Continuous Improvement Leader

We are looking for a Continuous Improvement Leader to help drive operational excellence across our manufacturing facilities. In this role, you will partner with plant leadership teams to identify opportunities, solve operational challenges, and improve performance in areas such as safety, quality, productivity, cost, and delivery. While you will not have direct reports, you will lead cross-functional teams and influence change across the organization.

Drive Performance Improvement

• Monitor and analyze key operational and financial performance metrics.
• Identify performance gaps and lead corrective action plans.
• Partner with plant leadership to improve productivity, efficiency, and overall performance.
• Ensure KPI reporting is accurate and consistent across facilities.

Lead Continuous Improvement Initiatives

• Facilitate Lean and Continuous Improvement projects across multiple sites.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Kaizen events, and problem-solving activities.
• Reduce waste, improve processes, and lower operating costs.
• Develop and implement best practices across locations.

Collaborate Across Functions

• Work closely with operations, engineering, quality, safety, supply chain, finance, and HR teams.
• Coordinate subject matter experts to support improvement projects.
• Build strong relationships with plant managers and leadership teams.
• Drive results without direct management authority.

Areas of Focus

• Productivity and throughput improvements
• Scrap and material waste reduction
• Equipment uptime and reliability
• Cost reduction initiatives
• Inventory and supply chain performance
• Quality improvement and defect reduction
• Workforce effectiveness and training
• Customer delivery performance (OTIF)

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Manufacturing Engineering, or related experience.
• Experience leading process improvement initiatives and delivering measurable results.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or advanced Green Belt certification.
• Experience in heavy manufacturing, metal fabrication, welding, steel processing, or industrial packaging.
• Experience using ERP systems, Minitab, Power BI, or similar tools.

Travel

Approximately 40% travel to manufacturing facilities within the region.