Director, Operational Excellence

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Cochlear’s mission is to help people hear and be heard. As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear is dedicated to helping people with moderate to profound hearing loss experience a world full of sound. We aim to transform the way people understand and treat hearing loss and innovate to connect people with future technologies. Our employees tell us that the number one reason they enjoy working for Cochlear is the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives. Learn and grow with us as we tackle the most complex challenges in helping more people to experience a lifetime of hearing.

The Opportunity

Cochlear is looking for a Director, Operational Excellence to lead the continued deployment and evolution of our Operational Excellence strategy across our global manufacturing network.

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity to drive the execution and evolution of Cochlear’s Operational Excellence roadmap, driving sustainable improvements across the Cochlear Manufacturing System, continuous improvement, Lean practices and organisational capability.

Working across a global, multi-site manufacturing environment, you will partner with senior leaders and site stakeholders to embed consistent ways of working and deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost and employee engagement. You will also lead the Operational Excellence team while remaining hands-on in supporting program delivery.

This is a permanent full-time role, ideally based at our global headquarters at Macquarie University in Sydney. For the right candidate, we will also consider our other manufacturing locations in Brisbane, Australia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Chengdu, China. The role requires regular travel across our manufacturing network.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the deployment and ongoing evolution of Cochlear’s global Operational Excellence strategy, roadmap and governance framework across the manufacturing network
• Drive the Operational Excellence blueprint and program of work to accelerate delivery of sustainable business value
• Oversee the continued development and embedment of the Cochlear Manufacturing System, continuous improvement system, Lean practices and organisational capability initiatives
• Establish clear priorities, milestones, success measures and governance that maintain momentum and hold stakeholders accountable for delivery
• Partner with global manufacturing leaders and site stakeholders to align different perspectives, remove barriers and embed Operational Excellence within local operations
• Identify, prioritise and govern improvement opportunities that deliver measurable outcomes across safety, quality, delivery, cost and employee engagement
• Influence across functions and sites without relying on direct authority, building commitment to common standards and scalable ways of working
• Lead, stabilise and develop an evolving Operational Excellence team, empowering team members and broader site resources to deliver the roadmap
• Provide clear executive-level reporting on progress, risks, outcomes and value realisation, and contribute as a key member of the Global Manufacturing & Logistics leadership team

About You

As we grow our operations, we are looking for people who share our passion for delivering quality hearing solutions to our customers. To add value to Cochlear in this role, you’ll be able to demonstrate the following essential skills and experience:

• Significant senior leadership experience in Operational Excellence, continuous improvement or manufacturing, including successful delivery of a large-scale Operational Excellence program
• Demonstrated experience taking an Operational Excellence framework or roadmap through rollout, implementation, embedment and value realisation
• Strong manufacturing experience, ideally gained in a global or multi-site environment
• Proven ability to work across cultures and locations, align stakeholders with differing perspectives and influence effectively without direct authority
• Experience building, leading and developing high-performing teams, with remote people leadership experience viewed favourably
• Strong program and portfolio management capability, including governance, prioritisation, risk management, progress reporting and value realisation
• Excellent executive communication, stakeholder management and change leadership skills
• Strong business acumen and the ability to connect improvement activity to operational priorities and measurable business outcomes
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Desirable Experience:

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification
• Experience working in medical device, pharmaceutical, biotechnology or another regulated manufacturing environment

At Cochlear, we value and welcome the unique contributions, perspectives, experiences and backgrounds of our employees and aim to build a culture that celebrates and leverages these differences, creating a sense of belonging and enabling our people to realise their full potential.

Other Key Benefits:

• Opportunity to shape the next phase of Operational Excellence across a global manufacturing organisation
• Lead business-critical transformation initiatives with measurable impact across multiple manufacturing sites
• Join a senior global leadership environment with significant visibility and influence
• Build and develop an emerging Operational Excellence function while leveraging a strong foundation already in place
• Global role with cross-cultural exposure and regular engagement across our manufacturing network

If you feel that you have the skills and experience to be successful in this role and take on new challenges to build your career with Cochlear, please start your application by clicking the apply button below.

#CochlearCareers

How we recognise your contribution

At Cochlear we value and welcome the unique contributions, perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds of our employees and aim to build a culture that celebrates and leverages these differences, creating a sense of belonging and enabling our people to realise their full potential. Through our internal programs and employee benefits, we aim to create an environment where our people will feel value and supported. Whether your focus is on continuous learning, professional development or simply finding an environment which enables you to thrive whilst balancing family or personal life commitments, then we have several programs in place to support you.

For more information about Life at Cochlear, visit www.cochlearcareers.com