Senior Manager, Operational Excellence and Innovation

Senior Manager, Operational Excellence & Innovation

The Senior Manager, Operational Excellence & Innovation is responsible for leading the operational planning, execution, and continuous improvement of agile marketing initiatives within the IBD franchise. This role focuses on enabling efficient workflows, facilitating agile processes, and building organizational capabilities that support the CE&I team's broader remit, which includes cross-functional ways of working, omnichannel strategy integration, enterprise CE&I partnerships, agency coordination, and franchise operational excellence. The position ensures that established brand and omnichannel strategies are executed with accuracy, compliance, and efficiency, without assuming responsibility for strategic development or customer experience design.

Operational Planning and Execution : Develop operational plans and governance processes to guide agile marketing initiatives. Establish scorecards, metrics, and reporting mechanisms to monitor progress and performance. Track initiative status, identify risks or delays, and implement solutions to maintain timelines and quality standards.

Agile Leadership : Serve as Scrum Master for agile marketing pods, facilitating sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. Ensure all agile team members understand their roles, responsibilities, and deliverables. Promote self-organization, transparency, and accountability within agile teams.

Process Improvement and Efficiency : Identify and implement process enhancements, tools, and workflows that improve operational efficiency. Partner cross functionally to streamline review processes, including medical, legal, and regulatory (MLR) approvals, in collaboration with channel and brand leads. Ensure consistent execution practices across teams and initiatives.

Cross-Functional and External Coordination : Coordinate with cross-functional partners, including marketing, analytics, medical, legal, regulatory, operations, and agencies, to ensure alignment on execution plans. Collaborate with omnichannel strategy and agency leads to ensure deliverables meet brand and compliance requirements. Manage vendor timelines, deliverables, and budgets for operational initiatives.

Capability Building : Develop training, documentation, and communication materials to support the adoption of agile and operational best practices. Mentor and coach team members on agile methodologies and execution processes. Contribute to the establishment of CE&I operational standards across the business unit.

Minimum Requirements / Qualifications : Required : Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, or related field. Minimum of 5 years' experience in marketing operations, agile leadership, or process improvement. Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent agile certification. Demonstrated experience facilitating agile processes and managing cross-functional execution in a complex organization. Strong project management skills, with proficiency in tools such as Jira and Confluence. Skilled at applying emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, to enhance efficiency, optimize workflows, and drive innovation in marketing execution. Experience navigating regulated environments and review processes. Proven collaboration and facilitation skills, with the ability to align diverse stakeholders around a shared plan. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams.

Preferred : MBA or advanced degree in business, marketing, or related discipline. 8+ years of progressive experience in marketing operations or commercial execution. Experience in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, or other regulated industries. Proven success in implementing operational improvements and scaling new ways of working.