Sr Manager, Operational Excellence

This is where your work makes a difference.

At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond.

Our Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results.

Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride. 

Your role at Baxter

The Senior Manager, Operational Excellence, will serve as part of the Round Lake Drug Delivery Team leading the Lean and Six Sigma initiatives for the site. The Round Lake Drug Delivery site is chartered with manufacturing Life Saving and Sustaining solutions in flexible containers. The Senior Manager, Operations Excellence is responsible for managing and directing the process/performance improvement program to improve work processes, standards and productivity. Applying techniques from other industries such as lean manufacturing, six sigma and kaizen to create a culture of continuous improvement.

What you will be doing

• Champions initiatives that deliver continuous improvement, culture transformation, waste reduction and/or cost savings
• Utilize industry standard lean methodologies and change management tools to solve problems and drive improvement changes in a large manufacturing operation
• Lead the coordination and completion of identified projects and serve in training role; Develop, coach and mentor others in the organization on continuous improvement tools and lean methodologies to develop lean facilitators and leaders
• Serve as a change agent working collaboratively within and across departments, functions and location to help implement a culture of continuous improvement
• Oversee and execute all aspects of projects including, but not limited to: Assembling project teams, setting project deadlines, and assigning responsibilities
• Overseeing/facilitating/coordinating, lean, 6S and Kaizen events and activities, monitoring programs and summarizing the progress of all projects in regular reports
• Act as the liaison between the corporate Operational Excellence team and the plant capitalizing on best practices where applicable and reporting progress on corporate initiatives

What you will bring

• Requires a bachelor’s degree, from an accredited institution, preferably in a technical discipline.
• 10 or more years of experience in any of the different areas of manufacturing environments such as Manufacturing, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Project Management, Operational Excellence or Quality. Preferably in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or comparable environments.
• Minimum 5 years in a lean/continuous improvement role preferred
• Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification is desirable.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Very strong attention to detail
• Solid understanding of lean, kaizen, VSM and other improvement tools and techniques
• Detailed operational knowledge of manufacturing environments. Previous experience of aseptic manufacturing is desirable.
• Ability to set priorities and manage multiple projects with minimal supervision
• High energy, enthusiasm, and strong interest in continuous improvement
• Advanced/Strong computer skills: MS Access, PowerPoint, Word and Excel

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. At Baxter, we are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices. The estimated base salary for this position is $136,000 - $187,000 annually. The estimated range is meant to reflect an anticipated salary range for the position. We may pay more or less than of the anticipated range based upon market data and other factors, all of which are subject to change. Individual pay is based on upon location, skills and expertise, experience, and other relevant factors. This position may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses.  For questions about this, our pay philosophy, and available benefits, please speak to the recruiter if you decide to apply and are selected for an interview.  

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

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