Manager I, Operational Excellence

This is where your work makes a difference.

At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond.

Our Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results.

Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride. 

Job Summary

At Baxter Healthcare Corporation, the Manager I, Operational Excellence, plays a pivotal role in driving the deployment of Operational Excellence (OpEx) programs at our site. This position is crafted for an ambitious leader who excels in process improvement and project management. You will work closely with department management to improve processes and develop support and deployment plans, ensuring flawless execution and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the rollout of the OpEx program within operations functions.
• Ensure each applicable function has OpEx support infrastructure and a deployment plan.
• Work together with department management to identify how OpEx can support their ongoing improvement efforts.
• Develop and carry out an OpEx team support and deployment plan.
• Assist in coordinating and developing the organization's OpEx deployment plan.
• Establish baseline and target metrics for key processes with leadership.
• Install organizational supports for Operational Excellence.
• Coach and mentor site-wide Black Belt and Green Belt candidates.
• Handle several projects while exhibiting expertise in planning, budgeting, and project management.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary groups, demonstrating effective negotiating and influencing abilities.
• Develop and present training materials and facilitate workshops.

Training and Growth of Site Employees

• Develop and carry out training programs to educate site employees on OpEx principles, tools, and methodologies, including Lean principles, Six Sigma methodologies, and quality standards.
• Provide training and mentoring on LEAN manufacturing principles such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Kaizen events, and Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
• Deliver training sessions on process improvement, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Coordinate with department managers to assess training needs and formulate training plans.
• Offer ongoing coaching and mentoring to support professional development and improve skills and knowledge.
• Maintain a training schedule to ensure all site employees have access to training and development opportunities.

Required Education and Experience

• BS/BA degree in Business Management, Engineering, or a related field.
• Certified Black Belt with strong understanding of LEAN Manufacturing principles.
• Minimum of 5 years of business operations and/or plant manufacturing or engineering experience, including 3+ years of demonstrated process improvement success.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Skilled in managing various projects and exhibiting planning, budgeting, and project management proficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional groups.
• Strong skills in negotiation and persuasion.
• Excellent reading, writing, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical and statistical problem-solving skills.
• Strong mentoring and facilitation skills.
• Experience with Lean tools and approaches like Kanban, Heijunka, and Poka-Yoke.
• Experience with quality standards like ISO 9001 and cGMP.
• Knowledge of Six Sigma techniques including DMAIC and DMADV.

Certification and Training Requirements

• Six Sigma Black Belt certification, Master Black Belt preferred.
• Practical experience with LEAN tools and methodologies.
• Familiarity with quality standards, established operational guidelines, and current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).

Performance Metrics and Evaluation

• Site employee training and development measurements.
• Metrics from the OpEx program implementation, like process improvements and expense savings.
• Leadership and management indicators, such as employee engagement and retention rates.
• Quality metrics, including defect rates and customer happiness scores.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Overtime as required.
• Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. At Baxter, we are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices. The base salary range for this position is $128,000 - $160,000. We may pay more or less than of the anticipated range based upon market data and other factors, all of which are subject to change. Individual pay is based on upon location, skills and expertise, experience, and other relevant factors. For questions about this, our pay philosophy, and available benefits, please speak to the recruiter if you decide to apply and are selected for an interview.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are un-able to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

US Benefits at Baxter (except for Puerto Rico)

This is where your well-being matters. Baxter offers comprehensive compensation and benefits packages for eligible roles. Our health and well-being benefits include medical and dental coverage that start on day one, as well as insurance coverage for basic life, accident, short-term and long-term disability, and business travel accident insurance. Financial and retirement benefits include the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), with the ability to purchase company stock at a discount, and the 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), with options for employee contributions and company matching. We also offer Flexible Spending Accounts, educational assistance programs, and time-off benefits such as paid holidays, paid time off ranging from 20 to 35 days based on length of service, family and medical leaves of absence, and paid parental leave. Additional benefits include commuting benefits, the Employee Discount Program, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and childcare benefits. Join us and enjoy the competitive compensation and benefits we offer to our employees. For additional information regarding Baxter US Benefits, please speak with your recruiter or visit our Benefits site: Benefits | Baxter

Equal Employment Opportunity

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

Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal

Reasonable Accommodations

Baxter is 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 click on the link here and let us know the nature of your request along with your contact information.

Recruitment Fraud Notice

Baxter has discovered incidents of employment scams, where fraudulent parties pose as Baxter employees, recruiters, or other agents, and engage with online job seekers in an attempt to steal personal and/or financial information. To learn how you can protect yourself, review our Recruitment Fraud Notice.