Manager Operational Excellence (m|f|d)

Job Description

At a pivotal moment just before the anticipated approval of a groundbreaking CAR‑T cell therapy, we are strengthening our Operational Excellence capabilities to ensure a successful transition into commercial manufacturing.

• Drive continuous improvement: Develop and implement site‑wide Lean, Six Sigma, and Operational Excellence (OpEx) strategies to optimize manufacturing processes, reduce waste, and increase throughput.
• Establish a culture of excellence: Foster a sustainable mindset for continuous improvement by coaching and developing interdisciplinary teams and certifying them in CI methods—always in alignment with global corporate goals.
• Optimize costs and quality: Work closely with production, quality assurance, and engineering to conduct root cause analyses, reduce process variability, and implement all optimization measures in strict compliance with cGMP and regulatory requirements.
• Measurable results: Take responsibility for the site’s OpEx portfolio, define meaningful KPIs, and build data‑driven dashboards to provide transparency on efficiency gains, cost savings, and capacity utilization.
• Strategic sparring partner for management: Report progress and achievements directly to senior management to make a decisive contribution to the sustainable enhancement of competitiveness in a highly regulated biotechnology environment.

Qualifications

• You hold a university degree in biotechnology, engineering, pharmacy or a related field and have several years’ experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, ideally in the areas of production or operational excellence.
• You have in‑depth knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma (e.g. Green or Black Belt) or comparable methods for continuous improvement, and a proven track record of successfully applying these tools in practice.
• You have a thorough understanding of cGMP regulations and the requirements of the FDA and the EMA, enabling you to operate confidently in highly regulated environments.
• You combine strong analytical skills with experience in working with KPIs, data analysis and dashboard tools, enabling you to drive data‑driven decision‑making and achieve performance improvements.
• You are a resilient and positive leader who effectively coaches cross‑functional teams, communicates confidently in English at all levels of the organisation, and combines strategic thinking with a practical, solution‑oriented approach.

Regardless of gender, sexual identity, age, ethnicity, religion, or disability.