Associate Director (m/f/d) Operational Excellence

Job Description

As a part of the Global Animal Health Manufacturing Operational Excellence team, you will be supporting the manufacturing sites in Europe/ROW on deployment of our Production System. This team is the global Center of Excellence in lean management and continuous improvement. The team develops and executes strategy to develop people, improve supply and increase productivity across the Global Animal Health Manufacturing network. You will report into the EU  Continuous Improvement Lead.

For one of our Animal Health locations in Austria, Germany, The Netherlands or Spain we are looking for a:

Associate Director (m/f/d) Operational Excellence

Full-time, asap

Purpose of the role

As an internal lean practitioner and coach, you will identify, analyze, act upon, and coach others on improvements both strategically and based on daily problems. In this position, you will lead or be involved with teams on all facets of the value stream to improve business outcomes. You will apply lean tools, thinking, and change management methodologies as you develop colleagues at all levels so that continuous improvement is embedded in the operating culture. As a project and program manager, you will lead projects to improve supply and increase productivity.

Main Responsibilities:

As Lean Practitioner/Coach

• Coach lean roadmaps and provide training at AH manufacturing sites

• Initiate and implement improvement projects using Lean tools (Standardization, 5S, Problem Solving, Poke Yoke, Kaizens, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Management, etc.) to create basic stability and improve performance on safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

• Hands-on support for operational problems and cross-functional investigations by conducting thorough scientific problem-solving techniques.

• Continue to develop yourself in lean, inclusion, and change management. With this knowledge, you develop colleagues at all organizational levels by leading by example during improvement initiatives and coaching sponsors and stakeholders.

As Project/Program Manager

• Facilitating value scouting workshops at sites.

• Project lead on larger productivity projects.

• Lead regional cost-saving project governance and reporting

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business administration, engineering or a relevant field.

• Minimum of 7 years of work experience with continuous improvement. Coursework, and degrees may be considered in lieu of experience. Preferably Black Belt certified.

• Result-oriented and able to manage many different tasks/projects and demonstrated ability to adapt to changes in priorities.

• Proficient in working with data, making trends visible, and performing data analysis.

• Fluent and in English. Knowledge of the German language is a plus

• Team player with a "go-to-the-gemba" attitude, analytical & eager to learn.

• A pleasant, communicative skilled personality who can connect and coach colleagues in production as well as within management.

• Demonstrated use of all commonly used lean tools and concepts.

• Living near Boxmeer (NL), Salamanca (ES), Munich (GE) or Krems an der Donau / Vienna (AUT).

• Willingness to travel up to 50% of your time across EMEA / UK region.

We offer an attractive salary, outstanding social benefits and an exciting work environment with varied tasks in an international environment. The minimum annual salary for this position is EUR 82.400, - and varies according to the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate (this amount applies only to Austria as required by the local legislation) . We are looking forward to receiving your application.

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. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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.

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

50%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Required Skills:

A3 Problem Solving, A3 Problem Solving, Adaptability, Applied Engineering, Business Administration, Communication, Cultural Change Management, Data Analysis, Effective Listening, High Performance Team Building, Hoshin Kanri, Lean Management, Lean Manufacturing, Lean Process Improvements, Management Process, Operational Excellence, Personal Development, Portfolio Management, Project Management, Project Management Governance, Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED), Six Sigma, Social Collaboration, Strategic Thinking, Team Play {+ 4 more}

Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

07/11/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID: R352511