Merck KGaA Posted October 2, 2026

Operational Excellence Lead

Norwood, Ohio, United States Full time
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Merck KGaA is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Work Your Magic with us!  Start your next chapter and join MilliporeSigma.

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

This role does not offer sponsorship for work authorization. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US.

Your Role:

We are seeking an experienced Operational Excellence Lead to join our ISCO (Integrated Supply Chain Operations) Excellence Team. You will lead Operational Excellence (OpEx) activities at the Norwood, Miamisburg, and Cleveland sites.  This includes coordinating OpEx related initiatives at the site, building OpEx project portfolio, managing resources, driving project execution, and implementing best practices and knowledge transfer across the organization. The ideal candidate should have a proven record of accomplishment in implementing and inspiring an organization for daily continuous improvement using their knowledge of lean manufacturing.  This is an on-site role based out of the Norwood site with time allocated to the Miamisburg and Cleveland sites as well.

As the Operational Excellence Lead, you will be responsible for:

Partnerships and collaboration 

Function as main Point of Contact (POC) for all OpEx related activities at the sites and as key partner for the site heads

Collaborate with ISCO Excellence Execution project managers to coordinate project executions at the sites

Function as site link to the ISCO Excellence PMO & Analytics function to provide inputs supporting e.g., standardized reports of savings and project progress

Collaborate with the ISCO Excellence LS Production System roll-out site leads, external partners & global team (e.g., support with implementation of specific tools, coaching, progress tracking, culture building)

Collaborate with ISCO Academy to support building and delivering OpEx learning curriculum

Site performance management

Work together with the site leadership teams to jointly define the site master plan (including LS Production System development plan to targeted future state in terms of next levels and/or certification) and to provide status updates on OpEx related topics (e.g., project progress)

Collect, analyze, and report data of current OpEx related projects to the site leaders (either own reports or insights provided by PMO & Analytics function on basis of collected data)

Ensure definition and implementation of governance aspects including solid project charters & execution plans for each OpEx project with appropriate risk management

Portfolio management, capability steering and knowledge transfer

Build the OpEx project portfolio for the sites to achieve site targets (safety, quality, supply, people & cost) and prioritize within OpEx project portfolio as part of the site leadership teams

Drive specific projects at the sites

Ensure resource availability for project execution and manage belt resources at the sites assuring that site master plan targets / expected impact are achieved

Implement best practices from other OpEx teams, and communicate own successes with other local OpEx and ISCO Excellence as well as the communities of excellence

Bridge knowledge gaps in projects by requesting and managing / developing additionally required capabilities

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Scientific discipline.

5+ years of demonstrated record of accomplishment in site operations preferred with experience in process/product engineering and in implementing improvement initiatives with impactful results, preferably in a leading position

Lean Six Sigma Belt certification required

Preferred Qualifications:

Practical Lean Six Sigma experience

Experience in deployment of holistic production systems preferred

Industrial engineering / engineering / supply chain / business administration degree / background

Black Belt certification preferred

Project Management certification preferred

Strong interpersonal and communication skills, results-driven mentality, experience in leading teams (leading without authority), capable to zoom in and out (big picture and detail mindset)

Ability to partner with a leadership team to refine goals and translate into an overall initiative plan

Pay Range for this position: $98,500 - $156,700

The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance-based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites. For more information click here .

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Norwood, Ohio, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 2561 comparable Manufacturing & CMC roles across 172 biopharma companies.

2561Comparable roles tracked
2292Currently active
172Companies hiring similar roles
54Countries represented

Salary context

674 of 2561 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject $98,500/yr – $156,700/yr
Lowest disclosed · Associate Director, Digital Scientific Workflows · Merck $0/hr – $0/hr (≈ $0–$0/yr)
Highest disclosed · Executive Director, CMC Regulatory Science · ModernaTX, Inc. $224,900/yr – $404,600/yr
Peer group range $0 – $314,750 (median $122,924)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 2561 comparable roles

United States1242
India173
Germany128
France93
Ireland90
Netherlands82

+ 48 more countries

Seniority mix

1167 of 2561 peers have a known seniority level

Senior328
Manager268
Associate149
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc130
Principal88
Director83
Associate Director79
Senior Director35
Executive/VP7

Therapeutic area mix

11 of 2561 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease7
Rare Disease2
Dermatology & Aesthetics1
Oncology1

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How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.