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Director Operational Excellence Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Senior Director Operational Excellence

Chicago, IL · Remote

$146K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead and oversee Operational Excellence (OE) initiatives, driving continuous improvement efforts and fostering a culture of operational excellence across the organization. * Serve as an OE champion ...

Senior Director Operational Excellence

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$146K - $248K/yr

  • Medical

  • PTO

Lead and oversee Operational Excellence (OE) initiatives, driving continuous improvement efforts and fostering a culture of operational excellence across the organization. * Serve as an OE champion ...

Associate Director, Operational Excellence #4890

Durham, NC · On-site

$146K - $194K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

For more information, please visit grail.com The Associate Director, Operational Excellence is central to driving continuous improvement, operational rigor, and data-informed decision-making across ...

Associate Director, Operational Excellence #4890

Durham, NC · On-site

$146 - $194/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

The Associate Director, Operational Excellence is central to driving continuous improvement, operational rigor, and data-informed decision-making across laboratory and operational workflows. The ...

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Director Operational Excellence information

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$34K

$107.7K

$179.5K

How much do director operational excellence jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for director operational excellence in the United States is $107,680.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $75,500.00 and $135,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a director operational excellence?

A Director of Operational Excellence is responsible for driving continuous improvement initiatives across an organization to enhance efficiency, productivity, and quality. They develop strategies, implement best practices, and foster a culture of operational excellence using methodologies like Lean, Six Sigma, and process optimization. Their role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams, analyzing performance metrics, and identifying opportunities for improvement. By streamlining workflows and eliminating inefficiencies, they help the organization achieve cost savings and sustainable growth.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the director operational excellence position, and why are they important?

To excel as a Director Operational Excellence, you need a strong background in process improvement, project management, and strategic leadership, often supported by a relevant bachelor’s or master’s degree. Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, along with certifications like Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, is highly valued. Exceptional communication, change management, and analytical thinking skills help professionals drive transformation and gain buy-in from cross-functional teams. These qualifications are critical for successfully leading operational initiatives that enhance efficiency, quality, and business performance.

What are the main challenges a director operational excellence typically faces in the role?

Directors of Operational Excellence often encounter challenges such as breaking down organizational silos, managing resistance to change, and standardizing processes across diverse departments or regions. They must navigate complex stakeholder dynamics while implementing process improvements that may disrupt established habits and workflows. Success in this role requires balancing strategic vision with practical execution, ensuring improvements are sustainable and aligned with business goals. Strong leadership and the ability to influence at all levels of the organization are essential for overcoming these challenges.

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What cities are hiring for Director Operational Excellence jobs?

Cities with the most Director Operational Excellence job openings:

What are the most commonly searched types of Operational Excellence jobs?

The most popular types of Operational Excellence jobs are:

What states have the most Director Operational Excellence jobs?

States with the most job openings for Director Operational Excellence jobs include:

Infographic showing various Director Operational Excellence job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 94% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $107,680 per year, or $51.8 per hour.

Director, Operational Excellence

August-Bioservices

Nashville, TN • On-site

$140 - $190/hr

Other

Re-posted 2 days ago


Job description

August Bioservices isseekinga highly organized,systems-oriented, and execution-focused leader to establishand lead the company’scontinuous improvement program. This role willbe responsible foridentifyingopportunities to progress both efficiency and compliance,ensuring cross-functional coordination, operational readiness, schedule adherence, andtheexecution disciplinerequiredto support a rapidly scaling sterile injectable manufacturing organization.

This leader will serve as the central integrator across Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Planning, Training, Technical Operations, and Maintenance to ensure activitiesrequiredto execute manufacturing operations are proactively coordinated, visible, and completed on time.

This role will alsooverseecontinuous improvement initiatives, such as 5S, Kaizen, Gemba, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma.

This role will establish the operational management cadence, readiness governance, escalation processes, and performance visibility necessary to drive reliable execution and scalable operational performance across the organization.

This role is not responsible for directly managing manufacturing personnel. Instead, the role is accountable fordrivingcontinuous improvement, organizational readiness, execution coordination, dependency management, and operational accountability across functions. This position will report directly to the COO and will work closely with executive leadership across the organization.

Responsibilities Continuous Improvement and Executional Readiness Leadership
  • Establish and lead the company’scontinuous improvementprogramand leadcross-functionalcontinuous improvement initiatives
  • Develop and implement structured readiness reviews to ensure all prerequisites for successful execution are completed prior tothe start of planned activity
  • Coordinate cross-functional activitiesrequiredto support execution, including staffing, training, materials, documentation, equipment readiness, and quality support
  • Drive alignment between scheduling, staffing, material availability, and operational capabilities
  • Identifyexecution risks proactively and drive mitigation planning before operational impact occurs
  • Establish escalation mechanisms for readiness gaps, schedule risks, and execution barriers
Schedule Adherence & Dependency Management
  • Partner closely with Planning and Manufacturing leadership to improve schedule attainment and execution reliability
  • Ensure critical dependencies areidentified, tracked, and completed on time
  • Implement structured tracking of execution delays, schedule misses, and recurring operational constraints
  • Lead recovery planning efforts when schedule disruptions occur
  • Drive accountability for execution commitments across functions
  • Design and implement standardized operational management cadences including but not limited to: daily execution review meetings, readiness review meetings, deliverable reconciliation processes, escalation reviews, recovery planning sessions.
  • Implement mechanisms for visibility into incomplete work, execution bottlenecks, and resource constraints
Documentation & Investigation Performance
  • Partner with Quality and Manufacturing leadership to improve documentation completion timelines and investigation responsiveness
  • Implement performance tracking for: documentation completion cycle times, investigation aging, review timelines, recurring documentation errors, drive visibility and accountability around execution-impacting quality activities
Performance Visibility & Metrics
  • Develop operational dashboards and management reporting focused on: Schedule adherence, readiness status, execution delays, staffing coverage, documentation timeliness, investigation performance, productivity metrics, bottleneck analysis
  • Establish objective operational visibility and escalation mechanisms for leadership review
  • Utilize data and trend analysis toidentifyrecurring execution risks and improvement opportunities
Organizational Leadership
  • Serve as a cross-functional leader capable of influencing without direct authority
  • Build strong working relationships across all operational and support functions
  • Drive a culture of accountability, proactive communication, operational discipline, and execution ownership
  • Support organizational scaling efforts through implementation of structured operational systems and management practices
  • Maintain a visible presence within operational areas to understand challenges and drive alignment
Qualifications Required Experience
  • Bachelor’s degree inEngineering, Operations, Supply Chain,Basic Sciences, Business, or related field
  • 8+ years of experience in complex operational environments with increased leadership responsibility
  • Demonstrated success leading cross-functional execution, coordination,andoperational readiness initiativesthrough continuous improvement principles
  • Experience operating within highly regulated manufacturing environments
  • Strong experience implementing operational management systems, execution cadence, and accountability frameworks
  • Proven ability to manage complex dependencies and competing priorities across multiple functions
  • Experience utilizing metrics and operational data to drive performance improvements
Preferred Experience
  • Experience within sterile injectable pharmaceutical manufacturing, biologics, medicaldevice, or other highly regulated industries
  • Experience in CDMO or high-complexity manufacturing environments
  • Experience supporting rapid organizational scaling and operational maturity initiatives
  • Familiarity with GMP documentation systems, training systems, deviation management, and manufacturing scheduling processes
  • Continuous Improvement training and experience
Leadership Attributes
  • Exceptional organizational discipline and attention to detail
  • Strong systems thinking and operational problem-solving capabilities
  • Ability to drive accountability and follow-through across functions
  • Executive presence and composure under pressure
  • High sense of urgency balanced with sound judgment
  • Strong communicationand escalation management skills
  • Comfort operating within ambiguity and rapidly changing environments
  • Ability to influence without relying on formal authority
  • Data-driven decision-making and operational rigor
  • Relentless focus on execution reliability and organizational alignment
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