Strategy Execution Leader

Job Title: Strategy Execution Leader - Operational ExcellenceJob Location: Canovanas (on-site)Reports To: Director Business Excellence & Strategy Brief Job DescriptionThe Strategy Execution Leader enables disciplined execution, governance, and value realization of strategic and operational excellence initiatives within a GMP-regulated Oral Solid Dose (OSD) pharmaceutical environment. The role ensures transformation programs deliver measurable, sustained business impact while maintaining quality, compliance, safety, and supply continuity. Operates as a site program governance leader, embedding standard ways of working, portfolio transparency, risk-based decision making, and cross-functional alignment across Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, MSAT, Engineering, Digital, and Finance.
This position is designed as a developmental role for future enterprise leadership, requiring systems thinking, influence without authority, and execution discipline—without direct ownership of operations. Acts as a trusted partner to the Strategy & Operational Excellence Leader and Site Leadership Team to translate strategy into delivery and benefits.
Typical Accountabilities
Portfolio Governance and Strategy Execution
Portfolio oversight: Establish and maintain the integrated portfolio of Operational Excellence and transformation initiatives, ensuring alignment to site strategy and enterprise priorities.Governance framework: Design and run program governance, cadence, and escalation routines (steercos, stage gates, tollgates), embedding standard methodologies and compliant documentation.Benefits realization: Track, validate, and report business cases, financial benefits, and value realization in partnership with Finance; ensure targets are credible, time-bound, and audited.Decision-ready visibility: Provide clear, concise, and accurate performance reporting (KPIs, OKRs, benefits, milestones, risks, dependencies) to enable timely decision-making by leaders.Execution standards: Enable adoption of standard execution practices (charters, RACIs, risk registers, plans, change controls), and coach teams to improve maturity.
Cross-Functional Alignment and Stakeholder Engagement
Alignment and flow: Enable cross-functional alignment across Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, MSAT, Engineering, Digital, and Finance, resolving constraints and dependencies.Change leadership: Support change management plans, communications, and stakeholder engagement to drive adoption, capability building, and sustainability of improvements.Standards and playbooks: Develop and maintain execution playbooks, templates, and education materials; support training delivery and coaching.
Digital and Analytics Enablement
Data-driven performance: Establish standard metrics and dashboards to monitor execution health, benefits, and risk posture; ensure data quality and integrity.Advanced analytics: Partner with Digital and MSAT to leverage analytics for predictive insights, throughput improvement, and value tracking.Continuous improvement: Identify patterns and improvement opportunities across programs; drive corrective actions and share best practice.
Financial Stewardship
Financial governance: Coordinate with Finance to align budgets, benefits tracking, cost control, and investment prioritization; ensure transparency and auditability.Value focus: Maintain emphasis on realized business value (service level, quality, cost, cycle time, throughput, compliance maturity), not only project completion.As a Member of the Site Leadership Network Policy alignment: Ensure adherence to Policies, Standards, and Procedures; promote an ethical business environment and strong internal controls.Performance management: Support development planning, coaching, and capability uplift for project and operations teams involved in portfolio execution.Strategic contribution: Contribute to site strategic planning, translating objectives into executable portfolios with defined outcomes and guardrails.Employee relations & compliance: Support an engaging workplace culture, maintaining effective employee relations and compliance to cGMP, other regulatory requirements, SHE obligations, and company standards.
SHE Responsibilities
SHE compliance: Ensure portfolio activities comply with SHE Policy and local regulations; integrate SHE risk assessment into program governance.Risk management: Identify and manage SHE risks arising from business activities, ensuring mitigation plans are resourced and tracked.Resources and accountability: Confirm adequate SHE support resources and ensure teams understand and fulfill their SHE responsibilities.
Typical People Management Responsibility (direct/indirect reports)
• Approximate number of people managed in total (all levels): None• N/A (Not a Manager)
What is the global remit? (how many countries will the role operate in?)• Operates in own country
Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience
Essential:Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, Operations, or Business. 8–12+ years in pharmaceutical manufacturing, technical operations, quality, supply chain, or operational excellence. Proven experience leading cross-functional programs in a GMP-regulated environment with demonstrated benefits realization.
Desirable:Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent). Experience in Lean environments; Green/Black Belt certification. PM certification (PMP, Prince2, Agile). Exposure to digital/analytics in manufacturing (dashboarding, KPI automation, predictive analytics).
Individual Job Description Knowledge of FDA, EMA, GDP, and data integrity expectations
Key Relationship to Reach Solutions
Internal (to AZ or team): Site Leadership Team; Operations; Quality; Supply Chain; Engineering; Digital/IT; Finance; PMO; Lean and Business Excellence networks; Regional and Global functions.External (to AZ): As required for compliance, benchmarking, and best practice (no routine external relationships).