Sr. Director, HPMS & Strategic Initiatives

Company Overview:

Headquartered in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, Artivion, Inc. is a medical device company focused on developing simple, elegant solutions that address cardiac and vascular surgeons' most difficult challenges in treating patients with aortic diseases. Artivion has over 1,400 employees worldwide with sales representation in over 100 countries. The Company has manufacturing facilities located in Atlanta, Georgia, Austin, Texas and Hechingen, Germany. Additionally, it has sales and distribution offices in various countries throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. For additional information about Artivion, visit our website, www.artivion.com.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a strategic, results-driven Senior Director, HPMS/Strategic Initiatives to lead enterprise-wide, operational-focused initiatives that drive operational excellence, process improvement, and cultural transformation. This executive-level role will be responsible for shaping and executing the company's High Performance Management System (HPMS), enabling scalable growth and enhanced cross-functional collaboration. In addition, this leadership position will take an active role in leading (certain) and managing critical strategic initiatives for the company. This individual will partner with executive leadership, business unit heads, and functional teams to identify inefficiencies, optimize processes, and lead strategic projects that have a lasting impact on the business. The ideal candidate is a proven leader in change management and transformation with deep expertise in Operations, Lean/Six Sigma, and agile methodologies.

Responsibilities:

• High Performance Management System (HPMS) Leadership: Champion Lean principles and methodologies across the organization to drive operational efficiency, eliminate waste, and improve customer value. Collaborate with executive leadership to identify and prioritize high-impact transformation initiatives, including cost optimization, digital enablement, and customer experience improvements.
• Strategic initiatives, Transformation: Design, implement, and manage the company's transformation roadmap aligned with strategic goals and business priorities. Lead targeted HPMS strategic initiatives focus on transforming and improving scalability of our business.
• Change Management: Lead change initiatives with a structured, empathetic approach to ensure adoption, engagement, and sustainability across teams.
• Automation: Identify opportunities to leverage digital and automation opportunities e.g. Generative AI; and build a competency and capability across the organization.
• Performance Metrics: Develop KPIs and dashboards to monitor performance, track ROI of initiatives, and report progress to stakeholders.
• Team Leadership: Build and mentor a high-performing transformation team, including Lean practitioners, project managers, and analysts.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Finance, IT, HR, Operations, and other departments to ensure alignment and execution of transformation efforts.
• Cultural Transformation: Foster a continuous improvement culture across all levels of the organization through training, coaching, and communication.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field (Master's or MBA preferred)
• 10+ years of experience in transformation, operational excellence, or process improvement roles
• 5+ years in a senior leadership capacity with a proven record of leading enterprise-wide initiatives
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification strongly preferred
• Experience with Agile, Kaizen, and other continuous improvement methodologies
• Demonstrated success in large-scale change management and cultural transformation
• Strong leadership presence with excellent communication and influencing skills
• High business acumen and ability to translate strategy into execution