Executive Vice President of Operational Excellence

Role overview

The Executive Vice President of Operational Excellence is a senior enterprise leader charged with improving performance across the organization through stronger processes, higher productivity, better quality, faster execution, safer operations, and improved customer outcomes. This position owns the company-wide operational excellence agenda and ensures that strategy turns into measurable business impact.

The role is centered on Lean transformation, business process optimization, digital operations, and enterprise performance management. It is suited to an executive who can lead large-scale change, influence the C-suite, and build a lasting culture of continuous improvement.

Reporting structure and scope

This position reports to the Chief Executive Officer, President, or Chief Operating Officer. The EVP oversees senior operational excellence leaders, continuous improvement vice presidents, transformation office directors, business process optimization teams, enterprise PMO functions, digital transformation leaders, and related enterprise improvement groups.

Key responsibilities

• Create and run the global strategy for operational excellence.
• Connect improvement programs to corporate priorities and financial objectives.
• Set enterprise standards for performance, efficiency, and quality.
• Advise executive leadership and the board on operational results and transformation opportunities.
• Strengthen a company-wide culture of continuous improvement.
• Redesign core business processes from end to end and remove unnecessary complexity.
• Eliminate duplication, inefficiency, and fragmented workflows.
• Build standardized operating procedures across business units and geographies.
• Improve cycle time, throughput, and overall service delivery.
• Develop scalable operating models that support growth and efficiency.
• Lead Lean Enterprise, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Agile, and related performance programs.
• Establish continuous improvement systems across the enterprise.
• Lower waste, defects, downtime, and process variation.
• Improve key operational metrics through disciplined execution.
• Create enterprise-wide performance frameworks and executive scorecards.
• Track and govern KPIs such as cost efficiency, productivity, quality, defects, customer satisfaction, on-time delivery, and throughput.
• Hold leadership teams accountable for results.
• Direct major transformation initiatives across the organization.
• Redesign operating models and organizational structures where needed.
• Lead change management efforts for enterprise-wide shifts.
• Support mergers, acquisitions, and post-merger integration activities.
• Increase organizational agility and responsiveness.
• Guide adoption of digital tools and intelligent operations technologies including AI, RPA, IIoT, advanced analytics, business intelligence, ERP modernization, digital twins, and predictive modeling.
• Promote data-driven decision-making and reduce manual work through automation.
• Identify enterprise cost-reduction opportunities and execute savings programs.
• Improve EBITDA through operational efficiency gains.
• Optimize use of labor, materials, assets, and capital.
• Enhance profitability across business units through better operating discipline.
• Strengthen quality management, compliance, and enterprise risk controls.
• Improve audit readiness, governance, safety, and regulatory adherence.
• Elevate customer experience by reducing delays, errors, and service disruptions.
• Improve responsiveness, reliability, and alignment with customer expectations.
• Work closely with Finance, Operations, HR, Supply Chain, IT, Sales, and Engineering to remove silos and improve execution.
• Align cross-functional initiatives with company strategy and support executive decision-making with operational insight.
• Lead global operational excellence teams, develop high-performing leaders, and build succession plans.
• Mentor senior transformation and operations executives while reinforcing accountability and continuous improvement.

Qualifications and experience

A bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related field is required. An MBA or master’s degree is strongly preferred.

The ideal candidate brings 15 to 20+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, manufacturing, consulting, healthcare, energy, or enterprise transformation, including at least 10 years in senior executive roles. A strong history of leading large-scale transformation and operational excellence programs is essential, along with experience managing global, multi-site organizations and steering financial, operational, and strategic priorities.

Industry exposure

Experience across manufacturing, energy, healthcare, logistics, technology, pharmaceuticals, automotive, aerospace, utilities, consumer goods, financial services, or large global enterprises is relevant for this role.