Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Manager

Work Schedule

Environmental Conditions

Job Description

As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team youll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the worlds toughest challenges like protecting the environment making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer.

Division/Site Specific Information

The Drug Product Division (DPD) part of the Pharma Services Group (PSG) operates as a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) serving large and specialty pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide. Our sites provide development services and commercial manufacturing that improve the lives of millions of patients every day.

Thermo Fisher Scientific offers industry-leading pharma services through our Patheon brand offering an integrated global network of scientific technical regulatory and quality experts who are committed to helping deliver medicine to patients faster. Our Mississauga facility covers all phases of drug product development from early-phase formulation development to clinical trial material to commercial supply in the same plant using scalable equipment for non-GMP and GMP Work for highly potent low potent complex formulations pediatric dosage forms patent-extension strategies as well as conventional oral solid formulations.

Discover Impactful Work:

As the Digital Transformation & PPI Project Manager you will lead the end-to-end delivery of digital initiatives at the site level driving debottlenecking productivity quality improvements and COGS reduction through the Practical Process Improvement (PPI) business system and digital technologies.

You will translate local business challenges into executable digital projects coordinating cross-functional teams from opportunity framing through deployment and verified value realization. By combining operational excellence structured project management and digital innovation you will ensure sustainable impact aligned with site AOP objectives and the divisional PPI & Digital roadmap.

Day in the Life:

Site Digital Project Delivery

• Manage the full lifecycle of assigned digital use cases at site level.

• Translate business needs into structured project charters scope milestones resource plans and success criteria using Lean/PPI methodologies.

• Develop and maintain detailed project plans risk registers issue logs and status reporting.

• Escalate risks and issues with clear mitigation plans to the Site PPI Lead and stakeholders.

• Coordinate cross-functional site divisional group and external technology partners to ensure on-time on-budget delivery.

Digital Roadmap & Portfolio Management

• Support the Site PPI Lead and leadership team in maintaining a prioritized value-based digital pipeline aligned to strategy and PPI savings targets.

• Contribute to annual and multi-year digital plans including sequencing resource requirements and milestones.

• Provide transparency on capacity constraints and interdependencies to support effective planning.

Business Case & Benefits Realization

• Develop robust site-level business cases in partnership with Finance PPI and process owners.

• Track financial impact using a bottom-up methodology aligned with the site PPI savings plan.

• Define KPIs for each initiative and ensure benefits are documented and Finance-approved.

• Provide accurate updates to divisional dashboards and governance reviews.

Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management

• Act as the primary site contact for assigned digital initiatives.

• Lead stakeholder mapping communication plans training strategies and adoption KPIs.

• Ensure SOP and Work Instruction updates and training completion prior to go-live.

• Facilitate Kaizens workshops and design sessions to define current and future states.

• Apply pilot and test & learn approaches to validate solutions before full deployment.

• Embed digital solutions into standard work tier meetings and visual management to ensure sustained adoption.

Governance Data & Compliance

• Apply DPD PPI & Digital governance standards at site level.

• Ensure alignment with IT/OT architecture cybersecurity and data standards.

• Partner with IT OT and Data & Analytics teams to ensure data quality and a single source of truth.

• Ensure compliance with GxP data integrity cybersecurity privacy and EHS requirements.

• Support validation activities in accordance with site and divisional procedures.

Innovation & Technology Scouting

• Monitor Industry 4.0 trends and recommend opportunities to enhance site performance.

• Support structured vendor evaluation and site-level coordination.

• Contribute to funding or grant opportunities where applicable.

Capability Building & Digital Culture

• Train and support site personnel in new digital tools and workflows.

• Promote a data-driven mindset and support digital champion networks.

• Coach SMEs and project leads on digital project management and benefit tracking.

• Share lessons learned and best practices across sites and divisional teams.

Keys to Success

Education

• Bachelors degree in Engineering Computer Science Life Sciences Business or related field required.

• Masters degree preferred.

• Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent preferred.

• PMP PRINCE2 or equivalent project management certification preferred.

• Agile/Scrum certification preferred.

• Change Management certification (e.g. PROSCI) preferred.

• Equivalent combinations of education and relevant work experience may be considered.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in project management continuous improvement or digital roles within manufacturing.

• Experience in pharmaceutical biotech CDMO or other highly regulated GMP environments preferred.

• Experience delivering digital automation MES quality systems data/analytics or Industry 4.0 projects.

• Experience applying Lean Six Sigma or PPI methodologies.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

Knowledge

• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical/GMP manufacturing and quality processes.

• Working knowledge of AI MES/EBR LIMS/LES DMS historians SCADA/PLC data platforms and BI/analytics tools.

• Understanding of data governance KPI development and data integrity requirements.

• Knowledge of financial business case development and benefit tracking.

Skills

• Strong project management skills including scope definition planning stakeholder engagement and risk management.

• Ability to build and interpret financial business cases.

• Strong data literacy (KPIs dashboards visualization).

• Excellent facilitation and workshop leadership capabilities.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

• Proficiency with the English Language (written and verbal).

Abilities

• Ability to break down complex problems into structured actionable solutions.

• Demonstrated ability to influence in a cross-functional matrix environment.

• High learning agility and curiosity toward emerging technologies.

• Strong commitment to safety quality compliance and company leadership behaviors.

• Ability to balance operational priorities with project timelines.

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

Light physical effort and fatigue. May walk sit or stand for extended periods. Occasional equipment use including keyboard work. May lift light items. Typically located in a comfortable indoor environment; exposure to manufacturing areas may include dust temperature changes noise or odors. Use of PPE (safety glasses safety shoes lab coat gloves hair net respirator etc.) may be required.

Excellent Benefits

Benefits & Total Rewards Thermo Fisher Scientific

• Medical Dental & Vision benefits effective Day 1

• Paid Time Off & Designated Paid Holidays

• Retirement Savings Plan

• Tuition Reimbursement

We offer competitive remuneration an annual incentive plan bonus and outstanding career development opportunities within an innovative mission-driven organization built on integrity intensity involvement and innovation.

Compensation