Sr. Operational Excellence Engineer

Sr. Operational Excellence Engineer

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You'll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor's degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

Abbott Rapid Diagnostics is part of Abbott's Diagnostics family of businesses, bringing together exceptional teams of experts and industry leading technologies to support diagnostic testing which provides important information for treatment and management of diseases and other conditions.

The Opportunity

Our location in San Diego, CA currently has an opportunity for a Sr. Operational Excellence Engineer. This Sr. Operational Excellence Engineer role is within our CMI business unit. This role plays a critical role in driving continuous improvement across the San Diego site.

This hands-on position supports and leads initiatives aligned with the Operational Excellence roadmap, including digital transformation, cost reduction, and sustainability. The engineer will work independently and collaboratively across all departments, leading projects and Kaizen events, mentoring Yellow Belt candidates, and embedding Lean principles into daily operations. This job description will be reviewed periodically and is subject to change by management.

Responsibilities:

• Actively support the OpEx roadmap strategy in the plant
• Lead and execute process improvement projects using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies
• Deliver Yellow Belt training and mentor candidates through improvement projects
• Facilitate Kaizen events and cross-functional workshops to drive rapid improvements
• Promote visual management and data-driven decision-making across the plant
• Identify and implement lean tools such as standard work, 5S, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, line balancing, and time studies to optimize process flow and eliminate waste
• Collaborate with stakeholders across departments to identify improvement opportunities and drive change
• Support cross-functional projects by assisting with equipment and process validations, demonstrating flexibility and the ability to adapt to evolving business needs
• Monitor, analyze, and report critical OpEx metrics using tools like Power BI
• Assist the organization in the knowledge and understanding of metrics and measurements, which impact the total performance of the plant
• Act as a change agent, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational discipline
• Support cost improvement initiatives through lean tools and structured problem-solving
• Ensure compliance with quality and regulatory standards in all improvement activities
• Build strong internal relationships and communicate effectively across all levels of the organization
• Other duties as assigned to support evolving business needs
• Understands and is aware of the quality consequences which may occur from the improper performance of their specific job; has awareness of device defects that may occur in their area of responsibility, including product design, verification and validation, manufacturing and testing activities
• Responsible for exhibiting professional behavior with both internal/external business associates that reflects positively on the company and is consistent with the company's policies and practices; build productive internal/external working relationships
• Carries out duties in compliance with established business policies
• Other duties as assigned, according to the changing needs of the business

Minimum Qualifications | Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Business, Operations or Science
• 5 years of relevant work experience
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification (Black Belt preferred)
• Experience leading cross-functional improvement projects

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the medical device, diagnostics, or healthcare industry, with familiarity in regulated environments (e.g., FDA, ISO 13485)
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification
• Strong presentation and project management skills
• Proficiency in Power BI and data visualization tools
• Experience with fixture design and mistake-proofing (poka-yoke)
• Familiarity with MES or ERP systems

Competencies:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Change management and stakeholder engagement capabilities
• Negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Proactive, self-directed, and highly organized
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively

The base pay for this position is $86,700.00 $173,300.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.