Thermo Fisher Scientific
PPI Business System Specialist III
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Work Schedule
Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions
Adherence to all Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Safety Standards, Office, Some degree of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required (safety glasses, gowning, gloves, lab coat, ear plugs etc.)
Job Description
As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you will contribute to meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. You will join colleagues who bring our Mission to life every day by enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer.
DESCRIPTION
The PPI Business System Specialist III is a senior individual contributor responsible for independently leading defined, complex, cross-functional continuous improvement and productivity projects across the site. Using the Thermo Fisher Scientific Practical Process Improvement (PPI) Business System, Lean methodologies, and data-driven problem solving, the role delivers measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, and customer experience.
The role partners with functional leaders, process owners, and subject-matter experts to identify improvement opportunities, analyse end-to-end processes, implement sustainable solutions, and validate business benefits. The Specialist III also serves as an experienced PPI practitioner, providing facilitation, coaching, and technical guidance while helping strengthen continuous improvement capability across the organisation.
The successful candidate will be a hands-on improvement practitioner with strong business acumen, analytical capability, and change-leadership skills. They will be able to navigate complex processes, influence stakeholders in a matrix organisation, and translate business priorities into structured improvement projects.
This position reports to the Sr Manager PPI Business System and has no direct reports.
Key Responsibilities:
Continuous Improvement Project Leadership
- Independently lead defined, complex, cross-functional continuous improvement and productivity projects using PPI, Lean, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
- Manage projects from opportunity identification and scoping through implementation, benefit validation, and sustainment.
- Develop project charters that define scope, objectives, baselines, targets, milestones, risks, governance, and stakeholder responsibilities.
- Deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, and customer experience.
- Manage multiple improvement initiatives, balancing priorities, resources, risks, dependencies, and stakeholder expectations.
- Maintain project plans, action logs, risk registers, performance dashboards, and benefit-tracking documentation.
- Partner with Finance and process owners to quantify, validate, and report operational and financial benefits.
- Escalate significant risks, barriers, and resource constraints to project sponsors and relevant leaders.
- Provide clear and concise updates to sponsors, leadership teams, and governance forums.
Process Transformation and Problem Solving
- Analyse operational, transactional, and business processes to identify performance gaps, constraints, waste, variation, and root causes.
- Apply appropriate structured problem-solving and analytical methods, including A3 thinking, root cause analysis, process mapping, and, where relevant, statistical analysis.
- Lead Value Stream Mapping activities, Kaizen events, rapid improvement workshops, and process redesign initiatives.
- Evaluate end-to-end process performance across functional boundaries and identify opportunities for simplification, standardisation, and scalability.
- Conduct direct process observation and engage process owners, operators, and subject-matter experts to understand current-state performance.
- Translate business challenges and analytical findings into practical, measurable, and sustainable improvement solutions.
- Constructively challenge existing assumptions and working practices using evidence and business impact.
- Support leaders and process owners in defining future-state processes, implementation plans, and performance controls.
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Daily Management and Operational Excellence
- Lead or support the deployment and maturity of Daily Management Systems, tiered accountability, visual management, and performance-review routines.
- Assess the effectiveness of Daily Management practices and recommend targeted improvements.
- Help teams establish relevant key performance indicators, visual controls, escalation pathways, and problem-solving routines.
- Develop and implement standard work in partnership with process owners and subject-matter experts.
- Promote process standardisation where common practices will improve performance, consistency, compliance, or scalability.
- Ensure new and revised processes have clear ownership, documented controls, performance measures, and sustainment plans.
- Coach teams in using Daily Management to identify abnormalities, prioritise problems, and take timely corrective action.
Productivity and Digital Improvement
- Contribute to the development, prioritisation, and delivery of the site or business unit productivity pipeline.
- Assess improvement opportunities for feasibility, value, complexity, risk, and strategic alignment.
- Lead selected productivity projects within agreed governance and investment frameworks.
- Identify opportunities to apply analytics, process mining, digital tools, and AI-enabled solutions to improve cycle time, productivity, scalability, and customer experience.
- Partner with process owners to define requirements and support the implementation of compliant and sustainable solutions.
- Ensure digital and AI-enabled improvements comply with applicable data-integrity, quality, validation, cybersecurity, change-control, and governance requirements.
- Monitor implemented solutions and work with process owners to address adoption, performance, and sustainment issues.
Capability Building and Coaching
- Serve as a subject-matter resource for PPI, Lean, Daily Management, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
- Deliver training, coaching, and practical guidance to colleagues, project teams, and process owners.
- Coach less-experienced PPI practitioners and project leads in selecting and applying appropriate improvement tools.
- Facilitate complex workshops and stakeholder discussions involving competing priorities or diverse functional perspectives.
- Provide constructive feedback on project charters, data analysis, problem statements, countermeasures, and sustainment plans.
- Coach leaders and teams in the practical application of PPI tools and continuous improvement routines.
- Promote knowledge sharing, replication of effective practices, and consistent application of the PPI Business System.
- Provide practitioner input into local PPI training materials, standards, playbooks, and governance processes.
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Change Leadership and Sustainment
- Develop stakeholder-engagement and change-management plans appropriate to the scale and complexity of each initiative.
- Build commitment to new ways of working by engaging stakeholders early, clarifying benefits, and addressing resistance.
- Influence stakeholders without direct authority and create alignment across functional boundaries.
- Embed improvements through documented standard work, clear process ownership, training, audits, performance reviews, and follow-up activities.
- Conduct post-implementation reviews to assess benefit delivery, adoption, control effectiveness, and sustainability.
- Work with process owners to resolve performance gaps and strengthen controls following implementation.
- Identify opportunities to replicate successful improvements across related processes or teams.
- Promote a culture of accountability, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement.
REQUIREMENTS
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Supply Chain, Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
- Typically five or more years of relevant experience in continuous improvement, operational excellence, business process improvement, manufacturing, business operations, or a related discipline.
- Demonstrated experience independently leading complex, cross-functional improvement projects from problem identification through implementation and sustainment.
- Proven success delivering measurable operational, productivity, customer, quality, or financial benefits.
- Practical experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, PPI, or equivalent improvement methodologies.
- Experience facilitating structured problem solving, process mapping, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen events, or similar improvement activities.
- Strong analytical capability, including experience interpreting operational or transactional data and converting findings into actionable recommendations.
- Experience working effectively with functional leaders, process owners, and subject-matter experts in a matrix organisation.
- Strong project management, facilitation, communication, coaching, and stakeholder-management skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex priorities with limited supervision.
- Ability to influence others, challenge constructively, and drive accountability without direct authority.
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Green Belt, or equivalent continuous improvement certification.
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