Job Description
The Operational Excellence Site Lead is responsible for leading the site operational excellence strategy, roadmap, and governance to improve performance across manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and support functions.
The role leads the OpEx team, builds site capability, standardises best practices, and embeds disciplined routines that support accountability, innovation, and sustainable continuous improvement.
Responsibilities
- Act as a trusted advisor to site leadership on operational excellence strategy, capability building, performance governance, and change execution.
- Lead the site OpEx team, including work prioritisation, capability building, performance management, stakeholder engagement, and delivery of agreed business results.
- Lead the site continuous improvement strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with business priorities, resource capacity, and measurable performance outcomes.
- Coach and develop teams in Lean, Six Sigma, structured problem solving, visual management, standard work, value stream mapping, and daily management systems.
- Identify, prioritise, and deliver high-impact improvement initiatives that reduce waste, improve flow, increase reliability, strengthen compliance, and support Right First Time performance.
- Identify and deploy AI-enabled and digital solutions that improve decision-making, reduce manual effort, enhance productivity, and create scalable operational improvements.
- Partner with site functions, senior leaders, regulatory agencies, vendors, and suppliers to support departmental and organisational objectives.
- Establish and govern performance metrics, departmental budgets, improvement portfolios, benefits tracking, and accountability routines.
- Ensure effective controls are in place so the department and improvement activities operate in compliance with applicable quality, regulatory, safety, environmental, EHS&E, and AbbVie Global policy requirements.
- Make and execute support-function decisions from a strategic perspective, balancing operational requirements, risk, compliance, stakeholder input, resource allocation, and business impact.
- Build a culture of continuous improvement, involvement, open communication, integrity, effective teamwork, Perfect Performance, and sustainable change across the site.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, business, or a related discipline, with Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification required and Master Black Belt certification preferred.
- Minimum of eight years’ experience in pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical device, or similarly regulated manufacturing, including relevant managerial experience and delivery of strategic business projects.
- Minimum of two years’ direct people management experience at management level, preferably leading an OpEx, digital, PMO, or project management function.
- Strong technical capability in Lean, Six Sigma, operational excellence, structured problem solving, data analysis, process mapping, root cause analysis, mistake-proofing, standard work, visual management, performance management systems, and benefits tracking.
- Proven experience identifying and applying AI, digital tools, and analytics to operational challenges, with clear evidence of measurable impact on performance, productivity, manual effort reduction, and decision-making speed.
- Strong business acumen, with the ability to translate site challenges into prioritised improvement opportunities linked to enterprise goals, customer needs, financial impact, and sustainable performance outcomes.
- Collaborative and credible leader who can influence across functions, communicate clearly, facilitate change, build capability in others, and maintain high standards of integrity, quality, compliance, and engagement through periods of change.
Additional Information
AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.
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