Associate Director Lean Deployment

BioTalent is partnering with a leading life sciences manufacturer to appoint an Associate Director, Lean Deployment, to lead and elevate the organisation’s Continuous Improvement strategy across its New Castle, Delaware operations.

This is a high-impact role responsible for driving a culture of sustainable change by developing, embedding, and championing Lean and Continuous Improvement methodologies. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with site leadership and a global continuous improvement peer network to improve manufacturing and back-office processes while shaping long-term Lean strategy and deployment.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with site leadership to develop and execute a site-wide Continuous Improvement roadmap within the organisation’s Lean Operating System.
• Lead transformation initiatives across critical operational areas.
• Facilitate Structured Problem Solving and Value Stream Mapping to guide teams through analysis, planning, and implementation.
• Build and enhance tiered visual and daily management systems that enable effective operational oversight.
• Plan and facilitate kaizen events that drive measurable, sustainable improvements.
• Identify and eliminate waste across transactional and manufacturing processes to increase efficiency and reduce cost.
• Deliver both formal and informal training on Lean and CI tools including Daily Management, Problem Solving, 6S, SMED, Kanban, OEE, and line efficiency.
• Coach and develop employees at all levels to expand Lean capability and CI mindsets.
• Challenge existing processes to elevate performance and drive continuous, sustainable improvement.
• Support improvements across other sites or functions as needed.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Proven ability to engage leaders and shop-floor teams in Lean deployment.
• Demonstrated history of delivering sustainable results through CI initiatives.
• Practical experience in Lean Manufacturing and the deployment of a Lean Operating System.
• Strong knowledge of value stream improvement tools (e.g., SMED, 6S, Visual Management, Daily Management, standard work).
• Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt certification or equivalent preferred.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Proficiency in advanced statistical and Six Sigma techniques is an advantage.
• PMP certification or similar project management credentials preferred.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office and Visio.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, coaching, and problem-solving skills.

Reach out to for more information.