Business Process Improvement Lead

About Livent: Livent powers the things that power our lives. From the revolution in electric vehicle batteries and mobile devices to the strong, lightweight alloys and advanced polymers that take innovation further, we harness lithium technology to help the world move forward-cleaner, healthier and more sustainably.

For nearly eight decades, we've been harnessing lithium's potential to change the energy landscape. We are a pioneer in the lithium industry and have a rich history of breakthrough innovations and industry achievements, including partnering with Sony Corporation to develop the first ever Lithium-ion battery for commercial use.

Today, Livent builds on our heritage and is a global leader in the lithium industry with a differentiated product offering, proven track record and sustainability profile. Our customer portfolio includes some of the most dynamic companies in the world, including Tesla, and BMW Group.

Our customers look to us to meet the most demanding technical requirements, drawing upon our strengths in R&D with our advanced engineering capabilities, industry-leading materials science expertise, fully integrated global supply chain, and passion for continuous improvement and excellence.

Together, we work to safely and sustainably convert lithium's potential into commercial progress, driving not only incremental improvements and also next generation, transformative opportunities.

For customers at the forefront of the once in a generation shift in how the world powers itself - and the fight against climate change - Livent is the lithium technology partner that's leading the way.

Position Summary: Livent is hiring a Business Process Improvement Lead that will drive, lead, and manage small and complex large-scale initiatives through structured change to improve business processes, organization, and systems across our global locations and multiple functions. We are looking for a candidate that is more than just a facilitator. This person will need to be a hands-on, self-starter who strives to become an expert in understanding the end-to-end business processes and systems and can leverage their change management skills to drive results. The person in this role must have a strong ability to connect the dots and understand complex interdependencies to integrate people and processes. The Business Process Improvement Lead will play a highly visible role in enabling and executing the growth and transformation of our business.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Evaluate existing business processes and develop business process improvement strategy, secure resources, and deliver progress to defined goals and timelines for programs supporting on-going growth and stabilization
• Lead complex initiatives to achieve meaningful business impact through enabling common practices and technology across functions and regions
• Understand organization capacity and capability, leverage existing and new systems or tools and developing mechanism to track, report and sustain improvement
• Ensure adoption of new business process through an analysis-driven approach, manage through change and measure success
• Oversee all aspects related to the implementation stages of business process improvement initiatives
• Build and engage teams by leading indirect teams and managing external resources to deliver defined goals
• Collaborate to integrate end-to-end business processes with multi-functional teams, including Supply Chain, Operations, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Regulatory, Quality, Legal, HR and IT
• Ensure alignment to overall business strategy and financial objectives with COO and CFO as key stakeholders

• Perform on-going analysis on business processes related to productivity, quality, costs, and time management
• Champion sustainable business processes, emphasizing long-term solutions over temporary workarounds
• Prepare, facilitate, and document business process improvement sessions for cross-functional teams, leveraging LEAN techniques or similar
• Drive global process design and standardization and continuously align with the functional experts, with strong understanding of justification for local exceptions
• Analyze and monitor implemented changes to business processes and make adjustments and revisions as needed
• Navigate and build credibility with cross-functional teams in a dynamic, matrixed environment
• Build and manage teams by fostering collaboration across functions to facilitate the design, review, and evaluation of process improvements
• Present progress reports, integrate feedback, while guiding and supervising assigned specific tasks
• Strive to leverage enabling technology and systems to enhance business process improvements
• Strong sense of ownership and responsibility for deliverables
• Strive to become subject matter expert in company's business processes
• Drive culture of continuous improvement
• Performs duties independently with minimal direction, as well as with a team
• Proven ability to work in hybrid environment
• Availability and willingness to work outside normal U.S. business hours as part of a global company

Supervisory Responsibility: N/A

Education and Experience:

• BS in operations management, business management, supply chain, engineering, or closely related field
• 10-15 year of experience:

In a manufacturing, industrial, supply chain or related industry

In a global company across geographies and cultures

With broad experiences across multiple business operation functions at conceptual and transactional level, hands-on practitioner level experience a plus

Leading business process integration with systems/tools such as ERP, a plus

Working with both internal and external partners, a plus

Previous management consulting experience, a plus

• Minimum 5 years of experience:

Significant hands-on structuring, facilitating, and executing simple-to-complex business process improvement initiatives across multiple functions

Demonstrated extensive abilities and/or proven track record of success in leading change management activities

• Certifications- Lean Six Sigma, Prosci Change Management, PMI PMP is a plus

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

• Functional Skills

Extensive hands-on experience in application of LEAN tools and techniques

Process Map / Value Stream Map / Workflow Diagram / SIPOC

Standardized Work / "Best Practice"

RACI

Change Management

Project Management fundamentals

Root Cause Analysis, Corrective Action/Preventative Action

• Business Knowledge

Understands "best practice" business processes and variations,

• System/Technology Skills

Strong experience with visual diagramming / flow chart applications (MicrosoftVisio, LucidChart)

Experience with collaboration tools (Microsoft O365/Teams)

Transactional Experience with ERP, SAP preferred

Experience with automation tools (PowerAutomate/RPA), a plus

• Communication Skills

Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with executives and other professionals of varied backgrounds, business experiences

• Strong ability to "connect the dots"
• Strong attention to details
• Strong analytical skills
• Language - Proficiency in English language required; Bi-lingual is a plus

Physical Demands: 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. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to walk and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand; climb or balance and taste or smell.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Moderate noise (i.e., business office with computers, phone, and printers, light traffic). Ability to work in a confined area. Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period.

Safety Requirements: All employees are expected to carry out their work functions in a healthy and safe manner, to encourage and support safe work practices at all times, and to report and/or rectify any unsafe conditions that may come to their attention immediately.

Travel Required: 5-15%

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

LIVENT employs people across a broad range of occupations in locations across the world. We are looking for people to join us in creating, developing, and improving our products, our processes, and our markets. Employees enjoy competitive compensation, a menu of work/life benefits and opportunities to continue developing their skills and building their career.

LIVENT is an Equal Opportunity Employer, EEO, AAE, MFDV and supports a drug free workplace.