Operational Excellence Specialist – Lean Labs (Contract)

• Own and deliver Lean / OpEx projects within the labs to reduce testing lead-times and improve overall lab performance.
• Spend significant time on the lab floor with analysts to understand current processes, map workflows and identify waste.
• Implement practical improvements across testing processes, inventory and consumables management, and productivity, with an eye on both service and cost.
• Use Lean Six Sigma tools (e.g. value stream mapping, root-cause analysis, standard work, 5S) to design and implement sustainable solutions.
• Track and report on key metrics (lead time, throughput, right-first-time, waste, etc.) to demonstrate impact and support decision making.
• Work closely with the Site OpEx Lead, lab leadership and wider stakeholders to embed a continuous improvement mindset in the labs.

• Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt desirable; equivalent hands-on Lean / CI experience will also be considered. Black Belt is an advantage but not essential.
• Meaningful experience applying Lean / CI in a laboratory, QC or highly regulated technical environment (pharma, biopharma or medical devices strongly preferred).
• Proven track record of leading end-to-end improvement projects, not just facilitating workshops or training.
• Comfortable working in less-mature Lean environments: able to deal with ambiguity, “ground-up” improvement and sometimes chaotic situations.
• Strong stakeholder skills: able to build trust with lab analysts and managers, influence without authority and communicate clearly at all levels.
• Highly hands-on, pragmatic and data-driven, with the resilience and patience to deliver change in a busy operations setting.

• Location: On-site in Inverin, Co. Galway.
• Contract: Full-time contract, with an expectation of at least 4 days per week on site.
• Hours: Monday-Friday; flexibility to align with lab operations, including early starts around 8am to attend lab meetings and observe daily work as needed.

• Opportunity to lead a “blank canvas” Lean lab transformation within a global healthcare organisation with a strong Irish presence.
• Exposure to cross-functional stakeholders in a small, visible OpEx team where your work has direct impact.

Cpl Group