Director, Operational Excellence

Preparedness today, safer tomorrow.

Emergent is a leading public health company that delivers protective and life-saving solutions to
communities around the world. Here, you will join passionate professionals where our culture is informed by our values and commitment to protecting and saving lives.

Job Summary 

Reporting to the Vice President & General Manager, Winnipeg Site the Director, Operational Excellence, is responsible for leading the transformation of the site operating system through Lean principles, strategy deployment, problem-solving disciplines, and organizational capability building. This role serves as a key member of the Site Leadership Team, improving flow, increasing capacity, reducing operational complexity, improving quality performance, and embedding a culture where Operational Excellence becomes part of the site DNA.

Responsibilities 

Leadership & Transformation
• Develop, own and drive the site's Operational Excellence (OE) and transformation roadmap by engaging site leadership and employees to build sustainable operational excellence capabilities and deliver business results
• Serve as a member of the Site Leadership Team and partner with leaders across the site to embed Operational Excellence principles, drive accountability, and support execution of strategic priorities
• Provide leadership, coaching and development for the Operational Excellence team while building OE capability throughout the broader organization
• Act as a trusted advisor and change leader, providing technical, cultural and transformational leadership to support site objectives
• Collaborate with Corporate and Network OE leaders to share best practices, benchmark performance, and support enterprise-wide improvement initiatives
Strategy Deployment & Execution Excellence
• Lead strategy deployment, annual improvement planning, and governance processes to ensure strategic priorities are translated into actionable plans, measurable outcomes and sustained execution
• Establish and continuously improve daily management systems that enhance performance visibility, accountability, escalation, problem solving and performance-to-plan achievement
• Develop and maintain effective reporting and monitoring systems to communicate transformation progress, organizational capability development and business results
Business Performance & Operational Improvement
• Drive improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost and capacity through the application of Operational Excellence principles and methodologies
• Identify and eliminate systemic constraints, improve flow, and optimize end-to-end value stream performance across the site
• Lead, facilitate and sustain business improvement initiatives that deliver measurable operational and financial impact
• Deploy and continuously improve Lean and Operational Excellence methodologies, including Hoshin Kanri, Tiered Management, Gemba, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, Lean Six Sigma, Standard Work and Visual Management
• Establish ownership and governance systems that sustain continuous improvement practices, workplace organization standards and operational discipline
Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement
• Build organizational capability in structured problem solving, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action (CAPA), and continuous improvement methodologies
• Drive the reduction of recurring deviations, repeat failures and operational disruptions through sustainable corrective actions and systemic problem solving
• Foster a culture where Kaizen, continuous improvement and employee engagement are embedded in everyday work practices

Minimum Education, Experience & Skills

• University degree in engineering, business, or equivalent combination of skills and experience.
• 10+ years of experience creating and leading, Operational Excellence, Lean Transformation or Business Transformation initiatives., in large multi-function sites or in a corporate environment.
• Lean or Lean Sigma Blackbelt certification or equivalent.
• Demonstrated success delivering improvements in productivity, quality, delivery, cost and capacity. 
• Experience with strategy deployment, daily management systems and value stream management. 
• Strong executive influence, change management and communication skills. 
• Experience in regulated manufacturing environments preferred. 
• Must promote strong team interaction across functions. The incumbent must be effective at sharing ideas and information with peers and business leaders.
• Strong relationship management skills demonstrated in the skilled use of influential authority.
• Operations/line management experience with P&L responsibilities.
• Highly effective verbal and written communicator at all levels of the organization
• Demonstrated ability to effectively prioritize and coordinate activities 

There are physical/mental demands and work environment characteristics that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. This information is available upon request from the candidate.

As part of our team, you'll join talented and inspiring colleagues whose sense of purpose complements your own. We offer highly diverse career opportunities, a supportive culture, competitive salaries, flexible work arrangements and an extensive benefits package. Information submitted will be used by Emergent BioSolutions for activities related to your prospective employment. Emergent BioSolutions respects your privacy and any use of the information submitted will be subject to the terms of our Privacy Policy .