Senior Operational Excellence Specialist

At Freeport-McMoRan, we are committed to providing an employment package that recognizes excellence, encourages safe production and a culture supported by our core values. Here, you’ll find a collaborative environment where safety is a top priority, all opinions are valued, and people are empowered to grow in their career. Apply Today! Where You Will Work In operation since 2007, Safford operations is a zero‑discharge facility and one of the most sustainable mines in the United States. The operation’s commitment to utilizing advanced technologies and sustainable practices strongly emphasizes safety and environmental stewardship. Located in southeastern Arizona, close to more than 4 million acres of national forest, employees and their families can connect with the great outdoors while fishing, rafting, hiking and more. Several educational institutions also are nearby, including a Northern Arizona University satellite campus, Eastern Arizona College, and the Gila Institute for Technology. What You Will Do Under limited supervision, drive and institutionalize data‑informed decision making and shape performance optimization at scale. Coach leaders and teams to support high impact business optimization initiatives, serving as a subject matter expert in transformational methodologies. In this role, you will coach leaders, teams, and customers to independently run effective problem solving and improvement routines. Apply tools such as bottleneck analysis, RCA, Lean, design thinking, OEE, diagnostics, lessons learned, and best practices to influence decisions, enable action, and sustain improvement As the Sr Operational Excellence Specialist, coach others and shape systems that produce scalable innovation while proactively shaping decisions and guiding structured thinking and storytelling to drive sustained action. Influence and motivate operational behavior and processes to support sustainment and coach others to build scalable structures and routines. Facilitate multiple high performing teams and initiatives. Review KPIs for equipment and processes based on operational analysis and data evaluation What You Bring To Freeport High School diploma or GED AND nine (9) years of experience in Operations, Operations Support, Engineering, Project Management, Professional Business settings, OR Bachelor’s Degree AND five (5) years of experience in Operations, Operations Support, Engineering, Project Management, Professional Business settings, OR Master’s Degree AND three (3) years of experience in Operations, Operations Support, Engineering, Project Management, Professional Business settings. Ability to work effectively with people at all levels of the organization Passionate problem solver who succeeds in ambiguous situations and advocates for the best possible solution Active coach and mentor focused on maximizing team potential Strong communicator with emerging ability to communicate complex messages Participant in prior business optimization teams with potential to become an expert in transformation methodologies Unbiased facilitator with established and emerging leadership skills Self‑aware of cognitive biases and focused on building high performing teams and delivering outcomes Challenger mindset with passion for innovation and change Belief in a non‑hierarchical culture of collaboration, transparency, and trust Passion for understanding people and teams Ability to learn quickly and navigate the organization to find experts Ability to receive and act on developmental feedback quickly Preferred Qualifications Background in specific field (mine, mill, hydro, etc.) Engineering background Data analysis skills Experience with OEE (data access, cleaning, interpretation, analysis, etc.) Ability to analyze data and draw conclusions Ability to execute hypothesis‑based analysis Strong Excel skills Ability to formulate questions to gain customer and process insight Experience standing up management systems (work standards, process confirmations, meeting standardization, lineouts, visual management) People and culture experience (human resources, organizational health, industrial psychology) Experience in Agile values and principles Experience working on, facilitating, or coaching Agile teams Experience with Lean methodologies and practices Experienced indirect influencer Digital product lifecycle experience (business analysis, discovery, UX design, development, testing, implementation, support, planning) What We Offer You The estimated annual pay range for this role is currently $97,500‑$138,000. This range reflects base salary only and does not include bonus payments, benefits or retirement contributions. Actual base pay is determined by experience, qualifications, skills and other job‑related factors. This role is eligible for additional discretionary and incentive payment considerations based on company and individual performance. More details will be shared during the hiring process. Affordable medical, dental and vision benefits Company‑paid life and disability insurance 401(k) plan with employer contribution/match Paid time off, paid sick time, holiday pay, parental leave Tuition assistance Employee Assistance Program Discounted insurance plans for pet, auto, home and vehicle Internal progression opportunities Learn more about our competitive and comprehensive benefits package! What We Require Candidates may be required to pass a medical exam. Candidates must pass all required training and/or testing. Employees may be required to work a non‑standard schedule, which may include shift work (other than day shift) at a 24/7, 365‑day operation. Freeport‑McMoRan promotes a drug/alcohol‑free work environment using mandatory pre‑employment drug testing and on‑going drug and alcohol testing, as allowed by applicable laws. Equal Opportunity Employer Please be advised that Freeport‑McMoRan will never request payment for job‑related expenses from applicants. If you receive any suspicious emails, please disregard them, and report the incident to View email address on click.appcast.io. #J-18808-Ljbffr