Operational Excellence Manager

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Operational Excellence Manager drives the development of integrated management systems, performance metrics, planning processes and cross-functional improvements across Pyramid Pharma Services. This highly collaborative, hands-on role partners with Manufacturing, Quality, MS&T, Supply Chain, Engineering and Project Management to translate strategic priorities into measurable operational results, strengthen GMP execution, and improve scalability, efficiency and reliability. The role enables functional leaders and reinforces their accountability through effective governance, transparent performance management and disciplined execution.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES:

• Build and sustain an operational governance framework connecting enterprise objectives, functional priorities, daily execution and structured escalation;
• Develop meaningful leading and lagging KPIs, dashboards and management reporting for safety, quality, delivery, productivity, capacity, utilization, schedule adherence and operational risk.
• Partner with the COO and functional leaders to prioritize, track and accelerate strategic and operational initiatives; establish owners, milestones, risks, decisions and measurable benefits.
• Identify, scope, plan and independently execute improvement projects across Manufacturing, Quality, MS&T, Engineering, Supply Chain and support functions.
• Use Lean, Six Sigma, process mapping, root cause analysis and structured problem-solving to reduce waste, cycle times, deviations, rework and operational bottlenecks while strengthening right-first-time performance.
• Mature integrated planning from long-range capacity and demand planning through medium-term production planning, finite scheduling and resource allocation.
• Improve visibility into labor, equipment, material readiness and other constraints; optimize throughput, schedule reliability, changeovers and resource utilization.
• Streamline New Product Introduction and technology transfer through clear process ownership, stage gates, readiness criteria, standardized handoffs and cross-functional escalation.
• Partner with Client Project Management to standardize client onboarding and program execution across development, technical transfer, clinical manufacturing, validation and commercial phases.
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops and change management; implement sustainable standard work, process documentation, training and adoption measures.
• Monitor execution and realized benefits, communicate progress to leadership and embed continuous improvement into day-to-day operations.
• Ensure all improvement activities align with GMP, established quality systems, regulatory expectations, product quality and patient safety.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Biology or a related scientific or technical field required.
• At least 3 years of experience in operational excellence, continuous improvement or manufacturing excellence in a GMP-regulated pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing environment required.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional process improvement projects, developing performance metrics and influencing teams without direct authority.
• Working knowledge of GMP operations, Lean/Six Sigma methods, project management, structured problem-solving and operational performance management.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication and stakeholder-management skills; proficient in Excel, PowerPoint and relevant planning or reporting tools.
• Highly collaborative, pragmatic and hands-on; able to work effectively at all organizational levels in a fast-paced, complex and changing environment.
• Preferred: sterile injectable/aseptic fill-finish manufacturing experience, particularly vials, prefilled syringes, cartridges or combination products; CDMO experience.
• Preferred: experience with finite scheduling, capacity modeling, ERP/MES or business intelligence systems, NPI/technology transfer and tiered management systems; Lean Six Sigma certification.

KEY MEASURES OF SUCCESS:

• Effective governance and leading-indicator reporting adopted across the organization; improved transparency and accountability.
• Measurable gains in planning maturity, resource utilization, schedule reliability, throughput, process robustness and right-first-time execution.
• On-time delivery of prioritized improvement projects with documented operational and financial benefits.
• More predictable, standardized NPI, client onboarding and cross-functional program execution.