Associate Director, Continuous Improvement

Would you like to join an international team working to improve the future of healthcare? Do you want to enhance the lives of millions of people? Grifols is a global healthcare company that since 1909 has been working to improve the health and well-being of people around the world. We are leaders in plasma-derived medicines and transfusion medicine and develop, produce and market innovative medicines, solutions and services in more than 110 countries and regions.

Summary:

The Associate Director, Continuous Improvement (CI) is responsible for leading the strategic development, implementation, and sustainment of a culture of continuous improvement across the plasma donor center network and supporting business functions. This role will partner closely with operational and quality leadership, field teams and cross functional stakeholders to drive performance opportunities through data-driven insights, lead process optimization initiatives and ensure standardization of best practices that improve the quality, efficiency and donor/employee experience.  Serves as a voice to the center & business but also a change agent - equipping teams with the tools, framework, and capabilities needed to deliver measurable business results and achieve strategic objectives.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a CI roadmap aligned with company strategic goals, AOP Priorities, and Business Excellence Initiatives.
• Oversee and enhance CI Program to ensure successful definition and execution of large, cross function initiatives that tie to annual strategic priorities and achieve the financial impact or productivity improvement.
• Lead a team of CI professionals and change agents to deliver high impact improvement projects across multiple functional areas of the business.
• Partner with Senior and Field Leadership to identify/validate performance gaps and prioritize initiatives that improve throughput, reduce waste, and enhance donor and employee experience.
• Challenge the status quo and identify business improvement opportunities (i.e. methodologies, technologies, innovation).
• Lead Standardization efforts as the business must aim to reduce duplication, efficiently design systems and processes in relation to the use of data and then ensure the processes are scalable/ usable across all functions to aid in the continuous improvement discipline.
• Lead cross-functional working groups to harmonize best practices and eliminate operational variability across GEOs and Regions.
• Collaborate with the PMO, Training, and Operations teams to embed improvements into long-term operational frameworks.
• Develops and maintain a comprehensive knowledge of cross-functional business processes and systems, providing thought leadership and driving continuous improvement initiatives to support current and future business needs.   
• Act as a key liaison with Field and Corporate Leadership to ensure communication and alignment of goals.
• Ability to create detailed business cases for CI initiatives that include the baseline/project metrics, data collection plans, pilot plans, and control plans.
• Ability to give direction and serve as a coach and mentor to leaders and teams to foster a continuous improvement mindset and data-driven decision-making culture.
• Deliver training, workshops and communication that build CI capabilities and empower leaders to lead local improvements. Also partner with Grifols Business Units Excellence Teams to align on programs
• Oversee Design, Build, Execution, Quality Assurance and Delivery of initiatives evolving and optimizing Business Excellence projects and initiatives ensuring alignment to strategic objectives.
• Collaborate closely with the BOPT Analytic Hub to identify trends, uncover root causes, and define performance baselines.
• Prepare and present ROI reporting to executive leadership, providing insights and recommendations that are based off of data insights.
• Cultivate a results-driven environment that emphasizes innovation, data-based decision making and operational discipline.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain top talent by fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and performance excellence.
• Build and nurture relationships with teams in Corporate Holding, Biomat USA Field Leadership, and Donor Centers.
• Stay updated with State and Federal Regulations, FDA approved Standard Operating Procedure Manual, EMA, OSHA, CLIA, cGMP, internal company