Director, BD Excellence Innovation

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world. Advancing the world of health™ is our Purpose, and it’s no small feat. It takes the imagination and passion of all of us—from design and engineering to the manufacturing and marketing of our billions of MedTech products per year—to look at the impossible and find transformative solutions that turn dreams into possibilities.

The Director, BD Excellence Innovation partners with Specimen Management (SM) R&D leaders, PMO, and engineering teams to improve new product development (NPD) execution. The role deploys BD Excellence practices to accelerate New Products development Launch, shorten development schedules, reduce costs, and strengthen product quality. Through Obeya, Visual Project Management, structured problem solving, and Kaizen, this leader strengthens project visibility, cross-functional issue resolution, and R&D continuous improvement capability, supporting development through the transition to commercial execution.

This role reports to the Vice President, SM BD Excellence and is based in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

The primary responsibilities will include:

• Partner with the Sr. Director, BD Excellence Innovation, Vice President, SM BD Excellence, and SM R&D leaders to deploy and sustain the BD Excellence Innovation Operating Model, tools, and processes across global SM R&D teams, aligned with innovation and NPD priorities.
• Build SM R&D self-sufficiency through coaching, training, and Certified Practitioner networks in Obeya, Visual Project Management, Problem Solving, and Launch Excellence.
• Implement and sustain digital tools and information-sharing practices that strengthen NPD project visibility, data-driven decisions, and reuse of best practices across SM R&D teams.
• Deploy and optimize Obeya with SM R&D and PMO teams, providing hands-on support to embed visual project management and adapt practices to evolving development needs.
• Facilitate structured problem-solving and Kaizen sessions with SM R&D and cross-functional partners to resolve critical development barriers, compress schedules, reduce costs, and improve product quality.
• Track tool adoption and NPD outcomes using bowlers, KPIs, and action plans; work with SM R&D leaders to address performance gaps and sustain improvements.
• Achieve and maintain Certified Practitioner status to teach Visual Management/Daily Management (VM/DM), Problem Solving Process (PSP), and Kaizen within SM R&D.

• Ten (10)+ years of MedTech industry experience within the field of R&D, Innovation or Engineering with a proven track record of driving processes to achieve results.

• Eight (8)+ years of proven experience in a continuous improvement culture, applying Lean tools, visual management, structured problem solving, and Kaizen to improve execution.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret complex R&D project data and translate findings into actionable improvements.
• Proven ability to resolve cross-functional NPD challenges in a complex, matrixed organization within accelerated time frames.
• Experience using Microsoft Azure DevOps, Project, Planner, and Power BI to support R&D project execution and performance visibility.
• Strong communication, facilitation, training, and coaching skills, both in person and virtually; able to influence R&D and cross-functional stakeholders, build engagement, and drive accountability for outcomes.
• Demonstrated strategic agility, a growth mindset, and the ability to adapt quickly to changing R&D priorities.

• Excellent project management skills and ability to handle multiple responsibilities and deadlines.

• Demonstrated success delivering measurable improvements in R&D or NPD execution through continuous improvement and Kaizen initiatives.

• 2+ years of experience supporting digital ecosystems for R&D project management and collaboration, including deployment, training, and end-user technical support; experience with tools such as OnePlan or Jira.

• Proven experience in Power BI development, including DAX, Power Query, and data modeling.
• Strong proficiency in integrating Power BI with SQL databases, and ERP systems.

• Experience supporting R&D in an FDA-regulated medical technology environment is preferred.
• Experience applying change management to sustain adoption of new tools and working practices within R&D teams.
• Experience serving as a subject matter expert in continuous improvement practices for R&D or NPD teams.

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required, ~25%.