Operational Excellence Lead

About the role

We are seeking an Operational Excellence Lead to drive continuous improvement across our manufacturing and supply chain operations. The role will lead Lean, Six Sigma and other structured problem‑solving initiatives to boost productivity, quality, cost efficiency and compliance.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Operational Excellence strategy and roadmap aligned with business objectives.
• Identify and prioritize improvement opportunities across the end‑to‑end value chain, from procurement to finished‑goods delivery.
• Lead large‑scale Lean, Six Sigma and continuous improvement projects, including VSM, 5S, Kaizen, TPM and DMAIC.
• Drive waste elimination, process optimisation, cycle‑time reduction, productivity improvement and cost efficiency.
• Define and monitor KPIs such as OEE, yield, waste, efficiency and cost savings.
• Ensure sustainability of improvements through standardisation, control plans and visual management.
• Act as a change agent by coaching and developing teams in Lean, Six Sigma and structured problem‑solving methodologies.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams and leadership to adopt new ways of working and improve operational performance.
• Provide data‑driven insights through performance reviews, dashboards and operational analytics.
• Ensure all initiatives comply with cGMP, Quality and EHS requirements and collaborate with Quality Assurance to maintain product quality and regulatory compliance.

Required profile

• Pharm‑D or Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (B.E.).
• 10–15 years of experience in manufacturing operations, process improvement, operational excellence or quality management.
• Mandatory experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Proven track record leading large‑scale transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• MBA and/or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is an added advantage.

Required skills

• Lean Manufacturing
• Six Sigma (DMAIC)
• Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
• 5S
• Kaizen
• Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
• Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
• SAP
• Performance management systems
• Visual management tools
• Performance dashboards