Responsibilities

• Drive the change, own the results: act as a strong CI/IE practitioner with an understanding of leading practice in industrial transformation while also diving into the tactical path to unlocking capacity from Ginkgo’s most complicated operational processes. Execute measurable operational improvements all the way to Ginkgo’s P&L and balance sheet.
• Identify & prioritize strategic CI/IE initiatives: we have ambitious growth goals that assume meaningful operational improvements. The Senior Director, CI/IE, in coordination with the operational teams, will define and execute upon the high-level targets, milestones, resources and timeline needed to deliver these improvements.
• Define the standards of the OPEX program:  through active engagement with cross departmental teams and assessing industry trends, help establish the standards of the CI/IE program for Ginkgo that outline the company’s unified approach on driving efficiency and effectiveness. These standard practices will help create a strong base for the CI/IE program to ultimately help deliver upon our operational improvement plan.
• Build operational excellence into our infrastructure: design, implement, and refine managerial systems which make the “process of process improvement” simpler. For example: Standardize how we reactively and proactively identify, prioritize, track, and resolve operational issues; build governance, controls and KPIs around process improvement project delivery. Assist in the design of a playbook which defines how we drive operational excellence into businesses we incubate or acquire. Implement modern visual management tools, meeting cadences, and problem-solving templates.  

Minimum Requirements

• 10+ years of combined Continuous Improvement/Industrial Engineering, Business Operations Leadership, and/or plant manufacturing/engineering experience in a diverse set of industry, product, service, and volume/mix contexts (Ginkgo considers itself a “low volume, high mix/complexity” operation)
• 5+ years of experience leading teams through in a rapid pace and high-complexity operational/service delivery environment with tangible repeatable results
• 3+ years of experience at a company or consulting firm renown for Continuous Improvement/Industrial Engineering
• Undergraduate degree in science or engineering: MS, MBA and/or PhD is a plus, but not required

Preferred Capabilities and Experience

• Biotechnology, bioprocessing and/or life sciences experience is a plus, but not required
• Project management certification/experience is a plus, but not required
• Enthusiasm about being a part of Ginkgo’s mission and driving results
• Demonstrated understanding of the Continuous Improvement/Industrial Engineering toolset and clear thinking around which methods/tools should be deployed in which contexts
• Strong financial acumen with a firm understanding and ability to link efficiency improvements to bottom line results
• Comfort with leading cross-functional transformations; recognizes the importance of proactive change management with a sensitivity to company culture
• Ability to define and build new operating models and processes in complex/ambiguous environments
• Ability to quantitatively capture initiative deliverables and link these outcomes to our corporate targets & company strategy & vision
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with a history of strong business judgment; reflexively reverts to first principles instead of dogma
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills and attention to detail, with the ability to efficiently organize information, analyze large datasets, and present data in a clear and impactful manner