Description
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at jnj.com.
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Job Function:
Supply Chain ManufacturingJob Sub Function:
Manufacturing Pharmaceutical Process OperationsJob Category:
People LeaderAll Job Posting Locations:
Leiden, South Holland, NetherlandsJob Description:
Senior Manager Operations – Primary Recovery
Primary Recovery is a key part of our Upstream Operations organization. It is a department where operational discipline, teamwork and people leadership come together every day. We are looking for a Senior Manager Operations Primary Recovery who can lead this environment with clarity, energy and care — someone who understands the importance of safety, quality and reliability, while also investing in the people who make it happen.
In this role, you will be responsible for the day-to-day and long-term performance of the Primary Recovery shift organization. You will work closely with your team, peer departments and the Upstream Leadership Team to ensure we deliver our plans in a safe, compliant and reliable way.
As part of the Upstream Leadership Team, you will play an important role in strengthening our operational performance, building a strong people culture, and preparing the department for future needs and growth.
About the role
The Senior Manager Operations Primary Recovery leads the shift organization within the Primary Recovery department, where we produce intermediate product for the important medicines we make. The department consists of approximately 140 employees working in shifts. The Senior Manager role itself is performed during office hours, with close connection to the shift teams and operational rhythm.
The environment is dynamic and sometimes challenging. Priorities can change quickly, and the role requires someone who can stay calm, make decisions, create focus and bring people together. The preferred candidate is comfortable dealing with complexity, does not avoid difficult topics, and enjoys working closely with teams across departments.
The responsibilities and the impact you will have
In this role, you will lead and develop a team of manufacturing supervisors and operators by providing direction, coaching and support. As a people manager, you are responsible for building a strong team culture, setting clear objectives aligned with business goals, supporting development, and leading the performance and talent cycle.
You will be accountable for maintaining engagement, motivation and effectiveness within the shift organization. This means creating an environment where people feel ownership, collaboration is encouraged, and there is attention for both performance and development. You will also play an important role in building a strong succession pipeline for key positions within JBV.
You are accountable for the effective performance of the department against production planning and key performance indicators. You will work with your teams to identify risks, remove barriers, set priorities and ensure that day-to-day operational activities are completed in a safe, compliant and timely way.
A required and important part of your impact will be to help the department take the next step in quality and compliance culture. This means making quality visible in daily decisions, consistently reinforcing GMP expectations, addressing issues early and openly, and creating the discipline needed to prevent repeat events. You will help teams understand that compliance is not a separate activity, but part of how we run the operation every day.
A key part of the role is to drive continuous improvement. You will lead and support improvement initiatives to increase efficiency, strengthen reliability and manage future growth. You will encourage a mindset of learning, ownership and structured problem solving across the department.
You will also work closely with cross-functional partners, including Quality, MSAT, Maintenance, Planning, EHS and other Operations departments. Together, you will optimize processes, address operational challenges and contribute to a strong “one team” approach across the site.
What you bring
We are looking for a leader who combines operational experience with strong people leadership. You are able to create structure in a fast-paced environment, make decisions when needed, and communicate clearly with different stakeholders.
You bring:
- A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; a Master’s degree is preferred.
- At least 8–10 years of practical industrial experience in operations management.
- At least 5 years of experience in a leadership role.
- Strong knowledge of manufacturing operations, operational excellence and continuous improvement.
- Experience leading change in a complex operational environment.
- Strong communication, coaching and stakeholder management skills.
- Good problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
- The ability to stay calm, focused and constructive in a dynamic environment.
- A collaborative mindset and the ability to build trust across teams and departments.
Required Skills:
Preferred Skills:
Agile Manufacturing, Business Intelligence (BI), Change Management, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC), Collaboration, Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Developing Others, Gap Analysis, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Inclusive Leadership, Leadership, Manufacturing Compliance, Operational Excellence, Organizational Knowledge, Plant Operations, Process Optimization, Team ManagementThe anticipated base pay range for this position is:
€82,900.00 - €144,210.00Benefits:
In addition to base pay, we offer the following benefits*: an annual bonus with set target (% of pay) depending on pay grade / location, where the actual amount is based on the employees’ and companies’ performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. Moreover, we offer vacation days, parental leave for a minimum of 12 weeks, bereavement leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, well-being reimbursement, programs for financial, physical and mental health. We also offer service anniversary and recognition awards, and subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees - and in some location’s eligible dependents - can participate in several insurance plans. For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well-being & career growth | Johnson & Johnson Careers.
*This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.
