Job Description

Director, Central Operations (Governance & Standards)

Let’s be unstoppable together!

Circana is a leading provider of technology, AI, and data solutions for consumer packaged goods companies, manufacturers, and retailers. Our predictive analytics and Liquid Data® platform help clients measure market share, uncover consumer behavior, and drive growth—powered by six decades of expertise and an expansive, high-quality data set.

At Circana, we are fueled by our passion for continuous learning and growth, we seek and share feedback freely, and we celebrate victories both big and small in an environment that is flexible and accommodating to our work and personal lives.  We’re a global company dedicated to fostering inclusivity and belonging. We value and celebrate the unique experiences, cultures, and viewpoints that each individual brings. By embracing a wide range of backgrounds, skills, expertise, and beyond, we create a stronger, more innovative environment for our employees, clients, and communities. With us, you can always bring your full self to work.  Join our inclusive, committed team to be a challenger, own outcomes, and stay curious together. Circana is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work®. This prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Circana. Learn more at www.circana.com.

We are seeking an execution‑focused operational excellence leader to govern Circana Operations’ core improvement systems—Complete Excellence—across our global Operations organization. Operations includes roughly 3,500 employees, and adoption of the operating system varies across teams. This role helps drive consistency, structure, and visibility so leaders can manage performance and improvement reliably.

This role owns the Daily Management System (DMS), Leader Standard Work (LSW), the System Health Scorecard, and the maturity standards that enable consistent, predictable execution across teams. It works closely with a peer focused on coaching and enablement.

This is not a project‑based Continuous Improvement (CI) role. It is a systems‑operations leadership role responsible for ensuring every team runs DMS maturity levels 2.1–2.4 each week, every leader executes LSW, and the enterprise has real visibility into performance, risks, and improvement opportunities.

Success in the Role Includes

• 100% adoption of DMS behaviors and standards on schedule with measured performance improvement.
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  100% of Tier‑2 (T2) and Tier‑3 (T3) leaders utilizing LSW.
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  A monthly System Health Scorecard used by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for interventions and decision‑making.
• Clear, consistent audits and maturity assessments across business units.
• A culture that embraces continuous improvement and personal ownership of outcomes.

Job Responsibilities

DMS/LSW Governance & Standards

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  Own the enterprise DMS/LSW standards, templates, playbooks, and maturity rubrics (levels 2.1 → 2.4).
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  Lead updates and documentation to ensure clarity and ease of use across global teams.
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  Conduct quarterly maturity audits across teams to assess progress.
• Ensure weekly board quality: agenda execution, comments on red items, reason codes, pareto stability.

System Health & Analytics

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  Maintain the System Health Scorecard, which includes DMS maturity, LSW usage, PDCA learning rate, and escalations.
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  Identify adoption gaps and partner with T2 leaders on corrective actions.
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  Track enterprise‑wide PDCA (Plan‑Do‑Check‑Act) cycles, trend drivers, and performance signals.

Leadership Coaching & Enablement

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  Coach T3 leaders on meeting facilitation, pareto creation, and PDCA learning behaviors.
• Conduct monthly LSW reviews with leaders; ensure protected time, board walks, and reflections occur.

Change Leadership

• Drive adoption of the operating system through clear communication, leader enablement, and consistent governance.
• Ensure standardization of DMS boards, reason codes, pareto logic, and PDCA templates.

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressive experience in Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Management Systems or Lean Transformation.
• Proven track record leading enterprise‑level Lean transformations with measurable results.
• Deep expertise in Lean tools and systems (value‑stream mapping, standard work, visual management, 5S, mistake‑proofing, flow optimization).
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  Strong auditing, governance, and standard‑writing skills.
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  Ability to synthesize system health, risks, and adoption gaps for senior‑leadership conversations.
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  Demonstrated ability to coach senior leaders and frontline teams in CI principles.
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  Strong executive presence with the ability to influence across global, matrixed organizations.
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  Hands‑on “go‑see” leadership style with the ability to observe routines, identify gaps, and translate observations into action.
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  Experience integrating technology into CI systems (automation, workflow tools, analytics).

Circana Behaviors

Beyond technical skills, experience, and role-specific attributes, these shared behaviors are fundamental to our culture and success. We seek individuals who consistently demonstrate and champion these behaviors in their daily work:

• Stay Curious: Being hungry to learn and grow, always asking the big questions.
• Seek Clarity: Embracing complexity to create clarity and inspire action.
• Own the Outcome: Being accountable for decisions and taking ownership of our choices.
• Center on the Client: Relentlessly adding value for our customers.
• Be a Challenger: Never complacent, always striving for continuous improvement.
• Champion Inclusivity: Fostering trust in relationships engaging with empathy, respect, and integrity.
• Commit to each other: Contributing to making Circana a great place to work for everyone.

Location: This position can be located in the following area(s): Remote (United States)

The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $102,000 - $120,000 USD. This job is also eligible for bonus pay.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

An offer of employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission.

You can apply for this role through the Circana careers website or Intranet site for internal candidates. This role is subject to AI-assisted screening. Circana uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess resumes for alignment with job requirements by helping locate details in resumes that relate to the job description.

The anticipated application deadline for this position is approximately 4/25/26.

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