Site Operational Excellence; OPEX Lead

Join to apply for the Site Operational Excellence (OPEX) Lead role at Lilly
.

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life‑changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first.

We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

The Site Operational Excellence (OPEX) Lead is accountable for executing and supporting the Operational Excellence Management System for Manufacturing and Quality (M&Q). Reporting to an Operations Leader at the site, this role focuses on site‑level implementation, coaching, and continuous improvement of Operational Excellence to ensure alignment with the overall strategy and governance. The Site OPEX Lead serves as the key interface between the Global OpEx team and the site, as well as the interface between the Site OPEX Team and the Site Leadership Team (SLT).

The OPEX Lead is an SME in Lean, Problem Solving, Root Cause Analysis, Manufacturing Standards of Operational Excellence, and Human Performance Reliability. This role involves a balance of execution, coaching, and administrative leadership.

• Lead the Site Operational Excellence Team and provide Operational Excellence support for site central functions.
• Own the site prioritization process, Operational Excellence education strategy, Operational Excellence roadmap, and site‑wide transformational initiatives.
• Participate in Site Lead Team metrics reviews, identify trends, and lead site improvement initiatives.
• Assist in preparation of the Site Business and Strategic Plan; lead strategy deployment and participate in relevant SLT topics.
• Influence local organizational uptake and execution of OpEx practices, tools, behaviors, and culture.
• Develop, coach, and lead the local OpEx team members.
• Identify, recruit, and onboard Operational Excellence talent.
• Ensure strategies and projects meet safety, product quality, compliance, financial and applicable regulatory requirements.

• Facilitate Operational Excellence training to all levels of employees within assigned areas to support deployment and ongoing sustainability of Operational Excellence / Lean ways of working.
• Coach and train teams in Lean tools and systems (for example, daily management, A3 thinking, standard work).
• Coach local leaders and Operational Excellence Business Partners on program execution.
• Host local Operational Excellence education and communication sessions to monitor program and resource execution, share best practices, foster collaboration, communicate and facilitate operational Excellence learning opportunities, and apply PDCA learning cycles to improve operational Excellence business processes.
• Serve as technical leader for other Operational Excellence Business partners and build their Manufacturing operations, Lean, RCA, Problem Solving, HPR, and program management skill set.

• Lead cross‑functional teams in the development and implementation of strategies associated with the area for the following initiatives:
  Continuous Improvement, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Failure Modes Effect Analysis (FMEA), Human Performance Reliability (HPR), etc.
• Establish and implement project management processes and methodologies to ensure Continuous Improvement projects are delivered on time, adhere to high quality standards, and meet team expectations.
• Lead the establishment of Operational Excellence systems (e.g., the Lean Production, Lean Management systems, and our digitally integrated visual management system) within assigned areas, including the components and their interactions.

• Facilitate shared learning and lead Operational Excellence Assessments within the site (site and globally driven).
• Integrate and drive Operational Excellence…