Director, Continuous Improvement Business System and AI enablement

Job description

Work Schedule Standard (Mon-Fri) Environmental Conditions Office Job Description Director, PPI Business System & AI Enablement How will you make an impact? As a member of the European Fisher Scientific Leadership Team, you will lead the deployment and maturation of the PPI Business System across the Customer Channels Group (CCG), embedding a culture of continuous improvement that delivers sustainable business results. You will also serve as the business-side leader for AI-enabled process improvement and the adoption of automation. In this role, you will partner with IT, Digital, Data, Analytics, and AI teams to translate business priorities into prioritized use cases, redesigned workflows, adoption plans, and measurable outcomes across productivity, customer experience, operational excellence, and profitable growth. This role does not own technical architecture, application and platform delivery, systems engineering, model development, infrastructure, cybersecurity, or production technology support. Success will be measured by the business value realized, process adoption, capability building, and disciplined governance of AI, automation, and digital productivity opportunities. Location: This role can be hybrid based from our Loughborough, UK office or our Illkirch, France office. What will you do? Partner with the European Leadership Team (ELT) to embed the PPI Business System, build leadership capability, and enable achievement of strategic and operational objectives. Lead the division's business-side AI, automation, and digital productivity agenda by identifying business problems, prioritizing use cases, defining value cases, and sponsoring adoption in partnership with IT, Digital, Data, Analytics, and AI delivery teams. Champion role base mastery of the PPI Business System to build organizational capability. Coach, train and develop; leaders to own the chain of execution, managers to lead accountability - connecting strategy to the daily work and everyone to become everyday problem solvers. Support this by integrating AI and digital concepts into application of PPI methodologies and tools. Drive deployment and continuous maturity of the PPI Business System across commercial, customer-facing, SG&A, and operational functions. Build organizational capability through coaching, training, and leader development, integrating practical AI, automation, and digital productivity concepts into PPI methodologies, leader standard work, and continuous improvement practices. Lead cross-functional business transformation initiatives that improve customer experience, operational performance, productivity, quality, and financial outcomes. Establish and maintain a robust pipeline of continuous improvement, AI-enabled process improvement, automation, and workflow redesign opportunities, ensuring disciplined governance, prioritization, adoption planning, and measurable business value. Apply and coach the use of PPI tools and methodologies, including Strategy Deployment (X-Matrix), A3 Thinking, KPI Leadership, Tiered Accountability, Leader Standard Work, Standard Work, Gemba, 5 Whys, 5S, 8-Step Problem Solving and RCCM. Partner with Finance, Global CCG PPI, AI & Digital teams, Business Governance, IT, Data, and Analytics to establish processes for value realization, productivity tracking, project governance, risk review, and reporting. Define business requirements, current-state process pain points, target-state workflows, expected benefits, change impacts, and adoption metrics for AI, automation, and digital productivity initiatives. Ensure AI and automation initiatives are grounded in business process redesign, appropriate governance, responsible use, and end-user adoption; escalate technical, data, security, privacy, and platform decisions to the accountable IT, Digital, Data, and AI owners. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, accountability, and data-driven decision making while promoting replication of successful practices across Europe. Coach leaders, PPI practitioners, and project teams to strengthen problem-solving capability, accelerate change adoption, and increase organizational effectiveness. Education Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Science, Business, or a related discipline required. Master's degree or MBA preferred. Certification or advanced expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, PPI Business System, Agile, Business Transformation, Process Reengineering, or equivalent continuous improvement methodologies preferred. Experience Ideally experienced in a high volume transaction environment. 10+ years leading operational excellence, continuous improvement, business transformation, or related functions in complex, matrixed organizations. Demonstrated success leading enterprise-wide Lean (TPS, HBS or DBS) or PPI deployments and delivering measurable business results. Experience leading business-led AI, automation, digital transformation, analytics, or technology-enabled productivity initiatives, including use-case prioritization, process redesign, adoption, governance, and value realization. Strong expertise in Lean leadership practices, including Value Stream Mapping, A3 Thinking, Tier Accountability, Leader Standard Work, Gemba, Visual Management, and structured problem solving.. Proven experience translating business challenges into scalable process improvements, workflow changes, business requirements, and technology-enabled solutions in partnership with technical teams. Experience partnering with Commercial, Distribution, Shared Services, Finance, IT, Digital, Data, Analytics, and AI organizations without directly owning technical platforms, engineering delivery, or production technology operations. Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior leaders in a global matrix environment. Strong understanding of business operations, financial management, enterprise transformation, change adoption, and productivity measurement. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Executive-level leadership, coaching, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills. Strong communication skills with the ability to influence and engage audiences at all organizational levels. Working knowledge of AI, automation, workflow redesign, process mining, digital productivity platforms, and emerging technologies, with emphasis on business application, adoption, responsible use, and value realization. Ability to identify business value opportunities and develop practical roadmaps that integrate process improvement, workflow redesign, change management, and digital enablement. Ability to define business requirements, success metrics, adoption plans, process controls, and benefits tracking for AI, automation, and digital productivity initiatives. Ability to partner effectively with IT, Digital, Data, Analytics, and AI teams while maintaining clear accountability for business outcomes rather than technical solution ownership. Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and change leadership capabilities. Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Teams, and Whiteboard. Ability to travel approximately 25%