Job title: Program Manager, Manufacturing & Supply AI Transformation
Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally. Our mission is to bring health in people’s hands by making self-care as simple as it should be. For half a billion consumers worldwide – and counting.
At the core of this mission is our 100 loved brands, our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and 4 specialized science and innovation development centers. Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world’s most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan.
As a globally certified B Corp company, we are active players in the journey towards healthier people and planet. Find out more about our mission at www.opella.com.
About the job:
We are seeking an experienced Program Manager to drive the execution of Opella’s Manufacturing & Supply Data and AI Transformation. This role focuses on translating strategy into action — coordinating cross-regional initiatives, accelerating delivery, and embedding AI-enabled capabilities across the global Manufacturing & Supply network.
The ideal candidate is a strong operator who brings a passion for AI and technology advancement, thrives in complex environments, and excels at orchestrating large-scale transformation programs with speed and focus. Operating at the heart of the MS.AI Factory, you will convert strategy and a live use-case pipeline into adopted, value-generating solutions across Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Quality.
Main Responsibilities
- Program Execution & Delivery
- Lead the end-to-end execution of Data & AI initiatives across Manufacturing & Supply — from use-case intake and feasibility assessment through delivery, deployment, and adoption.
- Manage the project portfolio, ensuring alignment with transformation priorities and milestone achievement.
- Drive a high speed of execution through active issue resolution, prioritization, and stakeholder alignment.
- Operational Leadership
- Translate strategic direction into clear implementation plans and structured execution frameworks.
- Partner across functions — Manufacturing, Supply, IT, Data Science, Quality, and Finance — to ensure operational readiness and cohesion.
- Maintain disciplined governance across risk management, reporting, and resource planning.
- Challenger Mindset & Innovation
- Challenge existing processes constructively and introduce innovative, data-driven ways of working.
- Advocate for modern digital solutions and emerging technologies — including AI, agents, and automation — to drive meaningful improvement.
- Foster a culture of experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management
- Engage stakeholders across Europe and India to ensure alignment, collaboration, and adoption.
- Lead change efforts to embed AI, automation, and analytics into operational processes — including Copilot enablement and the AI Champions network.
- Provide clear communication to leadership on progress, risks, and realized benefits.
About you:
Required Skills & Qualifications
- Software & AI Engineering: Strong hands-on development skills (Python), with production-ready software engineering practices — OOP, coding standards, version control, testing, and CI/CD.
- Agentic AI & GenAI: Experience designing and deploying LLM-powered and agentic solutions (RAG, autonomous and multi-agent systems), with MCP-based integrations, embeddings, vector databases, and prompt engineering.
- System Integration: Proven ability to integrate solutions directly into enterprise systems via APIs; exposure to MES / QMS / ERP (SAP) and manufacturing / supply chain data.
- MLOps / AgentOps: Experience operationalizing models and agents — automated build / test / deploy, monitoring, and observability (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow or similar; GitLab CI/CD, Azure DevOps, Jenkins).
- Cloud & Data: Comfortable in cloud and high-performance environments (Azure, AWS, GCP, Databricks, Snowflake) and building data pipelines.
- Business Understanding: Familiarity with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Quality processes and KPIs, and the ability to translate business problems into deployable agents.
- Experience: [Add required years] of hands-on experience building and deploying production AI / software solutions; life-sciences or regulated (GxP) manufacturing experience is a strong plus.
- Education: Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related quantitative discipline.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, Engineering, Data/AI) preferred.
Experience
- 8+ years of experience managing large-scale transformation or digital programs.
- Strong exposure to Manufacturing & Supply environments, preferably global or regulated.
- Demonstrated experience deploying data, analytics, automation, or AI capabilities at scale.
Leadership Requirements
- Passion for AI & Technology Advancement: demonstrated enthusiasm for new digital technologies and their application in operational environments.
- Speed & Agility: proven ability to simplify, prioritize, and deliver rapidly.
- Challenger Mindset: constructively challenges historical norms and introduces innovative alternatives.
- Influence & Collaboration: effective working across diverse teams, functions, and geographies.
- Execution Excellence: strong structure, attention to detail, and follow-through.
- Comfort with Ambiguity: navigates shifting priorities and complex environments confidently.
Technical Requirements
- AI/ML Lifecycle: understanding of model development, deployment, and monitoring.
- Frameworks & Tools: familiarity with machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and data engineering tools (SQL, Python, Spark).
- Cloud & Governance: experience working with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and enterprise data governance.
- Business Translation: ability to translate business needs into technical requirements and operational outcomes.
Soft & Behavioral Skills
- Challenger Mindset: proactively questions the status quo and drives innovation and pace across the transformation portfolio.
- All In, Together: builds strong, collaborative relationships across global, cross-functional, and partner teams.
- Outcome-Obsessed: relentlessly focused on delivering measurable business impact and realized benefits, not just activity.
- Courageous: takes ownership, makes decisions in ambiguity, and drives initiatives through to completion.
- Radically Simple: brings clarity and simplicity to complex programs, stakeholders, and reporting.
Why This Role Matters
- This role is critical to accelerating Opella’s digital capability across Manufacturing & Supply. The Program Manager will ensure strategic direction is executed effectively, driving measurable improvements across Europe, India, and the broader global network.
Why us?
At Opella, you will enjoy doing challenging, purposeful work, empowered to develop consumer brands with passion and creativity. This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative, and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day.
We Are Challengers.
We are dedicated to making self-care as simple as it should be. That starts with our culture. We are challengers by nature, and this is how we do things:
All In Together: We keep each other honest and have each other's backs.
Courageous: We break boundaries and take thoughtful risks with creativity.
Outcome-Obsessed: We are personally accountable, driving sustainable impact and results with integrity.
Radically Simple: We strive to make things simple for us and simple for consumers, as it should be.
Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands.