Sr. Continuous Improvement (OpEx) Engineer (m/f/d)

Johnson & Johnson is currently seeking a Sr. Continuous Improvement Engineer (m/f/d) to join our Abiomed Team located in Aachen, Germany. 

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/.

Abiomed’s global Lean and Operational Excellence Team oversees and manages all manufacturing and logistics efficiency programs that drive the company towards its corporate goal of “Operational Excellence”.  As senior OPEX engineer in this team, you will have a major impact on driving the organization towards world class standards and ensuring cohesive programs that are driven throughout the organization globally. Major responsibilities include: (1) identifying and leading significant lean initiatives and scale-up projects, (2) facilitating Kaizens and other Continuous Improvement events globally, (3) establishing and maintaining recurring lean/six sigma trainings for operators and engineers, and (4) benchmarking current state and quantifying improvements to clearly communicate to senior management. This position reports directly to the Manager of Operational Excellence and will drive a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence in all of Supply Chain and Operations. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of implementing lean methodologies and continuous improvement techniques in a highly manual manufacturing environment. This role will require a strong ability to collaborate cross-functionally across the hierarchy, identify opportunities for improvement, and drive change in a fast-paced, highly regulated industry.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities :

• Identify, coordinate, execute, and track continuous improvement activities and projects in production, quality inspection, and logistics by utilizing standardized Lean tools and methods to achieve scale-up goals


• Develop and implement global standards for OPEX tools, Efficiency, and Kaizen programs in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment


• Demonstrate proficient knowledge of and serve as contact person to all in Operations regarding Lean tools (e.g. VSM, Kanban, line balancing, theory of constraints, single piece flow, standard work, SMED, 5S, Quality at the Source, process capability, rolled throughput yield management, inventory reduction, etc.)


• Lead and facilitate process improvement workshops and events, including Kaizen events, to drive continuous improvement in the organization, drive quick implementation, and follow up on action items


• Collaborate cross-functionally (production management, process engineering, quality management, and others) at the location to understand site specific business priorities/goals to prioritize improvement activity


• Utilize data analysis and establish metrics to measure the effectiveness and impact of process improvement initiatives. Utilize analysis, value stream mapping and project management to make data-driven decisions and ensure improvements are driven by value stream needs


• Work directly with associates/operators with a “hands-on” mentality to identify, assess the impact (i.e. potential efficiency/capacity gains, etc.), prioritize, and present improvement activities to the management team


• Drive the development of training programs and ensure all employees receive lean training