Senior Manager, Continuous Improvement
PCI Pharma Services · San Diego, CA
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Base pay
- $134k–$151k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Pharma & life sciences
- Posted
- 3 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management continuous improvement role at PCI Pharma Services (pharma & life sciences) in San Diego, CA. Create in conjunction with the Global OPEX Director / Site Leader, the lean vision for the site and implement the Lean Maturity Index to establish an Operational Center of excellence.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Kaizen, Value stream mapping, OEE
- Base pay
- $134k–$151k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at PCI Pharma Services
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 leaders, plus 1 likely hiring manager. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Pat → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is CI run from the plant floor or from a corporate OpEx group?
- Which metrics does leadership actually watch: OEE, scrap, cost per unit?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
About the role
Responsibilities
- ◆Create in conjunction with the Global OPEX Director / Site Leader, the lean vision for the site and implement the Lean Maturity Index to establish an Operational Center of excellence.
- ◆Facilitate and Coach A3 projects, cross functional kaizen events and multi practitioner teams to drive best practice in process improvement.
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
- ✓Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
- ✓8-10 years of experience in manufacturing, operations, or process engineering.
- ✓3+ years leading continuous improvement initiatives.
- ✓Strong hands-on experience with:
- ✓Process mapping & value stream mapping
- ✓Root cause analysis (A3, 5-Why, Fishbone)
- ✓OEE and productivity improvement
- ✓Proven track record of delivering measurable cost savings and efficiency gains.
- ✓Experience implementing Lean manufacturing systems.
Preferred Qualifications
- ✓Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification.
- ✓Experience in high-volume or complex manufacturing environments within Food industry, Aerospace, Pharmaceutical or other GMP industries.
- ✓Experience with ERP/MES systems and data visualization tools.
- ✓Project management certification (PMP a plus)
The base salary hiring range for this position is $133,920 - $150,660 plus eligibility for an annual performance bonus. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including but not limited to specific and relevant experience, education, credentials, geography, and subject matter expertise. PCI offers full-time employees a competitive benefits package that includes paid time off, health insurance coverage (including dental and vision), flexible spending account, and 401(k).
Join us and be part of building the bridge between life changing therapies and patients. Let’s talk future
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Life changing therapies. Global impact. Bridge to thousands of biopharma companies and their patients.
We are PCI.
Our investment is in People who make an impact, drive progress and create a better tomorrow. Our strategy includes building teams across our global network to pioneer and shape the future of PCI.
Job Description
Summary of Objective
The Sr. Continuous Improvement Manager is a hands-on operational leader responsible for driving measurable performance improvements across manufacturing and business processes. This role requires a strong foundation in process engineering, data-driven problem solving, and Lean methodologies.
The ideal candidate combines deep technical process expertise with structured continuous improvement leadership to deliver sustainable gains in efficiency, quality, cost, and throughput.
This role works cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Maintenance to design, optimize, standardize, and control critical processes. This role will serve a member of the Site Leadership Team and dotted line into the Site Leader
Process Engineering & Optimization
- •Lead end-to-end process analysis, mapping, and redesign initiatives.
- •Identify bottlenecks, constraints, and variability drivers in manufacturing and operational workflows.
- •Develop and implement process control strategies to reduce waste and improve stability.
- •Apply statistical analysis and data modeling to validate improvements.
- •Optimize cycle time, yield, OEE, capacity utilization, and labor efficiency.
- •Drive standard work creation and process documentation discipline.
Continuous Improvement Leadership
- •Lead Kaizen events, value stream mapping sessions, and root cause investigations.
- •Deploy Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving methodologies (DMAIC, PDCA, A3).
- •Establish KPIs and dashboards to track improvement initiatives.
- •Build a continuous improvement roadmap aligned with business objectives.
- •Mentor and coach supervisors, engineers, and frontline leaders in CI tools.
- •Ensure sustainability of improvements through governance and audit systems.
- •Partner with SLT to manage organizational change and increase adoption of process improvements.
Data & Performance Management
- •Analyze process data to identify trends, variability, and improvement opportunities.
- •Develop financial justifications and ROI models for improvement initiatives.
- •Track cost savings, productivity gains, and quality improvements.
- •Present performance results to senior leadership.