
Site OpEx Lead
Smith+Nephew · Oklahoma City, OK
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Experience asked
- 12+ years
- Industry
- Medical devices
- Posted
- 6 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management continuous improvement role at Smith+Nephew (medical devices) in Oklahoma City, OK. At Smith+Nephew we design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living.
- They ask for
- 12+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S, Value stream mapping, Root cause
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
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.
Your game plan for this job
Most people just hit Apply. Do these first and you show up with someone on the inside.
- 1
Find 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at this site
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply most.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
Ask about the work, not for a referral. We write it for you.
- 3
Have a 15-minute chat
Good questions for this role:
- 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?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply, ideally with a referral
Ask if they'd refer you or introduce you to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link and tell them the day you apply.
- 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
Qualifications
- ✓Strong business acumen, with a broad understanding of OpEx, lean, and continuous improvement principles.
- ✓Strong interpersonal skills with ability to collaborate and build a consensus in a high-pressure environment.
- ✓Strategic thinker with the ability to influence people at the highest levels of the company.
- ✓Excellent understanding of Quality Systems and Measures.
- ✓Proven high energy leader with strong ability to change culture and successfully manage multiple lean projects and make lasting relevant impact across an organization. Strong people and change management skills.
- ✓Excellent communication skills throughout all levels of the organizations.
- ✓Develop written communication such as but not limited to executive report outs S+N intranet, Objectives status update forums newsletters, S+N Net Transformation blog and other periodicals.
- ✓Excellent people leader with integrity.
You Unlimited.
- ✓Inclusion + Belonging: Committed to Welcoming, Celebrating and Thriving. Learn more about our Employee Inclusion Groups on our website https://www.smith-nephew.com/
- ✓Your Future: 401k Matching Program, 401k Plus Program, Discounted Stock Options, Tuition Reimbursement
- ✓Work/Life Balance: Flexible Personal/Vacation Time Off, Paid Holidays, Flex Holidays, Paid Community Service Day
- ✓Your Wellbeing: Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account (Employer Contribution of $500+ annually), Employee Assistance Program, Parental Leave, Fertility and Adoption Assistance Program
- ✓Flexibility: Hybrid Work Model (For most professional roles)
- ✓Training: Hands-On, Team-Customized, Mentorship
- ✓Extra Perks: Discounts on fitness clubs, travel and more!
Stay connected by joining our Talent Community .
We're more than just a company - we're a community! Follow us on L inkedIn to see how we support and empower our employees and patients every day.
Check us out on Glassdoor for a glimpse behind the scenes and a sneak peek into You . Unlimited . , life, culture, and benefits at S+N.
Explore our website and learn more about our mission, our team, and the opportunities we offer.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Life Unlimited. At Smith+Nephew we design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living.
What will you be doing?
- •Provide leadership and coaching to new and existing leaders to foster a culture of Operational Excellence throughout the S+N network, “to win the Hearts and Minds” of all stakeholders throughout the value stream.
- •Standardize the improvement tools and techniques across S+N including standard work, Value Stream Mapping, Waste identification, SIPOC, 5S, Root Cause Analysis and kaizen activity.
- •Provide coaching and mentoring for all OpEx community members on how and when to use the standard tool sets and assist in activities to grow the culture.
- •Be a strategic partner to the Franchise leadership team supporting their business strategies.
- •Consolidate and coordinate improvement activities to ensure that benefits are tracked and shared across all applicable business units.
- •Provide direct, hands-on support to areas of the business in immediate need while engaging local OpEx teams to coach and develop long term sustainability.
- •Create an aligned improvement culture across S+N that shares common terminology and practices and language.
- •Develop and evolve the OpEx Centers of Excellence learning management system, trainings and OpEx content proactively.
Leadership Competencies
- •Strategic Mindset – able to anticipate future trends and implications accurately.
- •Customer Focus –identifies opportunities that benefit the customer.
- •Decision Quality – makes sound decisions, even in the absence of complete information.
- •Cultivates Innovation – comes up with useful ideas that are new, better or unique.
- •Drives Results – has a strong bottom-line orientation.
- •Ensures Accountability – follows through on personal and team commitments.
- •Collaborates – works cooperatively across the organization to achieve shared objectives.
- •Develops Talent – places a high priority on developing others.
- •Drives Vision and Purpose – talks about future possibilities in a positive way.
- •Builds Effective Teams – incorporate appropriate and diverse mix of styles, perspectives, and experience.
- •Manages Conflict / Resistance /Ambiguity – deals comfortably with the uncertainty of change.
- •Instills Trust – follows through on commitments and viewed as direct and truthful.
What will you need to be successful?
- •Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Business, Science, or equivalent field. Combination of education and experience to be considered in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.
- •12+ years of hands-on experience in Lean Manufacturing / Six Sigma / Project Management principles and best practices deployment.
- •12+ years of experience in multiple functions within the value stream (i.e., production, materials management, manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, IT, EH&S, facilities, purchasing etc.)
- •12+ years of experience and demonstrated application of Lean techniques (5S, Root Cause Analysis, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, Visual Management, SIPOC, Flow, Pull, TAKT, TQM, JIT, SPC, CPK etc.)
- •Between 5%-15% travel required (site-based focused role).
