Manager Operational Excellence

Job description

Job Title: Manager, Operational Excellence Location: Cherry Hill, New Jersey Job Type: Full-time About Us: As a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of essential medicines, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and its affiliates’ purpose is to put better health within reach, every day for millions of patients around the world. We are a trusted, reliable partner and dependable source of over 760 high-quality generic, specialty and branded pharmaceutical products that hospitals, physicians and pharmacists need to treat their patients across North America, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Through our global footprint of 30+ manufacturing plants, 8+ R&D centers, and 9,000+ empowered employees, we are committed to making high-quality medicines accessible to the people who need them. Description: We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We are seeking a talented and motivated Manager, Operational Excellence. In this role, you will be responsible for driving operational excellence across sterile manufacturing operations by ensuring processes are robust, compliant, and consistently executed. This role provides strategic governance and performance oversight for manufacturing flows, integrating continuous improvement with cGMP requirements. The position partners cross‑functionally to strengthen process capability, reduce performance risk, and maintain inspection readiness. Through leadership, data‑driven decision‑making, and disciplined execution, this role enables sustainable manufacturing performance and quality outcomes. Key Responsibilities: Own the end‑to‑end design, control, and performance of sterile manufacturing flows (SDV, MDV, PFS), ensuring processes are robust, compliant, scalable, and consistently executed. Define and execute the site manufacturing excellence strategy, translating business and quality objectives into actionable improvement roadmaps with measurable outcomes. Ensure all operational excellence and improvement initiatives are fully aligned with cGMP requirements, sterile processing standards, and internal quality systems. Establish and govern manufacturing performance KPIs (e.g., Right‑First‑Time, OEE, deviation trends, CAPA effectiveness) and drive accountability through routine performance reviews. Provide oversight and approval for manufacturing‑related investigations, ensuring root causes are addressed systemically and corrective actions are effective and sustainable. Serve as a primary subject matter owner during FDA and regulatory inspections for manufacturing performance, flow design, and continuous improvement effectiveness. Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, Validation, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment between process design, execution, and compliance requirements. Lead, coach, and develop Manufacturing Excellence team members, building technical depth, problem‑solving capability, and quality ownership across the organization. Qualifications: We value the skills and experiences candidates bring to the table. While we have listed some qualifications below, we encourage candidates to apply even if they do not meet all of them: Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field. Minimum: 4+ years of progressive experience in Pharmaceutical manufacturing, operations, or operational excellence roles. Ability to define and sustain a Manufacturing Excellence strategy aligned with business goals, quality objectives, and regulatory expectations Strong understanding of end‑to‑end sterile manufacturing flow design (SDV, MDV, PFS) and process governance Experience translating strategic objectives into actionable improvement roadmaps with measurable outcomes Proficiency using manufacturing and quality data analytics to drive decision‑making and risk reduction Ability to interpret and trend KPIs such as Right‑First‑Time (RFT), OEE, deviation rates, yield, and CAPA effectiveness Skill in leveraging dashboards, data visualization, and trend analysis to identify performance gaps and systemic issues Strong understanding of data integrity principles in a GMP environment Strong capability in structured problem‑solving, root cause analysis, and risk‑based decision‑making Experience overseeing manufacturing investigations and ensuring systemic, sustainable CAPAs Ability to assess and manage risk related to process changes, flow modifications, and scale‑up activities Proven ability to lead cross‑functional teams across Manufacturing, Quality, Validation, MS&T, and Supply Chain Strong stakeholder management skills, including influencing without direct authority Ability to align technical, operational, and quality priorities into a unified execution model Experience leading and developing Operational Excellence, CI, and Data Analytics resources Preferred Qualifications: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Preferred. Master’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business (MBA), or Quality Compensation: Base Salary : $92,850 to $158,450 annually. The compensation for this position will be determined during the interview process and will vary based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, work location, prior experience and job-related knowledge, relevant skills and expertise, current business needs, and market factors. The Talent Acquisition team can provide more details about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process. What We Offer*: Annual performance bonus, commission, and share potential Auto enrollment in a Hikma-sponsored 401(k) program at a pre-tax contribution rate of 3% of eligible pay. Hikma will match 100% of the first 6% of eligible pay that you contribute A generous paid time off (PTO) bank starting with 20 days (prorated based on hire date). Additional days granted upon reaching work milestone anniversaries 3 personal days (prorated based on hire date) 11 company paid holidays Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, vision, mental health, disability, life insurance, prescription drug coverage, and a variety of voluntary benefits Employee discount program Wellbeing rewards program Safety and Quality is a top organizational priority Career advancement and growth opportunities Tuition reimbursement Paid maternity and parental leave *Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and depend on the job classification, role, and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change as well as specific plan or program terms. Recruiters: Please note that Hikma has a set roster of approved recruiters for specific roles agreed to in advance and does not accept unsolicited resumes or calls from third-party recruiters or employment agencies regarding open positions. In the absence of a signed agreement and approval from Hikma’s Human Resources department to submit resumes for a specific position, Hikma will not approve, nor will be under an obligation to make, any payment to such non-approved third-parties in the event a candidate they refer is hired by Hikma. Equal Opportunity Employer: Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.