Operational Excellence Manager

We are seeking a dedicated and results-driven Operational Excellence Manager to join our Healthcare sector team in the Netherlands. In this pivotal role, you will take ownership of localizing and implementing both local and regional operational excellence strategies, working closely with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless execution and measurable impact.

United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life.

Your Role:

As the primary point of contact for all data-related and analytical needs, you will provide vital support to the local operational team to drive positive sales growth. You will also act as the local stakeholder for implementing regional initiatives, ensuring they are effectively adapted and rolled out within the market.

Your responsibilities will include managing the monthly Sales Review and Forecasting cycles by updating data and forecast inputs, leading cross-functional account review meetings to identify focus areas and formalizing quarterly sales target submissions. You will maintain and update all sales models and dashboards – both Excel-based and Qliksense – including target comparisons, price analyses, and developing additional overviews as needed.

As the local Key User of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (SalesForce) and Sales Dashboard platform (Qliksense), you will be responsible for system data updates, supporting and training end users, and customizing new reports and functionalities. This includes updating account segmentations and managing call plans within the CRM.

You will also oversee the design and approval processes for Sales Incentive Plans (SIP) for the commercial field force, calculating performance ratios to drive motivation and success.

Additional duties include account targeting and segmentation, contract management (strategy setting and approvals), sales accruals, forecasting price evolution, and managing data submissions and uploads.

Collaboration will be key to your success, as you will interface regularly with diverse stakeholders – including Business Unit Directors, commercial field force, Supply Chain, Medical, Market Access, Brand Managers, General Manager, Controlling, regional teams, and in-market data providers.

This role is essential to the growth and success of the Healthcare business in the Netherlands.

Who you are:

• Post-Graduate degree or Bachelor’s degree in Business Analytics, Management, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Advanced Excel skills and aptitude is a key requirement for success – comfortable working with large data sets using complex and nested formulas, pivot tables/charts, data validation, and conditional formatting.
• Strong analytical skills combined with a commercial mindset – able to interpret data, identify trends, and generate actionable business insights.
• Proactive and resourceful, actively identifying opportunities to drive operational excellence and process optimization.
• Proven project and process management skills, with the ability to prioritize competing tasks effectively.
• Effective communicator with a collaborative, solution-oriented mindset and strong stakeholder management and influencing abilities.
• Experience or knowledge of the pharmaceutical/healthcare industry is a plus; experience in other product-based sectors such as retail, manufacturing, or consumer goods is also valuable.
• Familiarity with systems such as SalesForce, Qliksense, SAP-IBP, Tableau, PowerBI, SAP-LEAN (or similar ERP) would be advantageous.
• Strong data visualization and storytelling skills to clearly communicate insights to diverse colleagues.
• Understanding of sales and marketing metrics, ideally within healthcare or related industries.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy, critical for managing sales models, forecasts, incentive calculations, and contract strategies.
• Proficiency in English is required; Dutch language skills are considered a plus.

What we offer:

We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace.

Benefits

• Financial & Protection
• Health and Wellbeing
• Family
• Time Away
• Life-style