About the role
At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.
The Position
Introduction
At Roche, we are committed to delivering greater benefits to our patients. To achieve that, the Performance Excellence Lead is a hands-on Operational Excellence expert to drive breakthrough performance improvements and build long-term capabilities. This role is about delivering step-change improvements, not just marginal gains, by embedding structured, data-driven methodologies that enhance efficiency, quality, and overall operational performance. As a member of the Performance Excellence Delivery team, you work with site teams and functions, integrating traditional Lean principles with cutting-edge digital solutions to drive true transformation using our five-step Breakthrough Methodology: Preparation, Diagnose, Design, Implement, and Sustain.
The Opportunity:
* Lead structured breakthrough initiatives that deliver step-change improvements in operational quality, efficiency, and productivity rather than incremental gains. * Own the end-to-end delivery of Performance Excellence initiatives across all core phases: Project Scoping, Preparation, Diagnose, Design, Build & Deploy, and Sustain. * Structure and solve complex operational challenges by guiding cross-functional teams toward measurable, high-impact business solutions. * Establish and track key initiative performance indicators to ensure long-term, tangible business value and operational continuity. * Apply operational pillars—including Operational Excellence (OE), Lean, Digital, AI, and Data—to eliminate waste and optimize end-to-end processes. * Deploy systematic, proven, data-driven frameworks to drive hands-on execution and ensure repeatable performance gains across site operations. * Coach and upskill project teams in Lean and OE tools, fostering an inclusive, high-performance culture that anchors sustainable capability building. * Partner with site functions and senior leadership to secure organizational buy-in, manage change, and align strategic operational enhancements.
Who you are:
* Education: Hold a Bachelor’s degree (required) or an Advanced degree (Master’s/PhD preferred) in a relevant technical, engineering, or business field. * Years of Experience: Bring a minimum of 8 years of relevant operational excellence experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or 6+ years of equivalent experience with an Advanced degree. * Industry Background: Possess hands-on professional experience within biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemical manufacturing, or related process industries (e.g., manufacturing, supply chain, or quality). * Operational Excellence Mastery: Demonstrate proven expertise in leading structured OE and Lean methodologies to drive step-change improvements. * Digital & Data Savvy: Skilled in synthesizing complex data sets into actionable insights and supporting the adoption of OE, Digital, AI, and advanced data solutions. * Leadership & Influence: Exhibit strong stakeholder management skills with the confidence to influence, challenge senior leadership, and maintain project accountability. * Growth Mindset & Communication: Act as an agile, collaborative thought partner with excellent written and verbal communication skills across cross-functional teams.
Call to Action: Ready to bring your unique qualities to Roche and make an impact? Apply now and join us in our mission to shape the future of healthcare.
Who we are
A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.
Let’s build a healthier future, together.
Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.