Director Continuous Improvement

We’re united by a mission to inspire advances in bioprocessing as a preferred partner in the production of biologic drugs that improve human health worldwide. No matter your role or background, at Repligen, you will play a key part in shaping some of the most innovative and life-changing therapies in the world. We foster a culture of purpose, collaboration, and shared success-where every voice matters and every contribution drives progress. Join us!


Repligen Business System is the operational foundation that helps to shape and cultivate our culture through participation in programs designed to elevate our Operational Excellence. The RPS empowers colleagues and enables processes to function efficiently and effectively. This Director role is part of the Continuous Improvement organization and will be responsible to facilitate implementation of Repligen Business System elements primarily within the SG&A Functions to enable profitable growth, improve the customer experience and increase employee engagement.


In this role, you will drive significant impact throughout the organization by deploying the RPS and building a culture of enabled problem-solvers who use the RPS tools to identify and solve real business problems. The role is expected to support strategic process improvements and waste reduction projects of varying size and complexity in any of the areas of the SG&A Functions with the goal of building a sustainable culture of continuous improvement and productivity. The role also facilitates project funnel coordination and leads teams in ideation sessions to support the Functional RPS Steering Committees to prioritize key projects, manage execution vs. plan, etc.


The position collaborates with key Functional leaders to support them as they coach and lead through continuous improvement and in facilitating the roll out and maturing of the RPS (tiered management boards, daily stand-up meetings, Kaizen, VSM, Gemba walks, etc.). This will include the transition to a digital lean model or a hybrid digital / physical model as we leverage digitization in the visual boards, problem solving, etc. The role involves developing capability in these areas by training teams and providing coaching through the leadership chain.


This role is a key component for driving cultural change through molding the continuous improvement and root cause problem solving mindset of the organization. The role will also lead teams in creating value stream maps with a 6-month target state and leads kaizen events to coach teams through lean tool implementation (e.g., standard work, error proofing, etc.)., and design, develop, standardize, and implement methods and processes intended to continuously improve manufacturing system performance and culture in the SG&A Functions.

This role will be based out of our Marlborough, MA location, but will require frequent support at our Waltham HQ and other sites where there is an SG&A presence. Expected travel is 40%.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Partner with the SG&A Functional Leaders to develop an RPS Deployment plan for each function in alignment with the RPS Standard Deployment Plan
  
• Support the Executive Steering Committee and facilitates SG&A events chosen for execution
  
• Ensures continuous alignment to the RPS Standards inside of SG&A and utilize the RPS Documentation Process to process any potential best practices
  
• Utilize advanced statistical analysis to proactively identify opportunities to improve processes linking SG&A Functions to each other and Operations
  
• Collaborate with SG&A Leaders to establish Strategy Deployment in their functions and ensure there is a matrix relationship with Operations
  
• Drives implementation of the Digital RPS Strategic Initiative inside of SG&A
  
• Facilitates tangible business results from AG&A Functions through the use of Standard RPS Tools (Productivity Savings, Increased Quality, etc.)
  
• Builds organizational capabilities in Leading Through RPS at all levels of leadership within the SG&A Functions
  
• Lead/work with functional teams to streamline processes to improve the customer experience, enable profitable growth and become more efficient.
  
• Diplomatically cultivate an action-biased culture of continuous improvement to improve KPIs, in the areas of customer, finance, people and quality.
  
• Provide support to develop problem solving capability within the organization at all levels
  
• Train, coach and follow-up with teams to ensure system improvements are sustained and the stakeholders are running the processes independently
  
• Work closely with business leadership and Repligen Business System steering committees to identify ways to accelerate the culture change necessary to support the Repligen Business System.
  
• Provide ongoing support to multiple teams
  
• Help teams identify new projects through value stream mapping, data analysis and daily management systems. Coordinate the project funnel to keep an ongoing queue of projects to meet productivity goals.
  
• Work with the expanded team to develop/promote/standardize the Repligen Business System further.
  

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, operations or business

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence leadership and all organization levels

• 10+ Years of demonstrated success in coaching and managing dotted line relationships with Director level through C Suite

• A Lean/Six Sigma Practitioner with 12+ years’ experience and a ‘hands-on’ track record of implementing successful Toyota Production System / lean fundamentals including elements such as:

o Visual management/5S, value stream mapping, standard work, metric boards, stand-up meetings and project funnel coordination

o Expertise in problem-solving utilizing a formal program/process

• A holistic thinker who can look enterprise-wide to integrate and streamline systems

• Able to drive strategic thinking and continuous improvement in both non-operational and operational areas, including cross-functional resources to improve extended value streams.

• Passion for driving improvement and leading change in a complex, global environment

• Proven track record for developing, training, and coaching teams

• Great communicator, including solid written, oral and presentation-giving skills.

• Broad knowledge of multi-functional processes and financial business methods

• High ethical standards to support a professional business code of conduct

• Leadership roles from disciplines such as operations, engineering, quality, or product management

• Broad knowledge of multi-functional, multi-site, global organizational processes and financial business methods (SIOP, Customer Connections, Strategic Sourcing, etc.)

Our mission is to inspire advances in bioprocessing as a trusted partner in the production of biologic drugs that improve human health worldwide. Focused on cost and process efficiencies, we deliver innovative technologies and solutions that help set new standards in bioprocessing. The estimated salary range for this role, based in the United States of America is $175,000-$190,000. Compensation decisions are dependent on several factors including, but not limited to an individual's qualifications, location, internal equity, and alignment with market data. Additionally, employees are eligible to participate in one of our variable cash programs (bonus or commission) and eligible roles may receive equity as part of the compensation package. We offer a wide range of benefits such as paid time off, health/dental/vision, retirement benefits and flexible spending accounts. All compensation and benefits information will be confirmed in writing at the time of offer.