Assoc. Dir, Business Consulting, Lab Transformation

Job Description

An exciting opportunity has become available for an Associate Director, Business Consulting, Lab Transformation.

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. Today, we are building a new kind of healthcare company—one that is ready to help create a healthier future for all of us. Our ability to excel depends on the integrity, knowledge, imagination, skill, diversity, and teamwork of an individual like you. To this end, we strive to create an environment of mutual respect, encouragement, and teamwork. As part of our global team, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with talented and dedicated colleagues while developing and expanding your career.

Our Company’s Production System is an integrated production system for how we design, manage, and continuously improve our operations and supporting business processes, enabled through the development of our people. Our Company’s Manufacturing Team is responsible for driving our Production System throughout the organization to enable change in the operating systems, management systems, and mindsets and behaviors and capabilities of our people to produce product at the highest quality, for the lowest cost, and in the shortest lead time.

Under the direction of the Production System Director, the Associate Director, Lab Transformation will work with leaders and sites in the region.  Approximately 50% of the time will be spent on the floor providing direct, hands-on support of activities, while 25% will be spent coaching leaders within line of business, function, or Region.

Due to the nature of the work and diversity of sites, expected travel will be 50-75%.

Key Activities:

• Partner with and consult functional leaders, Site Quality heads and their leadership teams to develop plans and execute performance improvement activities supporting short, mid to long term plans based on state-of-the-art GMPS improvement methods and standards.
• Influence and link improvement objectives to the highest division priorities always targeting longer term sustainable performance even though short term improvements are important.
• Develop Lean management and people development processes and plans with the objective of enabling the supported area to efficiently operate the production system’s continuous improvement system as supposed to simply tools, in a self-reliant way.
• Manage end-to-end processes and projects in QA/QO to drive results and realize intended business benefit, short term but importantly long term and year over year.
• Utilize various tools, techniques, and way of thinking in conjunction following the House of MPS elements and sequence as per the GMPS standards, to diagnose, analyze and improve business processes.
• Provide teaching and coaching to effectively transfer Lean skills into the organization for the development of Lean Leaders, so that the division leaders can lead the production system by themselves.
• Manage teams to mitigate risk, allocate resources, and drive on time completion of initiatives.
• Build trust and develop new relationships with internal and external clients to effectively collaborate and achieve successful outcomes at a regional/global.
• Implement GMPS standards specific to Lab Transformation
• Provide teaching and coaching to effectively develop talent and transfer Lean skills into the Labs/ Quality organization for the development of Lean Leaders 
• Act at each supported site as the recognized of contact and expert for any labs operational model related subject as informed by the latest development of the GMPS Lab Transformation program. 
• Support and train all GMPS team members involved in Lab Transformation to run within the Lab Transformation Operating system
• Check that critical items of the Lab Transformation improvement method have been implemented with the higher possible level of efficiency (Role card sharpness and details, Rhythm wheels sharpness and testing vs non testing ration, etc.). 
• Provide guidance for our company’s structure and operations and identify key business opportunities through utilizing financial data and industry knowledge and trends.
• Proactively recognize and mitigating barriers to cross-functional initiatives and acting as an intermediary across divisional, geographical, and cultural boundaries.
• Proactively work to develop and demonstrate a culture of continuous improvement and challenge the status quo, while driving departmental/regional strategies that align with our company’s long-term strategy.
• Mentor others on effective communication and active listening techniques to fuller understand client/customer needs and expectations.
• Lead value deep process analysis, process observation and capacity analysis through value stream mapping to measure stagnation of inventory and information, waste, non-value added and losses identification and can lead kaizen to increase capacity and improve process performance.
• Develop visual controls and framework to make problems visible and responds with urgency to effectively (Tier, Andon, KPIs), break down complex problems, lead root cause analysis, and develop effective countermeasures.(Lead and coach kaizen with a team to achieve multiple target conditions to achieve an overall challenge.)
• Improve standardized work through Kaizen
• Design balanced work to takt time, with smooth flow and leads kaizen to reduce lead time, inventory, and change-over time.
• Apply DMAIC methodology and statistical analysis to solve complex problems with multiple independent variables.
• Engage sponsors and clients, lead major changes, and effectively coach senior leaders and E2E/IP Managers to understand and lead state-of-the-art GMPS improvement methods.

Minimum Education Requirement and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a science or engineering discipline with eight (8) years of experience or equivalent, successfully bringing about improvements in QO/QA and lab specifically. OR
• Master’s Degree in a science or engineering discipline with six (6) years of experience or equivalent, successfully bringing about improvements in QO/QA and lab specifically. OR
• PhD in a science or engineering discipline with three (3) years of experience or equivalent, successfully bringing about improvements in QO/QA and lab specifically.

 Required Skills and Experience:

• Lean expertise experience ideal
• Experience analyzing complex end-to-end supply chains and driving process improvement
• Hands-on application of Lean tools and techniques: standardized work, scientific problem solving, value stream mapping, mistake proofing, SMED, 5S-Visual Factory
• Experience applying consultative skills: ability to influence decision making, ability to interact with all levels of the business (senior leaders to shop floor working teams), project management skills (demonstrated experience in managing large teams), solid business acumen, proven team building skills, exceptionally good listening skills, results oriented, strong analytical skills, and prior process improvement experience
• Coaching, Teaching, and driving a high performing organization. Proven experience in coaching and teaching others to think, behave and apply lean methods and tools.
• Experience enabling and leveraging diverse perspectives, talents, etc. to achieve business outcomes.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Preferably has worked in a lab or led labs 
• Secondary degree in supply chain or business administration
• Lean application experience, deep understanding, and successful application of TPS.
• Excellent skills using IT applications to organize and analyze date (MS-Access, MS-Excel, Minitab).
• Experience in operations management, manufacturing, or related disciplines.
• Experience in a Vaccines or Sterile pharmaceutical environment.

This position may transition to a remote work arrangement based on the business critical need.

As a company, we are committed to ‘Inventing for Life’ in all that we do. We keep the patient at the very heart of all that we do and strive to find solutions and treatments for some of the world’s most challenging healthcare needs. 

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment

So, if you are ready to:

Invent solutions to meet unmet healthcare needs, Impact the future by driving one of the world’s leading healthcare companies, and inspire your team to reach their full potential and push the boundaries of science and technology, please apply today

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

The Company is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this job in certain states and cities within the United States. Final determinations with respect to salary will take into account a number of factors, which may include, but not be limited to the primary work location and the chosen candidate’s relevant skills, experience, and education.

Expected US salary range:

Available benefits include bonus eligibility, long term incentive if applicable, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. A summary of benefits is listed here.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

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Relocation:

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Flexible Work Arrangements:

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