Associate Director, Operational Excellence

Our mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are working to change the trajectory of cancer mortality and bring stakeholders together to adopt innovative, safe, and effective technologies that can transform cancer care.

We are a healthcare company, pioneering new technologies to advance early cancer detection. We have built a multi-disciplinary organization of scientists, engineers, and physicians and we are using the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS), population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges.

GRAIL is headquartered in the bay area of California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies.

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The Associate Director, Operational Excellence is central to driving continuous improvement, operational rigor, and data-informed decision-making across laboratory and operational workflows. The ideal candidate combines deep analytical capability with proven experience in Lean methodologies and cross-functional leadership. They will play a critical role in transforming operational data into actionable insights, enabling scalable, high-quality execution in a regulated environment.

This role works on-site full-time at our office located in Durham, NC

• Operational Data & Insights
  • Design, develop, and maintain operational dashboards and data visualizations to provide real-time visibility into performance
  • Generate and distribute KPI reports, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and alignment with organizational goals
  • Partner with stakeholders to define meaningful metrics and continuously improve reporting frameworks
• Data Exploration & Process Monitoring
  • Conduct deep data analysis to identify trends, anomalies, and leading indicators related to Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Quality Control (QC)
  • Establish and refine control limits, early warning systems, and predictive indicators to proactively manage operational risk
  • Translate complex data findings into clear, actionable recommendations
• Continuous Improvement Leadership
  • Lead and scale Lean initiatives, including 5S, Six Sigma, and Kaizen programs, across operational teams
  • Drive a culture of continuous improvement through structured problem-solving and iterative refinement of processes
  • Measure and track the impact of improvement initiatives, ensuring sustained gains
• Issue Management & Prioritization
  • Develop and maintain a centralized system for capturing operational issues, risks, and improvement opportunities
  • Synthesize inputs across teams into a structured backlog of initiatives
  • Partner with cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., Engineering, Software, Lab) to prioritize and align on improvement efforts
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Act as a key liaison between Operations and non-Operations teams to drive execution of improvement initiatives
  • Ensure alignment on priorities, timelines, and expected outcomes
  • Influence without authority to remove barriers and accelerate progress

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Life Sciences, Operations, Data Science, or related field (advanced degree preferred)
• 12+ years of experience in operational excellence, process improvement, or analytics, ideally in biotech, diagnostics, or regulated environments
• Demonstrated expertise in Lean, Six Sigma (Green Belt or Black Belt preferred), and Kaizen methodologies
• Strong experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker) and data analysis (SQL, Python, R, or similar)
• Proven ability to work with SPC/QC frameworks and operational performance metrics
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing senior stakeholders
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills
• Experience in NGS, clinical laboratory operations, or diagnostics workflows
• Familiarity with regulated environments (CLIA, CAP, FDA) preferred

• Work performed across office, production, and executive settings.
• Exposure to manufacturing…