Associate Director

Overview:
At Kyowa Kirin International (KKI), our purpose is to make people smile. This means more than drug discovery and development; it is about embedding care into everything we do to make a difference every day for those that need it most. We’re an inclusive pharmaceutical company that takes time to understand what really matters to our patients, their families, and their healthcare professionals, helping our people to take bold actions that deliver life-changing solutions sooner. Our culture is rooted in our values: Teamwork, Commitment to Life, Innovation, and Integrity. They help us to push boundaries to deliver extraordinary impact and make KKI a brilliant place to work.

**Job Purpose**:

- Ownership of Strategy Deployment, Performance Management, Key Performance Indicators, Continuous Improvement Programme Management, and Export Trade Compliance for the Supply Chain function within KKI.
- Development, design and continuous improvement of the Performance Management framework including escalation management for the Supply Chain and associated processes (including QMS)
- Responsible for Supply Chain strategy deployment, project prioritisation, Supply Chain action plan creation and performance tracking, including alignment with Japan / HQ
- Development and ownership of Risk Management activities for the Supply Chain, representing the function in the regional KKI risk management process
- Leading the analytics/reporting strategy, design and execution within the Supply Chain in coordination with IT
- Develop and manage a programme of continuous improvement initiatives with the Supply Chain team, act as SME and coach other team members
- Delivery of key projects within the Supply Chain, both process/systems implementation and improvement

**Responsibilities**:

- Supply Chain Performance Management framework - design, execution and improvement
- Develop and deploy a lean methodology toolkit, to be used in process re-engineering key business processes as part of a programme of continuous improvement initiatives within Supply Chain.
- Programme management of continuous improvement initiatives across Supply Chain, including milestone tracking and escalation/resolution
- Key Performance Indicator design, tracking and performance management, integrated into both KKI and Global Supply Chain performance management systems and Action Plans
- Leadership of Operational Excellence programmes designed to simplify and automate existing processes
- Develop and deploy a Trade Lane design process for the EMEA region to simply key business processes which support business growth plans (e.g New Customer Setup / NPI).
- Develop / deploy and own export control processes, including; HS classification, Origin Status, ECCN, Denied Party Screening, Sanctioned and Embargoed Country Checks, Exit/Entry declaration accuracy

Qualifications:

- Professional with senior level experience in Pharmaceuticals / Life Sciences supply chain operations management.
- Experience of complex multi-functional business process design/engineering
- Formal process improvement qualifications beneficial (e.g. Lean Sigma or equivalent)
- Experience of international trade compliance requirements EU Trade and Customs regulations, such as Harmonized System code, customs valuation, preferential/free trade agreements, and rules for Country of Origin
- Good attention to detail and a focus on excellence in execution
- Ability to work across a complex portfolio of projects and initiatives and manage multiple priorities
- Good communication skills are essential, with the ability to liaise effectively with other functions, HQ and external companies, as well as manage senior stakeholders
- Strong team player with the ability to coach effctively