Operations Leader

This is an exciting opportunity to lead, inspire and coach a team within a defined manufacturing area. This role will be accountable for ensuring that customer commitments are met in full, measured against agreed HSE, quality, cost, delivery, people and responsiveness standards. The Operations Leader will lead and manage a team of Production Leaders or strategic programmes in the business.

Why Rolls-Royce?

Rolls-Royce is one of the most enduring and iconic brands in the world and has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century. We design, build and service systems that provide critical power to customers where safety and reliability are paramount.

We are proud to be a force for progress, powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.

We want to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that has shaped our history continues into our future and we need people like you to come and join us on this journey.

Rolls-Royce has been recognized as the top employer in the Engineering & Manufacturing category on the prestigious Forbes Top Employers for Engineers list for 2025. This ranking highlights our commitment to innovation, employee development, and fostering a collaborative environment where engineers can thrive.

Be part of a team that sets the industry standard and drives groundbreaking solutions.

At Rolls-Royce, we are committed to creating a workplace where all employees feel respected, supported, and empowered to do their best work. We foster a welcoming and innovative work environment that invests in you, giving you access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities where you can grow your career and make a difference.

Rolls-Royce is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristics.

What you will be doing

With this attractive opportunity you will get a chance to:

• Drive towards a performance and culture of Zero Harm. Accountable for the compliance to safety standards for all team members in the area. Drive the environmental, safety and wellbeing plan deployment for the area and deliver performance targets.
• Accountable for ensuring that all work is carried out in compliance with the required standard to ensure conformance to the engineering specification, and for promoting a product safety culture in the organization.
• Drive to Zero Defects. Work with all functions to reduce risks and drive product and service right first time. Ensure compliance to all relevant company legislative and technical policies digital standards and processes.
• Develop and manage agreed people budget (headcount, productivity, absenteeism). Understand and manage the cell cost center budget and work with the team to drive productivity and reduce consumable cost.
• Deliver our products and services to customer commitments on time. Plan using load and capacity tools and manage bottlenecks and constraints to achieve flow through the cell. Understand WIP and inventory levels and drive to meet business targets.
• Ensure that all relevant Production System minimum standards are fully deployed and sustained within the business in support of performance objectives and coaching the team to fully participate in continuous improvement.
• Inspire and optimize the manufacturing team to consistently deliver high levels of performance through coaching, demonstration of lean leadership behaviors and ensuring they are trained, capable and effective. Motivate, delegate and empower team members to act and make their own decisions.

Who we’re looking for:

At Rolls-Royce we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. These principles form the behaviours that guide us and are an essential component of our assessment process. They are the fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles.

Basic Requirements:

• Associate degree and 7+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, engineering, or quality with Lean Sigma (green belt or higher), OR
• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, engineering, or quality with Lean Sigma (green belt or higher), OR
• Master's degree in STEM and 3+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, engineering, or quality with Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher, OR
• PhD with Lean Sigma Green Belt or higher, OR
• 9+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations production with Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher in lieu of a degree
• In order to be eligible for consideration, you must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident

Preferred Requirements:

• Experienced in chemical, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, semiconductor or other manufacturing environments which involve handling hazardous chemicals and materials.
• Experience in manufacturing environments using Process Safety Management standards, regulations, and procedures.
• Has Companywide outlook and exposure to different challenges, cultures and ways of working.
• Understanding/knowledge of multiple disciplines demonstrating breadth of experience such as research and development, new production introduction, and production. environments. Appreciation of product integrity.
• Has a proven track record delivering improved operational performance in both favorable and unfavorable conditions, utilizing cross-functional teams.
• Has experience of deploying continuous improvement methodologies such as lean and six sigma with Black Belt preferred.

What we offer

We offer excellent development opportunities, a competitive salary, and exceptional benefits. These include bonus, employee support assistance and employee discounts.

Your needs are as unique as you are. Hybrid working is a way in which our people can balance their time between the office, home, or another remote location. It’s a locally managed and flexed informal discretionary arrangement. As a minimum we’re all expected to attend the workplace for collaboration and other specific reasons, on average three days per week.

For fully remote roles, employees can live in any state except Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Relocation assistance is available for this position.