Tom Grass

About Tom Grass

I am an accomplished Operational Excellence (OpEx) leader and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biologics, and life sciences industry. I specialize in designing and leading enterprise-wide programs that streamline operations, strengthen manufacturing, supply chain, and quality systems, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. My expertise includes Lean transformation, strategy deployment, change leadership, KPI design, digital enablement, and organizational development within highly regulated GMP environments.During my tenure at Emergent BioSolutions, I began as a Manufacturing Technician and advanced through roles of increasing responsibility, gaining expertise in GMP compliance, audit readiness, aseptic technique, and people management. Ultimately, I leveraged this experience into a successful tenure as a Senior Program Manager of Operational Excellence, where I gained understanding of the end-to-end supply chain, and paired that with foundational training in Lean, Six Sigma, and Project Management fundamentals to drive plant transformation. At the corporate level, I helped develop the corporate OpEx program, building a standardized playbook, and governance framework that became the foundation for manufacturing excellence across the network.Key achievements include- Delivering cost savings through Lean waste-reduction programs, routinely exceeding corporate targets- Significantly expanding vaccine production throughput through value stream transformation plans- Mentoring and certifying employees and managers in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies- Leading multiple successful initiatives to improve quality, reduce variability, and generated revenue, and earning my Six Sigma Black Belt- Serving as a site leadership team member and leading the site’s journey toward operational excellenceFollowing my tenure at Emergent, I joined Moderna, bringing my experience to a novel manufacturing process in a fast-paced biotech environment. Here, I established project governance, improved digital processes in manufacturing, provided Lean training for staff, and supported commercial readiness planning for a new manufacturing facility.I am now seeking new opportunities to lead site or enterprise OpEx programs where I can apply my experience in process optimization, cultural transformation, and cross-functional leadership to deliver measurable value and long-term impact.

Experience

1. Associate Director, Operational Excellence, Int Strategic Operations (End Aug 2025)

   Moderna

   Feb 2024 — Present · Norwood, MA, US

   Leadership of Operational Excellence strategy and Lean initiatives for Moderna’s personalized medicine division (INT)• Organized and facilitated process improvement workshops to enable phase I, II, clinical manufacturing of INT • Supported development of labor model for new state-of-the-art large-scale commercial manufacturing plant through process determination, time study execution, and lean project execution• Developed and led governance team for OE projects (intake, endorsement, status tracking) • Deployed lean training to staff