Senior Program Manager, Operational Excellence

The Senior Program Manager, Operational Excellence & Lean, will be a key driver of continuous improvement initiatives across our manufacturing floor. As part of the ASML team, you will lead efforts to streamline processes, reduce waste, and enhance operational performance using Lean Six Sigma methodologies for the DUV factory. This role is hands-on, requiring frequent presence in the clean room to connect with teams and drive real-time improvements. If you're passionate about Lean principles and have a knack for problem-solving, we want you to help us achieve our operational excellence goals.

As the Senior Program Manager, Operational Excellence & Lean, you will lead high-impact initiatives to optimize manufacturing and operational processes. The role requires a strong background in Lean, and hands-on problem solving, and you will be tasked with building and mentoring change agents within the organization. You will spend time on the production floor, coaching teams, facilitating kaizen events, and ensuring that our tier management system is effective and aligned with our business goals while developing the alignment with ISO standards and best practices in process mapping.

• Waste Reduction & Kaizen Facilitation: Lead efforts to reduce floor waste and facilitate kaizen events, ensuring the successful execution of process improvements that enhance efficiency and reduce costs for the manufacturing team.
• Hands-On Floor Lean Leader: Spend time in the clean room regularly to engage with staff, solve real-time problems, improving 5S+1 practices, and ensure adherence to Lean practices on the floor.
• Develop & Mentor Change Agents: Identify and train team members to become change agents, building a culture of continuous improvement across the organization.
• Lead Operational Excellence Projects: Manage and lead cross-functional operational excellence projects, driving measurable improvements in quality, throughput, yield, and cost reduction.
• Process Mapping & ISO 9001 Expertise: Assist in initiatives to update current processes to align with ISO standards and best practices in process mapping, helping maintain compliance and drive efficiency.
• Problem Solving: tackle both small scale operational issues and larger systemic challenges by working hands-on with team to identify root causes and implement sustainable solutions.
• Data Analytics & Dashboards: Develop and manage operational dashboards and visualizations to track KPIs and identify trends. Use data-driven insights to guide decision-making and inform continuous improvement initiatives. Experience in creating dashboards, specially in Spotfire is ideal.
• Tier Management System: Serve as the point of contact for the tier system on the production floor, ensuring that issues are escalated and addressed through a structured, data-driven approach.

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field; a Master's degree is preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or other lean certificates from reputable organizations are strongly preferred
• PMP certification preferred
• Minimum 7 years of experience in operational excellence, with a focus on Lean and Six Sigma methodologies with 5 years in manufacturing environment
• Proven experience in leading kaizen and enhancing 5S+1 practices.
• Strong understanding of ISO 9001 and other quality standards as well as process mapping.
• Excellent leadership skills, with the ability to lead without authority and influence cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency in data analysis, creating dashboards, and reporting using MS Excel, Spotfire, and project management tools.

• Excellent communication and leadership skills with a proven ability to influence and mentor cross-functional teams from different levels.
• Proven problem solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes and address both immediate and long term manufacturing challenges.
• Ability to translate, statistically analyze data, and effectively report problems through written and/or graphical formats.
• Excellent customer service skills, with an advanced understanding of internal customer relationship building.
• Project management experience, including project planning and execution and leading teams.
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills with the ability to influence, motivate, mentor, and lead team resources from technician to leadership.
• Self-starter; self-motivator; willing to do what it takes to get the job done.
• Track record of valued contribution and ability to work well in cross-functional teams
• Experience working successfully with technically oriented customers and cross-functional teams.
• Strong knowledge in the following areas:
• Operations, Manufacturing, Lean, General Engineering, Quality Engineering, Data analysis.

On-site requirements: This role is based in San Diego, CA, and requires a minimum of 4 days per week on-site. The role also demands a frequent presence in the cleanroom to drive Lean initiatives and maintain close contact with the manufacturing team.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee routinely is required to sit; walk; talk and hear; use hands to keyboard, finger, handle, and feel; stoop, kneel, crouch, twist, crawl, reach, and stretch.
• The employee is occasionally required to move around the campus.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.
• Will require travel dependent on business needs.
• Can work under deadlines.
• The environment generally is moderate in temperature and noise level.
• Must be able to read and interpret data, information, and documents.
• Can observe and respond to people and situations and interact with others encountered in the course of work.
• Can learn and apply new information or skills.

Pay scales are determined by role, level, location and alignment with market data. Individual pay is determined through interviews and an assessment of several factors that that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and pay relative to other team members.

ASML is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company.

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ASML provides reasonable accommodations to applicants for ASML employment and ASML employees with disabilities. An accommodation is a change in work rules, facilities, or conditions which enable an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform the essential functions of a job, and/or enjoy equal access to the benefits and privileges of employment. If you are in need of an accommodation to complete an application, participate in an interview, or otherwise participate in the employee pre-selection process, please send an email to USHR_Accommodation@asml.com to initiate the company's reasonable accommodation process.

Please note: This email address is solely intended to provide a method for applicants to initiate ASML's process to request accommodation(s). Any recruitment questions should be directed to the designated Talent Acquisition member for the position.