments
• Noise level in the work environment while on the production floor is usually moderate to loud. Hearing protection is required.
• Must follow and comply with Plant’s Dress and Hygiene Code (SOI)
• Able to comply with the company’s safety policy at all times
• Able to comply with the company’s quality policy at all times.

LI-TH1

West is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you have a special need that requires accommodation in order to apply to West, please send an email to [e-mail]. Where permitted by law, an offer of employment with West Pharmaceutical Services, or any of its subsidiary or affiliate companies, is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of background screening.