Site Operational Excellence Lead - Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC

Thanks for checking out our vacancy, we’re delighted you want to learn more about Dechra!

Dechra is a growing, global specialist within the world of veterinary pharmaceuticals. Our expertise is in the development, manufacture, marketing and sales of high quality products exclusively for veterinarians worldwide.

Here at Dechra, our values are embedded within our culture and thrive within our family of almost 2000 colleagues globally. From manufacturing to marketing, (D)edication, (E)njoyment, (C)ourage, (H)onesty, (R)elationships and (A)mbition are at the heart of our everyday operations and the way we do business

The Opportunity 

This role is combining essential Operational Excellence and Project Management Office responsibilities to support the delivery of the Fort Worth, TX site’s strategic plans and is responsible for driving change through implementation of the Dechra Production System (DPS) standards and coaching local management and team members to achieve incremental and step changes in the performance of the site in terms of Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost competitiveness while engaging and empowering the site employees.

So, what will you be doing? This role has a broad and varied scope and the successful candidate will have responsibility for duties including:

• As a key member of the Extended Site Leadership Team (ESLT) (reporting to the Site Director, dotted line report to the DPMS OPEX Lead) the role is accountable for :

• The application of DPS to develop the capability of all the Site personnel to implement routine (day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year) continuous improvement activities.
• To ensure the routine day to day activities result in a continuous improvement in the Site Performance towards the goals of Zero Harm, Zero Defects, Zero Waste & Zero Unplanned Breakdowns.
• To lead the ‘self-assessment’ of the Fort Worth site against the DPS maturity matrices and to lead to site to close any gaps.
• To coach / train the Site teams in the successful application of the DPS.
• Supporting the Site Director and Leadership team to define the site strategy, goals, developing the implementation plans and embedding / facilitating a robust governance program.

Accountabilities

• Work with Site Director and SLT to identify and agree the DPS implementation Priorities in alignment with the Fort Worth Site Strategic Plan
• Lead day to day deployment of the DPS as well as all related improvement activities at site level delivering business performance improvement on People, Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost metrics.
• Track progress of the site DPS deployment road-map and self-assess the site DPS maturity level. Agree with the SLT, DPMS OPEX Lead and Group functional leads targets for improvement.
• Deploy the training and capability building plan as agreed by the SLT & DPMS OPEX Lead
  • Define, deliver and support the required training.
  • Coach Site teams to develop and sustain continuous improvement mindsets
  • Support continuous capability development of self and other DPS change agents based at the site, using standard training modules developed within the DPS
• Drives continuous improvement programmes, using DPS tools & techniques, encouraging others to be challenging, creative and rigorous in their solutions. Fostering a no-blame culture where mistakes are learnt from and not repeated.
• Defines and embeds KPIs and processes to drive short term and long term improvement through application of DPS, across a balanced scorecard (P,S,Q,D,C) in all functions and value streams
• Ensures a routine, rigorous and robust reporting process is in use which effectively supports the timely resolution of issues and performance monitoring / trending.
• Coaches others in the definition and use of KPIs to achieve performance improvement.
• Coaches on the appropriate sourcing & use of data to drive effective & efficient decision making.  
• To be a role model, of Dechra Values and the DPS skills and behaviors, instilling passion and effectively coaching individuals and teams to the highest levels of performance.
• Provides active guidance for performance development of individuals and teams, creating sponsors / champions for the DPS.
• Benchmarking the Site performance against other sites / companies, identifying opportunities to “pinch with pride”, implementing best practices from others.
• Support the DPMS OPEX Lead with the design and updates of the DPS content i.e. Standards, handbook, assessment and templates etc

Here at Dechra we pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer and we embrace candidates from all walks of life. We’re particularly excited to hear from those who have/are:

• Degree in Science, Engineering or Business Management with experience in implementation of Operational Excellence initiatives
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt desired
• PMP certification preferred
• Minimum 5 years in Manufacturing /GMP environment
• Management of OpEx programs within a large organisation that drive commercial value highly desirable
• Strong commercial acumen /analytical capabilities and extracting insights from key operational metrics and data and creating robust action plans.
• Attention to detail and proven communications & planning skills.
• Ability to influence peers & business areas using verbal or written communication
• Strong stakeholder management at all leadership levels and across functions (e.g. business, commercial and finance)
• Excellent communication skills and stakeholder management skills.
• Evidence of driving a continuous improvement culture through a test and learn process including holding workshops to generate ideas and identify solutions.
• Worked in and understanding regulated markets.
• Fluency in Excel, PowerPoint,
• Highly organized, high energy, able to work at a high pace, a self-starter, who thrives under pressure in changing situations with deadlines.
• Ability to facilitate sessions with senior leadership

As a people first values-based culture, we offer a generous employer 401k match and an other incentives for long-term financial wellness. Our full array of health, financial and voluntary benefit programs are what you would expect from a recognized Best Place to Work.