Head of Operational Excellence (w/m/d)

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Job Description

Head of Operational Excellence (f/m/d)

with focus on Lean Manufacturing & Business Performance

As core member of the Business Excellence team in Vienna, you will lead the site’s Lean transformation with a clear mandate: deliver measurable operational and financial improvements and build a culture where continuous improvement is embedded in daily work. You will guide a team of Operational Excellence Champions, partner with site leadership, and ensure that Lean initiatives directly support the site’s strategic priorities and COP (Core Operating Profit) targets.

How you will contribute:

Lead the Lean Transformation & Deliver Results

• Own the implementation and sustainability of Lean Manufacturing, ensuring every initiative is tied to clear business outcomes such as cost reduction, productivity gains, improved flow, and quality performance.
• Act on the clear mandate to challenge priorities, stop low-impact activities, and reallocate resources to maximize value creation.
• Lead and develop a team of six Lean/Operational Excellence Champions, setting expectations for quantifiable impact and holding the team accountable for delivering results.
• Drive strong engagement with the Senior Leadership Team and site employees by clearly communicating how Lean activities contribute to operational performance and financial targets.
• Translate the Site Strategy into a Lean roadmap with measurable KPIs, milestones, and expected value creation.
• Ensure Lean projects are properly resourced and prioritized based on business impact.
• Design and lead multi-year improvement journeys, selecting and combining Lean methods based on business need—not methodology preference.
• Strengthen KPI management: define meaningful targets, ensure data integrity, and drive regular performance reviews using Lean visual management and problem‑solving routines.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Act as a trusted thought partner to the Site Leadership Team and Unit Heads on operational performance, cost competitiveness, and execution discipline
• Partner closely with Quality to execute Lean projects that improve compliance, reduce deviations, and enhance right‑first‑time performance.
• Align Lean practices with regional and global standards, ensuring the site contributes to and benefits from shared best practices.
• Promote active participation in Lean Communities of Practice to accelerate learning and standardization.

Lean Roadmap & Strategy Deployment

• Co‑create a balanced, impact‑oriented Lean roadmap with site and functional leaders, ensuring alignment with annual business objectives.
• Integrate all Lean workstreams (problem solving, visual management, standard work, TPM, flow optimization) and highlight cross‑functional synergies.
• Support strategy deployment (Hoshin Kanri) to ensure improvement activities directly support site priorities and performance commitments.

Coaching & Capability Building

• Build Lean capabilities across the site through structured training, coaching, and on‑the‑floor support, ensuring teams can independently sustain improvements.
• Coach Lean leadership behaviors (Gemba, daily management, structured problem solving) to strengthen accountability and performance ownership.
• Foster a culture where employees proactively identify waste, solve problems, and contribute to measurable improvements.

What you bring to Takeda:

• Master’s degree in a technical field or business required.
• Deep, hands-on experience in project deployment, with demonstrated project results.
• Extensive experience in a Quality, Supply, Supply Chain, or Operations environment required; experience in the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences industry is desirable.
• Demonstrated passion for challenging the status quo and a self-driven approach to improving the business.
• Demonstrated ability to link operational improvements to P&L impact and financial decision-making.
• Courage of conviction and openness to critical feedback.
• A positive, resilient leader, comfortable networking and connecting with people.
• Track record of making and standing by difficult prioritization or stop decisions.
• Exceptional coaching, teaching, presentation (oral and written), and facilitation skills.
• Courage to make difficult decisions and/or recommendations.
• Ability and confidence to provide coaching and feedback at all levels of the organization, including superiors.
• Excellent listening skills and emotional intelligence.
• A systematic thinker with strong knowledge of business processes.
• Flexible and learning-agile, with the ability to assimilate new knowledge and standards quickly.
• Advanced knowledge of lean management and problem-solving methodologies (Lean  Six Sigma…etc).
• Fluent written and spoken German and English language skills, with strong presentation skills.

In this position you will report directly to the Head of Business Excellence. This role is for leaders who enjoy being measured on outcomes, not activity—and who are comfortable being uncomfortable while driving change.

What we offer you:

A competitive remuneration package with a minimum salary of € 5.598,85 gross per month (full-time, collective wage agreement for the chemical industry) - the actual salary is higher and depends on your professional experience and qualifications.

• Awards as a Great Place To Work and certified family-friendly company

• Hybrid working and flexible scheduling where possible

• Comprehensive learning and training opportunities, and a mentoring program

• Diverse development programs (talent program, trainee program, apprenticeship program)

• Internal job rotations within the company, in Austria and abroad

• Employee referral and recognition programs; employee stock purchase plan

• Active participation in various network groups (e.g., Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Sustainability)

• A wide range of health offerings (e.g., free vaccinations, psychological counseling, massages)

• Fitness offerings

• Company events and celebrations

• Company canteen with subsidized prices

• Company childcare / bilingual on-site daycare (company kindergarten)

• Great public transport connections

• Company bike leasing program (JobRad)

More About Us:

Takeda is a patient-focused, values-based, R&D-driven global biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to people worldwide. Our passion and pursuit of potentially life-transforming treatments for patients are deeply rooted in over 240 years of distinguished history in Japan.

Make History, Change Futures.

We want to improve people’s health and create a better future for our world. We specialize in developing and manufacturing life-transforming medicines for people living with rare and complex diseases. We drive innovation and are pioneers in sustainable pharmaceutical production. In everything we do, patients, our employees, and the environment always come first.

How we will support you:

Takeda is proud of its commitment to create a diverse workforce and to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you are living with disabilities, chronic illness, or neurodiversity, please feel free to let us know so that we can provide you with appropriate support during the application process. 

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