Operational Excellence Business Partner for Row Crop Africa

At Bayer we’re visionaries, driven to solve the world’s toughest challenges and striving for a world where ‘Health for all, Hunger for none’ is no longer a dream, but a real possibility. We’re doing it with energy, curiosity, and sheer dedication, always learning from unique perspectives of those around us, expanding our thinking, growing our capabilities, and redefining ‘impossible’. There are so many reasons to join us. But if you’re hungry to build a varied and meaningful career in a community of brilliant and diverse minds to make a real difference, there’s only one choice.

Role purpose

// Lead continuous improvement efforts within the mission team as a Regional BP, focusing on onePSS acceleration and site maturity, while guiding a community of sites towards operational excellence through an integrated management system that prioritizes measurable P&L impact.

// Serve as the primary point of contact for Row Crop Africa sites, providing expertise, support, and guidance to accelerate operational excellence initiatives.

// Collaborate closely with site teams on the shop floor, sharing ownership and driving the adoption of best practices to increase maturity and eliminate siloed approaches.

// This role is flexible within Sub-Sahara Africa.

Key responsibilities and tasks

// Drive together with the site to accelerate onePSS implementation across sites, working collaboratively to increase maturity and effectiveness.

// Serve as the key contact for Africa sites, fostering communication and collaboration across all levels (sites, region, global) to align operational excellence efforts, while bridging site teams and regional/global experts via menu card approach for knowledge transfer and problem-solving, addressing site needs effectively.

// Develop and execute site strategic plans, with a strong emphasis on strategy deployment, to collaboratively drive continuous improvement across all areas of the business, in partnership with the site team.

// Adopt a ‘pull’ approach to meet the specific needs of each site, ensuring solutions are fit for purpose. Utilize a menu approach to address site needs, supporting in creating demand and driving solutions.

// Provide hands-on support and guidance to accelerate the implementation of onePSS and all other continuous improvement projects and initiatives (TRACC, A3, DMAIC, 5S, VM, Teamwork, etc.)

// Provide support and guidance to ensure the successful adoption and integration of onePSS into daily operations.

// Focus on providing expert guidance and support rather than administrative tasks.

// Forge close collaboration with Africa site teams on the shop floor, jointly owning operational excellence initiatives.

// Leverage knowledge and experience to lead significant improvements on P&L by driving operational excellence.

// Stay actively engaged with other Operational Excellence (OE) business partners and experts within the mission team to facilitate continuous learning, share best practices, and exchange insights for ongoing improvements.

// Take part in regional leadership meetings to contribute and escalate to the smooth functioning of the sites/teams.

// Focus on driving the community of sites towards continuous improvements. This includes facilitating the exchange of best practices and spearheading the maturity development of the EMEA network within the product team for above-site responsibilities

Key Working Relations:

// Direct report to One Management Mission Team Lead

// Global and Regional OE Expert, RIM Expert, HSE Expert, Quality Experts in region and global.

// Site Managers, Site Teams, HR, Finance and Controlling

Experience, Skills and Qualifications

// Engineering degree or comparable education.

// Qualification in Lean/6 Sigma preferred.

// Business process improvement and manufacturing operations research

// At least 5 years’ experience in plant operations / optimization / projects and Operational Excellence

// Competency in the application of financial analysis to improvement projects, good conceptual and analytical thinking skills, problem-solving ability

// Leadership and engagement capability (influential management)

// Affinity and ability to lead regional network (e.g. OE EMEA Community)

// Ability to interface at all Site Management levels in Manufacturing and to influence without authority, outstanding change management skills

// 50% travel availability mainly in region, fluent in English

// Location: Zambia / Kenya / Malawi / Tanzania

Bayer welcomes applications from all individuals, regardless of race, national origin, gender, age, physical characteristics, social origin, disability, union membership, religion, family status and pregnancy. We are committed to treating all applicants fairly and avoiding discrimination.