Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of .

Free medical coverage for employees* via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO

An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution

Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.

A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.

A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a dynamic leader to drive Operational Excellence at our Des Plaines, IL facility. This role is pivotal in enhancing our business processes and delivering sustainable, high-impact results through collaboration and innovation.

The position is responsible for creating and leading the advancement of Operational Excellence principles and practices across the site through internal and external collaborations, delivering high impact sustainable business results.

Abbott Molecular Diagnostics is at the forefront of molecular diagnostics, specializing in the analysis of DNA, RNA, and proteins. We are committed to advancing healthcare through innovative solutions.

What You’ll Do:

Lead Business Excellence: Spearhead the Business Excellence program, ensuring alignment with our Business Unit’s strategy and meeting established guidelines and metrics.

Drive Transformational Change: Engage factory personnel in Operational Excellence tools and methodologies, including RCA training, Lean principles, and Value Stream Mapping. Develop and implement Yellow Belt and Green Belt programs.

Deliver Lean Sigma Projects: Utilize the DMAIC process to improve customer satisfaction, quality, cycle time, and cost efficiency. Coordinate improvements with senior management and project teams.

Promote Best Practices: Support and promote Operational Excellence practices, such as Shingo methodologies, and perform benchmarking to identify improvement opportunities.

What You’ll Work On

Lead and coordinate complex, high-impact projects within the plant.

Identify and financially justify new projects, manage team activities, and track project status and results.

Recruit and develop team members, ensuring continuous skill development.

Educate visitors on Business Excellence methodologies and participate in multi-divisional councils.

Organize and lead training sessions for plant personnel.

Responsible for leading the site's Operational Excellence initiatives, including but not limited to the following; 5S Program, Gemba Program, Class A and Shingo methodology.

Drive for transformational change by engaging personnel in the usage of Operational Excellence tools & methodologies thereby extending their usage

In addition:

Deliver Lean Sigma projects according to the DMAIC process that will improve our ability to meet customer expectations, improve quality, reduce cycle time and reduce costs. Coordinate the improvements with senior management, appropriate project teams and Process Owners to ensure projects are integrated with the business strategy, other business processes and improvement projects.

Support and promote other Operational Excellence practices for example Shingo should the business desire.

Perform Internal and external benchmarking to measure success and identify improvement opportunities for the site

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree (preferably in Engineering or Life Sciences, STEM) is required or extensive equivalent experience.

Demonstrated highly developed facilitation skills, ability to resolve conflict. Background of successfully leading large cross functional projects or programs. Ability to translate strategies into practical goals.

Practical knowledge of modern operational excellence tools and programs such as Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Class A and similar methodologies.

Must have the ability to understand and direct statistical analysis.

5+ years of experience across the areas of manufacturing operations, manufacturing support systems, quality operations, project management, or continuous improvement functions.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience leading project teams is required. Candidate should be an Abbott certified Green Belt or should possess the skills to obtain such status.

MBA with emphasis in Operations or Quality Management a plus.

Should have thorough knowledge of Abbott manufacturing and planning processes or external equivalents.

Prior supervisory experience is a plus.

Should have solid project management skills and team leadership skills.

Should have knowledge of other functions that provide inputs regularly, i.e., Research and Development, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Operations, Marketing.

Candidate should be an Abbott certified Green Belt or should possess the skills to obtain such status.

* Participants who complete a short wellness assessment qualify for FREE coverage in our HIP PPO medical plan. Free coverage applies in the next calendar year.

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives:  www.abbottbenefits.com

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.

The base pay for this position is $95,000.00 – $190,000.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.