Director, Danaher Business Systems (Continuous Improvement, Lean, Operations)

Bring more to life.

Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology?

At Cytiva, one of Danaher’s 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we’re all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact. 

You’ll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique viewpoint matter. And by harnessing Danaher’s system of continuous improvement, you help turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life.

Working at Cytiva means being at the forefront of providing new solutions to transform human health. Our incredible customers undertake life-saving activities ranging from fundamental biological research to developing innovative vaccines, new medicines, and cell and gene therapies.

At Cytiva you will be able to continuously improve yourself and us – working on challenges that truly matter with people that care for each other, our customers, and their patients. Take your next step to an altogether life-changing career.

Learn about the Danaher Business System which makes everything possible.

The Director, Danaher Business Systems is responsible to lead deployment and maturation of the Danaher Business System (DBS) across the Muskegon site in alignment with business priorities, site complexity, and operational readiness.

This position reports to the Senior Director Operations, Muskegon and is part of the Operations leadership team located in Muskegon, MI and will be an on-site role. 

What you will do:

• Establish core DBS elements to support Day 1 manufacturing readiness (approved validation). The top shared priority across both site and project functions, ensuring decisions, resources, and execution are aligned to achieve start-up safely and with consistent product quality.
• Elevate the site’s daily management system by strengthening visual management, leader standard work, and accountability routines, while coaching leaders to use DBS rigor to drive accountability in ways that build trust, strengthen engagement, and sustain improvement.
• Partner with site leadership to continually assess DBS maturity, identify gaps, and coach leaders and teams on DBS principles, tools, and problem solving to reinforce accountability and the leadership behaviors that build trust and engagement.
• Coordinate high impact multi-Kaizen events and site level improvement initiatives while enabling the Muskegon team to grow and lead individual Kaizens independently.
• Influence and challenge leaders appropriately to ensure improvement commitments are clear, measurable, and followed through
• Connect the site to broader Cytiva and Danaher DBS resources, best practices, and peer networks to accelerate learning and impact.

Who you are:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, business, or a related field.
• Prefer 5+ years of experience leading business system deployment, continuous improvement, or operational excellence in complex manufacturing or operations environments.
• Demonstrated success coaching senior leaders and cross-functional teams to strengthen operating rigor, drive accountability, and align competing priorities to critical business outcomes.
• Proven ability to lead in high-pressure, evolving environments where competing priorities must be balanced.
• Deep knowledge of DBS tools, daily management, transactional process improvement, visual project management, lean conversion, leader standard work, problem solving process and sustainment monitoring and coaching with demonstrated ability to apply them on a scale.
• Strong business judgment and proven ability to translate enterprise and site needs into clear improvement priorities, measurable outcomes, and disciplined execution.
• Exceptional facilitation, influence, and change leadership skills, with credibility to challenge and guide leaders across functions and levels.

It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in:

• Experience in a start-up, high-growth, or evolving site environment.
• Experience operating in environments with competing operational and project priorities, including cross-functional coordination, timeline management, and resource constraints.
• Experience in Danaher or another highly mature lean business system environment.

Cytiva, a Danaher operating company, offers a broad array of comprehensive, competitive benefit programs that add value to our lives. Whether it’s a health care program or paid time off, our programs contribute to life beyond the job. Check out our benefits at Danaher Benefits Info.

This job is also eligible for bonus/incentive pay.

We offer comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

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Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

For more information, visit www.danaher.com.

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We comply with federal and state disability laws and make reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact:1-202-419-7762 or applyassistance@danaher.com.