Lead Operation Excellence Specialist

Johnson Matthey

$90K — $120K *
Devon, PA 19333In-Person
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-10 years experience in Operational Excellence or related fields
  • Proven track record of leading improvement initiatives with measurable outcomes
  • Expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving techniques
  • Strong analytical skills with a focus on data interpretation
  • Experience in manufacturing or operational environments
  • Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing abilities
  • Strong communication and facilitation skills

Responsibilities

  • Identify and prioritize operational improvement opportunities with site management
  • Lead and support key operational excellence initiatives across sites
  • Deliver measurable improvements in productivity, efficiency, and quality
  • Facilitate targeted improvement activities like Kaizen events and workshops
  • Conduct root cause analysis to identify and resolve performance issues
  • Assess operational practices to enhance maturity and capabilities
  • Share best practices and develop continuous improvement abilities within teams

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
  • Retirement Savings (401K Match and additional employer contribution)
  • 20 days annual PTO
  • Life and Disability Insurance
  • Tuition Assistance
  • Parental Leave
  • Wellbeing Programs and Incentives
Full Job Description
The Lead Operational Excellence Specialist plays a key role in driving continuous improvement and operational performance across CA Devon, US. Supporting Region OPEX Manager by Working closely with site leadership, site teams and other functions, the role identifies operational priorities, leads or supports key improvement programs, and delivers tangible outcomes that enhance operational performance and maturity. The role combines hands-on improvement work with analytical problem solving, helping sites address performance challenges and deliver tangible Operational Excellence savings. They will embed best practices, achieve the required operational maturity, and strengthen capabilities through the structured JM Production System (JMPS). The specialist will contribute directly to site strategy delivery, facilitate knowledge sharing across the region, and apply data-driven methods to improve processes, productivity, quality, and reliability.

The Role:

As the Lead Operational Excellence Specialist, you will help drive our goals by:

Operational Excellence Delivery
  • Identify operational priorities and improvement opportunities in partnership with site management, functions and Site & Region operations leaders
  • Lead or support key operational excellence programs and improvement initiatives across site
  • Deliver measurable improvements in operational performance, including productivity, efficiency, quality, safety and cost
  • Support the execution of Site operational excellence roadmaps and priorities


Site Strategy & Improvement Execution
  • Partner with site leadership teams to support the delivery of site strategies through targeted improvement initiatives
  • Facilitate and lead improvement activities such as Kaizen events, value stream analysis, and structured problem-solving workshops as per Site OPEX Delivery plan
  • Ensure improvement initiatives translate into sustainable changes to processes, systems, and behaviors


Analytical & Technical Problem Solving
  • Lead expert ideation sessions to generate and evaluate improvement opportunities
  • Conduct root cause analysis to address operational issues and performance gaps
  • Apply data analytics and performance insights to identify process improvement opportunities


Operational Maturity & Production System
  • Improve operational maturity of Site through adoption and consistent application of the structured production system (JMPS) following deployment roadmap framework at Shop Floor
  • Assess current operational practices and identify opportunities to strengthen operational maturity and capabilities at site
  • Embed appropriate standardized tools, processes, and governance aligned with the production system


Best Practice Sharing & Capability Building, Promotion & Recognition
  • Adopt & Deploy operational best practices from sites & industry at Devon site
  • Support the development of continuous improvement capabilities within site teams through training, coaching and facilitation
  • Contribute to building a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement at Devon Site
  • Promote the Site Achievement internally & globally at JM using variety of comms platform, also celebrating success by developing & deploying recognitions programs at site.


Key Skills that will help you succeed in this role:
  • Experience in Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement, Operations or related roles
  • Demonstrated ability to program manage, lead or support improvement initiatives with measurable results
  • Experience applying structured problem-solving techniques and continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma)
  • Strong process, analytical and data interpretation skills
  • Experience working in operational or production environments (e.g., manufacturing, logistics, operations)
  • Structured problem solving and analytical thinking
  • Strong stakeholder engagement, collaboration, and influencing skills
  • Excellent communication and facilitation skills
  • Strong internal and external customer focus with the ability to negotiate and prioritize deadlines accordingly


Even if you only match some of the skills, we'd love to hear from you to discuss further!

What we offer:

We make sure salaries are fair, competitive and aligned to individual roles, experience and responsibilities. We also support hybrid and flexible working and offer comprehensive employee benefits , including health, life, disability and retirements plans that support our employees' financial and physical wellbeing, such as:
  • Retirement Savings (401K Match, plus an additional Employer Contribution)
  • 20 days annual PTO (varies for shift- based roles)
  • Life and Disability Insurance
  • Health Insurance (Medical, Prescription, Dental and Vision)
  • Voluntary Benefits
  • Wellbeing Programs and Incentives
  • Tuition Assistance
  • Parental Leave


Ready to make a meaningful impact on your career and the environment? Join us and help shape a sustainable future while advancing your career!

#JMUS

#LI-DJK2

To submit your application, please click the "Apply" button online.

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