Operational Excellence Leader

This is a role where you save and sustain lives

At Baxter, we are deeply connected by our mission. No matter your role at Baxter, your work makes a positive impact on people around the world. You'll feel a sense of purpose throughout the organization, as we know our work improves outcomes for millions of patients.

Baxter's products and therapies are found in almost every hospital worldwide, in clinics and in the home. For over 85 years, we have pioneered significant medical innovations that transform healthcare.

We create a place where we are happy, successful and inspire each other. This is where you can do your best work.

You will join us at the intersection of saving and sustaining lives—where your purpose accelerates our mission.

This role is open to applicants based in Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane.

We are looking for an Operational Excellence Manager to support leadership across all levels of the network of seven compounding facilities across ANZ and lead a cultural shift from being reactive firefighting to a being proactive , using a scientific approach to problem solving.

In this exciting opportunity you will not only enforce change but rather coaching, influencing and enabling teams at every level, from frontline operators to facility compounding managers to embrace a new way of thinking, acting behaving and leading that is aligned with Toyota Production System (TPS) and Baxter Operating System (BOS).

You will lead ANZ Operations Transformation team in the adoption of BOS and implementation of efficiency projects.

Key Responsibilities

Coach scientific thinking by embedding the Baxter Operating System (BOS) and problem-solving principles across all levels, with a focus on leadership.

Lead and mentor the ANZ Operations Transformation team, offering guidance in the implementation of BOS and continuous improvement projects.

Support Continuous Improvement (CI) champions by mentoring them to grow into influential change agents for proactive problem identification.

Develop leadership capabilities by working closely with frontline leaders to build coaching skills, fostering a culture of learning, reflection, and experimentation.

Drive a cultural shift towards proactive problem-solving, addressing process bottlenecks, and achieving required outputs with long-term system stability.

Lead by example, practicing scientific thinking, Kata, and daily problem solving.

Create stability by guiding the development and standardization of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in every process.

Support cross-site learning by identifying and scaling standard methodologies across sites.

Establish meaningful metrics with senior leadership to reflect learning, engagement, and progress towards scientific thinking.

Assist in linking visual management tools with problem identification.

Be visible and practical by spending time on the shop floor, understanding operational challenges and opportunities.

Inspire and influence rather than dictate, cultivating curiosity and intrinsic motivation for improvement at every level.

Mentor project leads in applying BOS problem-solving techniques to drive sustainable improvement initiatives and foster a committed culture.

Qualifications & Experience

A tertiary qualification in Science or Engineering field.

Minimum of 3 years of experience in manufacturing management or manufacturing engineering.

A proven track record in lean transformation with a deep understanding of TPS, Toyota Kata, or equivalent tools and methodologies.

Experience in coaching leaders through daily improvement routines.

Strong influencing skills and ability to lead change without direct authority.

Analytical, curious, and strong written communication skills.

A natural coach and storyteller, able to connect with individuals at all levels.

Patient, persistent, and capable of challenging constructively.

Comfortable in environments with low lean maturity and high daily pressure.

Passionate about developing others and leaving a legacy of capability and improvement culture.

Why Us?

We strive to create a positive work environment where everyone feels valued and respected. We prioritize collaboration and strong relationships, fostering reliability, ethics, empathy, and open-mindedness. Inclusion, diversity, and gender equality are central to our organization.

We are recognized as an Inclusive Employer by the Diversity Council of Australia. We also commit to delivering support structures for working families; stronger actions to address pay inequalities; and strategic recruitment and promotion practices that help to encourage the full participation of all people at work.

We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status, or any other status protected by law. We encourage applicants of all ages.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability / handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities globally. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or interview process, please let us know the nature of your request along with your contact information.

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