Director Operational Excellence global
Join a global leader in its industry with operations across multiple regions and a workforce of tens of thousands. The organization is committed to driving performance through innovation, operational excellence, and a strong culture of continuous improvement.
The role
As Director, Operational Excellence & Business Transformation, you will lead the deployment and maturation of the company’s continuous improvement business system across a global division. This role is accountable for accelerating performance through enterprise-wide operational excellence, enabling step-change improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people engagement.
You will operate as a senior change leader within a complex, global matrix organization — partnering with business leaders to identify and execute transformational initiatives, embed lean management systems, and build sustainable capability at scale.
your next career starts here
Discover a role where your skills drive innovation and make an impact
Who are we looking for...
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Business, or related field required; Master's degree preferred
- 10+ years of experience deploying Lean / Continuous Improvement systems across end-to-end value streams
- Proven, hands-on track record implementing TPS-based business systems, including: Lean Leadership (Daily Management, Leader Standard Work, Gemba) Strategy Deployment (Hoshin Kanri) Value Stream Mapping Kaizen (standard work, flow, cell design, 3P) Material flow, Heijunka, Kanban, error-proofing, VA/VE
- Demonstrated experience driving impact in a complex matrix organization, influencing senior stakeholders across functions and geographies
- Strong operational management experience in complex operations required (regulated or process industry experience is an advantage)
- Proven ability to build and execute productivity funnels from ideation through to realized financial impact
- Demonstrated success leading large-scale operational transformations with sustained year-over-year results
- Six Sigma Black Belt (or equivalent) required
- Strong analytical capability, including statistical tools and data-driven decision making
- Familiarity with digital and advanced analytics tools (data platforms, automation, AI-enabled insights) as enablers of CI
- Strong change leadership with the ability to influence without authority
- Entrepreneurial, self-directed, and capable of building and scaling new capabilities
what you can expect...
- Drive continuous improvement strategy and execution across the division, aligning improvement priorities with business objectives and financial targets
- Lead transformation in a matrix environment, influencing across functions, sites, and leadership levels without direct authority
- Partner with senior business leaders to identify value creation opportunities and translate them into executable roadmaps
- Own and govern the improvement project funnel, ensuring robust prioritization, execution discipline, and delivery of measurable results
- Deploy and sustain Lean Management Systems, including tiered daily management, leader standard work, Gemba, and visual management
- Chair and guide the Operational Excellence Steering Committee, ensuring alignment, governance, and accountability across the division
- Build organizational capability, coaching leaders and teams to drive autonomy and embed a continuous improvement mindset
- Standardize and scale best practices across sites and functions to drive consistency and efficiency
- Track and deliver financial impact, ensuring productivity gains translate into P&L results
