Senior Operations Manager in Cardiff

Be part of something altogether life-changing! Working at Cytiva in the Life Sciences industry means being at the forefront of providing new solutions to transform human health. Our incredible customers undertake life-saving activities ranging from fundamental biological research to developing innovative vaccines, new medicines, and cell and gene therapies.

At Cytiva you will be able to continuously improve yourself and us – working on challenges that truly matter with people that care for each other, our customers, and their patients. With associates across 40 countries, Cytiva is a place where every day is a learning opportunity – so you can grow your career and expand your skills in the long term.

Cytiva is one of 10 Life Sciences companies of Danaher. Together, we accelerate the discovery, development and delivery of solutions that safeguard and improve human health.

What you’ll do:

• Operational & Talent Leadership: Own the end‑to‑end operational organisation at the Cardiff site, providing direct leadership to Value Stream Leaders and building a strong talent pipeline through disciplined execution of P4G, D4G, and capability‑based training strategies.
• EHS & Compliance Excellence: Ensure full compliance with EHS legislation and regulatory requirements by leading with a safety‑first mindset, conducting regular Gemba walks, proactively identifying hazards, and driving risk reduction using the 4E framework to continuously improve safety and waste performance.
• Strategy Deployment & Policy Alignment: Translate site and Cytiva strategic priorities into clear short‑, medium‑, and long‑term operational plans through effective Policy Deployment, ensuring alignment between people, processes, metrics, and results.
• Financial Discipline & Resource Optimisation: Lead annual operating plan and budget development in alignment with corporate financial guidelines, exercising strong cost management and capital discipline while authorising spend within approved limits to deliver sustainable profitability.
• Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement: Drive predictable performance and flow by deploying DBS tools including Standard Work, Daily Management, Visual Management, and Lean Conversion, ensuring stability, scalability, and continuous improvement across value streams.
• Quality, Delivery & KPI Management: Maintain relentless focus on Good Quality Output (GQO), yield improvement, and defect reduction by embedding problem‑solving at the source, reviewing performance through Daily Management, and leading cross‑functional teams to close KPI gaps against annual targets.
• Culture, Engagement & Leadership System: Actively contribute as a member of the Site Senior Leadership Team, strengthening the DBS culture through respect for people, structured problem solving, engagement initiatives, and consistent leadership behaviours that reinforce accountability, collaboration, and results.

Who you are:

• Proven leader with strong management, team-building, and coaching capabilities.
• Highly effective communicator, able to engage and influence at all organizational levels.
• Strategic decision-maker with advanced complex problem-solving skills.
• Lean Manufacturing expert, successfully leading teams to deliver sustained improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.
• Solid knowledge of Life Sciences and Medical industry practices, including regulatory and operational requirements.
• Strategic thinker with a proven ability to develop, execute, and implement short-, medium-, and long-term business plans.
• Customer-focused professional with strong technical expertise and a clear understanding of regulated operational environments.

Essential Education and Experience:

• Degree in a relevant discipline such as operations, manufacturing, or management, or a minimum of 5 years of relevant manufacturing experience.
• Demonstrated success in a senior management role within the Life Sciences or Medical sector, with significant leadership responsibilities.
• Proven ability to lead teams effectively in dynamic and high-pressure manufacturing environments.
• Strong financial and operational business acumen.
• Deep understanding of continuous improvement (Danaher DBS) fundamentals at Gemba, including Daily Management, Standard Work, and Problem Solving to drive productivity and continuous improvement.
• Willingness to travel occasionally within the UK and internationally.
• Collaborative team player as part of site leadership, supporting other senior leaders to meet business objectives.
• Proficient in ERP systems.

Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.