Operational Excellence Regional Deployment Leader (EMEA/AP) (m/f/d) in Stevenage

At DuPont, our purpose is to empower the world with essential innovations to thrive. We work on things that matter, whether it’s providing clean water to more than a billion people on the planet, producing materials that are essential in everyday technology devices from smartphones to electric vehicles, or protecting workers around the world.

The Operational Excellence Regional DuPont Business System (DBS) Deployment Leader (EMEA/AP) is a senior leadership role within the Global Operational Excellence organization, accountable for accelerating the deployment of the DuPont Business System (DBS) and building Operational Excellence capabilities across both EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. This role will lead a small team of subject matter experts to deploy the DBS Essential tool and Operations Excellence Playbooks across all areas of Operations and Engineering.

The role will engage with regional operational leaders within the regions to translate enterprise priorities into measurable performance improvement across SQDIP metrics. It will also provide targeted in-region support for driving continuous improvement beyond Operations. This role leads and develops a regional team of subject matter experts and influences a broad network of businesses focusing on delivering improvements that add value in partnership with leaders.

The position partners with the Operational Excellence Domain leaders (Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain), Operations & Engineering functional leaders (Engineering, FS&RE, EHS) and Line of Business Integrated Operations teams to deploy the DBS Essentials, including policy deployment, leader standard work, daily visual management, problem solving, kaizen process and change leadership routines together with Operational Excellence playbooks.

The leader will strengthen operating mechanisms, improve DBS maturity, and drive enterprise value through sustained implementation of the DuPont Business System and deliver improvement in safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, growth, and customer outcomes aligned to Core KPIs.

The role reports to the Vice President, Operational Excellence, and serves as a key member of the Global OpEx leadership team.

Key Responsibilities

• Model and reinforce the DuPont Core Values — (Safety & Respect, Integrity & Accountability, Grow & Improve, and solving problems with customers) and sets the example through consistent communications and behaviours, coaching, and decision-making.
• Define and lead the regional DBS implementation roadmap across EMEA and AP Operations, ensuring priorities, resources, governance, and operating mechanisms are aligned to enterprise Operational Excellence objectives and measurable business outcomes.
• Maximise value from the tools, capabilities, and processes.
• Partner with Integrated Operations Leaders, IOLs and Business OpEx Directors, Domain Leaders, and Functional leaders to drive the deployment of DBS Essentials tools and Operational Excellence Playbooks, including ‘Essentials’ tools/standards (e.g., Value Stream Mapping, A3/problem solving process, Daily Visual Management, Kaizen Process, Leaders Standard Work, Change Management, and Policy Deployment) across Operational teams in EMEA and AP.
• Challenge and support Lines of Business and Functions to identify, prioritise, resources, and execute high-impact improvement initiatives that deliver improvements in safety, quality, delivery, inventory and productivity outcomes.
• Partner with OpEx and Supply Chain Domain Leaders to deploy Operational Excellence playbooks across EMEA and AP Operations.
• Coach Operations leaders in EMEA and AP in deploying the DuPont Business System to embed DBS leadership routines, strengthen problem-solving discipline, improve visual management, and create accountability for sustainable continuous improvement in SQDIP metrics.
• Champion the use of AI, advanced analytics, automation, and digital performance management approaches and use cases to accelerate DBS adoption, improve decision quality, enable predictive insights, and unlock step-change operational performance.
• Support LoBs and Functions to deliver high impact kaizen events at EMEA and AP locations.
• Build regional CI capability to support talent development, coaching practitioners and establishing standard work and learning mechanisms that support DuPont’s DBS maturity journey within the regions.
• Lead change across diverse cultures, regions, and complex matrix environments, creating a growth-minded culture that embraces standard work, experimentation, learning, and sustained performance improvement.
• Work with other business leaders to create a culture of continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred, with solid progressive leadership experience in delivering operational excellence, and continuous improvement, manufacturing, across a broad range of Manufacturing operations including quality and supply chain, quality, engineering, or related operations environments.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise or regional transformation and driving improvement across multi-site, multi-country operations in a complex global matrix organization.
• Extensive experience in deploying Operational Excellence / Lean Manufacturing approaches to drive continuous improvement including policy deployment, leader standard work, daily visual management, value stream mapping, problem solving and kaizen process.
• Experience implementing or maturing a structured business system, (such as DBS, the Danaher Business System, Toyota Production System, or comparable enterprise operating system to drive tangible year-on-year performance improvement.
• Proven ability to influence and coach senior leaders, align stakeholders around priorities, and create accountability for strategy deployment, execution discipline, and sustained results.
• Evidence of leading change and establishing a culture of continuous improvement across a diverse set of geographies and contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to apply digital, AI, automation, and analytics-enabled approaches enhance Lean Manufacturing concepts and deliver outsized performance improvements.
• Strong executive communication skills, with the ability to simplify complexity, connect improvement work to business strategy, and inspire teams at all organizational levels.
• Highly motivated problem solver capable of strategic and tactical thinking.
• Highly collaborative and adaptable leadership style, with experience working across cultures, functions, and geographies; willingness to travel to manufacturing sites globally, with a travel expectation of approximately ~50% travel.
• Fluent English is required; Fluent German and/or French and/or any other language is preferred.

DuPont is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, colour, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability or any other protected class.