Vice President of Operational Excellence

Overview

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Vice President of Operational Excellence

The Vice President of Operational Excellence will lead strategic and tactical initiatives focused on improving operational efficiency, quality of customer service, and mistake-proofing across all facets of the organization's Marketing and Samples Management (MSM) and Third-Party Logistics (3PL) and warehousing services. This role is pivotal in transforming operational processes—including pick/pack, kitting, shipping/receiving, and warehouse execution—to deliver scalable, compliant, and cost-effective solutions for clients in the medical and pharmaceutical industry.

Responsibilities

Operational Strategy & Execution

• Develop and execute a comprehensive operational excellence roadmap across all warehouse operations in collaboration with site leadership and aligned with business goals, quality requirements, and client expectations.
• Lead continuous improvement programs in pick/pack, shipping, receiving, warehouse layout, and inventory movement.
• Champion lean methodologies, Six Sigma, and mistake-proofing (poka-yoke) practices to reduce variation and error in core processes.
• Own the standardization of operational workflows and drive process harmonization across sites and teams.

Quality & Compliance

• Embed quality assurance principles directly into operational workflows and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Partner with QA and Compliance to align warehouse and logistics processes with FDA, DEA, DSCSA, and GMP regulations.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action programs (CAPA) improvement plans for warehouse and distribution operations based on data information collected through Quality Management System.
• Implement and refine metrics and dashboards for performance tracking and compliance adherence.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead and mentor a cross-functional team including warehouse supervisors, logistics managers, and quality leads.
• Drive a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement through effective leadership and communication.
• Identify talent gaps and champion leadership development within operational teams.
• Ensure team alignment with organizational KPIs and customer service standards.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Warehouse Operations, IT, Quality Assurance, Compliance, HR, and Client Services to optimize end-to-end process flow.
• Participates in regulatory inspections and audits as Compliance invites/requests.
• Serve as a key liaison to clients, ensuring operational transparency, issue resolution, and contract adherence.
• Guide automation initiatives and WMS enhancements to improve process visibility and scalability.

The above duties are meant to be representative of the position and not all-inclusive.

Qualifications

Operational Strategy & Execution

• Develop and execute a comprehensive operational excellence roadmap across all warehouse operations in collaboration with site leadership and aligned with business goals, quality requirements, and client expectations.
• Lead continuous improvement programs in pick/pack, shipping, receiving, warehouse layout, and inventory movement.
• Champion lean methodologies, Six Sigma, and mistake-proofing (poka-yoke) practices to reduce variation and error in core processes.
• Own the standardization of operational workflows and drive process harmonization across sites and teams.

Quality & Compliance

• Embed quality assurance principles directly into operational workflows and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Partner with QA and Compliance to align warehouse and logistics processes with FDA, DEA, DSCSA, and GMP regulations.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action programs (CAPA) improvement plans for warehouse and distribution operations based on data information collected through Quality Management System.
• Implement and refine metrics and dashboards for performance tracking and compliance adherence.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead and mentor a cross-functional team including warehouse supervisors, logistics managers, and quality leads.
• Drive a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement through effective leadership and communication.
• Identify talent gaps and champion leadership development within operational teams.
• Ensure team alignment with organizational KPIs and customer service standards.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Warehouse Operations, IT, Quality Assurance, Compliance, HR, and Client Services to optimize end-to-end process flow.
• Participates in regulatory inspections and audits as Compliance invites/requests.
• Serve as a key liaison to clients, ensuring operational transparency, issue resolution, and contract adherence.
• Guide automation initiatives and WMS enhancements to improve process visibility and scalability.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Exceptional communication and change management skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams through complex transformation initiatives.
• Data-driven mindset with a passion for operational analytics and structured problem solving.
• Customer-focused with a strong track record of operational delivery in client-centric environments.
• Agile, decisive, and calm under pressure.

Physical Demands:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Knipper is an equal opportunity employer