Vice President of Operational Excellence

About the Role

The Vice President of Operational Excellence plays a pivotal leadership role accountable for the comprehensive optimization and ongoing enhancement of the organization's operational management system. This position leads the development and execution of the operational excellence strategy alongside business process reengineering initiatives, lean practices, and interdepartmental efficiency improvements.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the overarching strategy for operational excellence and craft medium- to long-term improvement plans aligned with corporate objectives.
• Transition operational management from experience-based approaches to standardized, process-driven, and data-informed systems.
• Lead reengineering and optimization of fundamental business processes utilizing continuous improvement strategies like Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen to eradicate waste and raise efficiency, quality, and delivery standards.
• Implement company-wide cost optimization methods to enhance resource allocation, reduce operational expenses, boost profit margins, and improve asset utilization.
• Establish uniform operational standards and quality management frameworks including SOPs; drive replication of best practices to increase customer satisfaction and organizational consistency.
• Oversee deployment of digital operational tools such as ERP, MES, and BI platforms; define critical KPIs and utilize data analytics for informed management decisions and ongoing improvement.
• Coordinate cross-departmental initiatives involving Production, Supply Chain, Sales, Finance, and HR; create and lead an Operational PMO or Excellence Office to propel key change projects and strategic operational endeavors.
• Build and nurture a high-performing operational excellence team skilled in lean methodologies and foster a culture embracing continuous improvement throughout the company.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or related discipline. An MBA and certifications such as Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt are preferred.
• More than 20 years in operations management, process improvement, or continuous improvement roles; minimum 15 years in senior leadership positions.
• Demonstrable success establishing operational excellence frameworks in large organizations.
• Experience in manufacturing, supply chain, or expansive service enterprises, ideally with global or multi-regional operation exposure.
• Knowledge of digital transformation initiatives, smart manufacturing, or managing enterprise-level operations transformation offices is advantageous.