Senior Site Operations Excellence Lead
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Summary
As the Senior Site Operational Excellence Lead, you will provide strategic leadership for Operational Excellence across the Carlsbad site, driving business transformation, organizational capability, and sustainable manufacturing performance. Reporting to the Site Operations Leader and matrix-reporting to the PPI Senior Manager, you will partner with site leadership to deploy Thermo Fisher's Practical Process Improvement (PPI) Business System, the company's approach to continuous improvement. You will translate business strategy into operational execution through Lean methodologies, scientific problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making. As a key member of the site leadership team, you will lead high-impact manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives, develop organizational capability, and foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. Through strategic partnership and hands-on leadership, you will deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement while enabling scalable business growth.
Job description
A Day in the Life:
- Strategic Leadership & Business Transformation – Partner with the Site Operations Leader and PPI Senior Manager to translate business strategy into operational execution through Strategy Deployment (X-Matrix/A3), driving alignment, accountability, and measurable results.
- Lead governance of the site's Operational Excellence portfolio, establishing project prioritization, performance metrics, executive dashboards, and risk management to ensure successful execution and measurable business outcomes.
- Measure and communicate operational and financial performance, ensuring continuous improvement initiatives deliver sustainable business value.
- Operational Excellence Leadership – Enable the deployment and sustainment of the Thermo Fisher PPI Business System, embedding Operational Excellence into daily operations and leadership practices.
- Lead by example through a highly visible, hands-on presence on the manufacturing floor, coaching leaders and teams, removing barriers, and driving accountability to ensure Operational Excellence principles become embedded in everyday work.
- Build organizational capability through training, mentoring, and development of leaders and teams to create a sustainable culture of continuous improvement.
- Technical & Manufacturing Leadership – Provide technical leadership for complex manufacturing projects, New Product Introductions, technology transfers, validation, and manufacturing scale-up to deliver robust, scalable, and compliant operations.
- Facilitate or own complex manufacturing and operational improvement projects from planning through execution, driving cross-functional alignment and delivering technical, operational, and business results.
- Apply scientific, engineering, and analytical methodologies to solve complex manufacturing challenges, optimize process performance, and enable data-driven business decisions using statistical and visualization tools (e.g., JMP, Minitab, Power BI, Tableau).
Keys to Success:
Education: Bachelor's degree in engineering, Science, Operations, or related technical discipline required. Master's degree or MBA preferred. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt, or equivalent Operational Excellence certifications preferred.
Experience: 12+ years of relevant industry experience (Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Medical Device/Diagnostics, Life Science) with advancing roles from operations, supply chain, quality, or product management. Direct leadership experience is preferred with 5+ years of experience as a 'hands-on' lean practitioner demonstrating a track record of continuous improvement driving to achieve business value. Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing executive stakeholders in highly matrixed organizations. Strategic Deployment/X matrix, Value stream maps, visual management/5S, Kanban, standard work, tier daily management metric boards, gemba, and project funnel development preferred. Expertise in problem-solving using a formal program/process. Hands-on leadership experience in change management situations.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Expertise in Lean Manufacturing, the Thermo Fisher PPI Business System, Strategy Deployment, and continuous improvement methodologies. Strong scientific, engineering, and statistical problem-solving skills with expertise in Quality Management Systems, validation, CAPA, and regulated manufacturing. Proven ability to influence leaders, build partnerships, and drive results across cross-functional, matrixed organizations. Demonstrated success coaching leaders, developing organizational capability, and fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. Strong financial and operational acumen with the ability to translate data and operational improvements into measurable business value. Excellent communication, facilitation, and influencing skills with the ability to lead organizational changes and drive sustainable results.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, Science, Operations, or related technical discipline required
- Master's degree or MBA preferred
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt, or equivalent Operational Excellence certifications preferred
- 12+ years of relevant industry experience (Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Medical Device/Diagnostics, Life Science)
- Direct leadership experience preferred with 5+ years as a 'hands-on' lean practitioner
- Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing executive stakeholders in highly matrixed organizations
- Strategic Deployment/X matrix, Value stream maps, visual management/5S, Kanban, standard work, tier daily management metric boards, gemba, and project funnel development preferred
- Expertise in problem-solving using a formal program/process
- Hands-on leadership experience in change management situations
- Expertise in Lean Manufacturing, the Thermo Fisher PPI Business System, Strategy Deployment, and continuous improvement methodologies
- Strong scientific, engineering, and statistical problem-solving skills with expertise in Quality Management Systems, validation, CAPA, and regulated manufacturing
- Proven ability to influence leaders, build partnerships, and drive results across cross-functional, matrixed organizations
- Demonstrated success coaching leaders, developing organizational capability, and fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement
- Strong financial and operational acumen with the ability to translate data and operational improvements into measurable business value
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and influencing skills with the ability to lead organizational changes and drive sustainable results
Benefits
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Health incentive programs
- Employee assistance program
- Family support programs
- Commuter benefits
- Tuition reimbursement
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Paid parental leave
- Accident insurance
- Life insurance
- Short-term disability
- Long-term disability
- 401(k) retirement savings plan
- Employee stock purchase plan
Company overview
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of approximately $40 billion. The company's mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. With over 100,000 employees globally, Thermo Fisher provides an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience, and pharmaceutical services through its industry-leading brands including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon, and PPD. The company serves customers across healthcare, life sciences, applied markets, and pharmaceutical sectors, offering solutions that accelerate research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, and increase laboratory productivity. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Thermo Fisher operates globally, delivering critical scientific products, services, and workflow solutions that support researchers, organizations, and companies in addressing some of the world's most pressing issues.