Independent Consultant - Operational Excellence

Role Overview:

As a freelance/independent consultant with expertise in Operational Excellence, you will lead specific workstreams within wider client engagements that identify, design, and implement effective solutions within the area of expertise. You will provide subject matter expertise and lead project teams to help clients establish and implement robust Operational Excellence programs and build organisational capabilities to sustain performance.

The ideal candidate must have strong expertise and proven experience in Operational Excellence Programs (OEE improvement, Throughput/ productivity improvement, maintenance & reliability practices improvement), coupled with excellent communication, leadership and influencing skills to drive the client’s team and manage change in a complex organisation. The ideal candidate must possess strong analytical and logical abilities with an eye for identifying improvement areas and solutions to problems.

A strong industry background in operations would be an added advantage.

Responsibilities:

The candidate will drive the execution of consulting engagements in the area of Operational Excellence to meet or exceed the client’s requirements and deliver superior value to clients. This entails:

• Defining the scope of work, objectives, deliverables, & timeframes with minimal guidance. structuring and sequencing the project/workstream activities and developing a detailed implementation plan to drive execution of an OPEX assessment or implementation project. This covers the design, development and implementation of study plans and operational strategies to accelerate organisational transformation and results delivery using OPEX performance improvement methodologies and approaches.

• Providing subject matter expertise on Operational Excellence Programs with special focus on the following 4 dimensions of the Operational Excellence spectrum: Performance Management processes, Mindset and Behaviours, Technical elements and Competency:

• Performance Management: The candidate is familiar with processes to develop the right metrics and KPIs and implement them across the client’s organisation. He/ She will ensure that operational performance principles and metrics will align with the client’s company objectives and that measures are incorporated into daily activities, enabling continuous improvement.

• Mindset and Behaviours: the candidate will have developed capabilities in coaching to be able to deal with change management, not uniquely from a transactional standpoint.

• Technical Elements: the candidate will be familiar with all the technical elements and functions that contribute to performance management in a company, such as Manufacturing, Maintenance and Reliability, Supply Chain, Quality, Process Control, Finance and HS,E being able to interact and communicate effectively with these functions, providing solutions to a wide range of specific problems

• Capability Building Techniques: The candidate has experience on all the above concepts and can train the client by effective learning methods and techniques with a strong emphasis on practical/shop floor learning.

• Leading day-to-day execution for large project teams or high-priority Operational Excellence projects, effectively communicating progress and outcomes to different clients’ stakeholders.

• Proactively identifying issues and risks concerning the specific delivery activities and liaising with the wider project team, evaluating potential solutions and pursuing the optimal course of action to minimise adverse impact to maximise project success

• Structuring problems effectively to develop key insights and sound recommendations that identify & close performance gaps for the client.

• Independently writing and presenting analyses & recommendations that influence & persuade clients, including difficult audiences to achieve desired outcomes.

• Communicating directly with senior executives who may include sensitive material.

• Effectively facilitating team/client meetings to drive decisions or alignment or manage change among a diverse group.

• Building strong coaching relationships with key clients on Operational Excellence initiatives to facilitate an effective working relationship between project teams & client.

• Providing expertise as part of proposal development and supporting other team members (e.g. Manager / Principal / Director) in meetings and presentations with clients.

• Identifying and quantifying opportunities for improving business performance with a focus on customer service and cost efficiency using structured Operational Excellence Assessment protocols, as well as through informal client visits and discussions.

• Playing an active role in building the firm by:

• Participating and contributing to functional and/or industry networks to develop and share best practices.

• Providing feedback and coaching junior colleagues to support their development within the organisation.

Qualifications / Experience:

• A broad understanding of operational efficiency and the effective use of metrics and KPI’s to drive process improvement.

• Change management and project management methodologies and principles

• Strong relationship management skills with experience in partnering and building credibility with senior leaders

• Strong knowledge and practical experience in application/facilitation of a wide range of Continuous Improvement techniques, including the standard concepts and associated tools of TPM, TQM, Lean, Six Sigma.

• Experience with other process improvement methodologies e.g. Theory of Constraints and others (preferred)

• Knowledge and practical experience of investigation and analysis tools (quantitative and qualitative) like FMEA, RCFA, 5 Why’s, Fishbone Diagrams, Problem solving and flexibility to analyse and adapt to situations.

• Experience in developing procedures to define key system requirements as well as Audit Protocols, KPIs and Governance mechanisms to monitor the effectiveness of implementation of Operational Excellence elements.

• Ability to effectively deliver training & coaching sessions to build/strengthen capabilities on Operational Excellence related topics.

• Experiences along the lifecycle of an asset, from design to operations/maintenance, enable them to understand how to apply Operational Excellence methodologies and concepts at various stages.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and a team-working attitude to be able to work in multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams.

• Effective Leadership skills to drive execution in complex environments.

• Strong/effective verbal and written communication to be able to interact at different levels of the organisation, from the Executive down to technicians and operators.

• 8-10 years Operations work experience (required). Past direct experience in Operations Roles (e.g. Operations Manager, Maintenance Manager, Technology Manager, Quality Manager will be highly valuable.

• Min 3-5 years, experience in utilising a recognised methodology for reviewing current business processes; identifying problems and opportunities; and re-engineering processes for improved efficiency and effectiveness (required)

• BS/BE/BTech in engineering or equivalent, MBA or MS preferred.

• Potential for frequent local and international travel (depending on location of projects) required to fulfil this role. Ability to travel extensively up to 80 % of the monthly time.

Diversity and Inclusion

dss+ is committed to a diverse workforce and believes that this is essential to strengthening our company and driving sustainable growth. We are committed to driving accountability for growing dss+ through diversity. Diversity is an indispensable part of our organisation's culture. The goal of our commitment to inclusion, dignity, and equal opportunity has not only become a competitive advantage for us but has attracted competent and talented employees to dss+.

dss+ Core Values

dss+ works with clients to save lives and create a sustainable future. To do so effectively, we live our core values that underpin our thinking, our goals and our actions, every step of the way. Coupled with our passion and expertise, the dss+ core values ensure we forge a path to success for our employees, stakeholders and clients — one that we can all be proud of. What ideals do we prioritise? These are the four compass points that guide our actions.

Safety and health

We share a personal and professional commitment to protecting the safety and health of our employees, contractors, customers and the people of the communities in which we operate.

Environmental stewardship

We find science-enabled solutions for our customers, always managing our businesses to protect and preserve the environment, both for today and for the future.

Respect for people

We treat our employees and all our partners with professionalism, dignity and respect, fostering an environment where people can contribute, innovate and excel.

Highest ethical behaviour

We conduct ourselves and our business affairs by the highest ethical standards, striving always to be a respected corporate citizen worldwide.

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