Continuous Improvement Specialist

Location: Adelaide, Melbourne or Perth (hybrid role. Regular attendance at an Aurizon office is required each week, this is not a remote position).

Remuneration/Benefit: Attractive salary plus bonus opportunity

About the role: Aurizon’s Bulk & Containerised Freight (BCF) business is building a high-performance culture underpinned by continuous improvement and fact-driven decision-making. The business is within a critical change phase and seeking the expertise of an established Continuous Improvement Specialist to join its Integrated Planning & Commercial team.

Key responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate and implement improvement initiatives to drive improvements in productivity, asset utilisation, labour efficiency, safety and customer experience.
• Role model a CI culture of respect for process, people and place (Gemba). Build trusted relationships across frontline teams, leaders and management.
• Support front line leaders in implementing operational excellence solutions, including standard work and visual management.
• Investigate and ideate innovative solutions and provide recommendations to leaders and senior management, including solutions involving IT, robotics and AI.
• Project-manage improvement initiatives through their lifecycle, applying best practices in tracking, stakeholder engagement and change management.
• Deploy a flexible personal toolbox to solve problems, e.g. distinguish business challenges that could benefit from a DMAIC framework from those that would likely not.
• Create compelling business cases for capital expenditure when required to enable improvements.
• Collaborate with data colleagues to ensure that improvement decisions are grounded in facts and that improvements implemented are measurable whenever possible.

We’re looking for someone with:

• Proven experience in leading continuous improvement or transformation initiatives, ideally with exposure to logistics and/or transportation sectors.
• Excellent critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical capabilities.
• A background in applying a structured continuous improvement methodology (e.g. Lean, Lean Six Sigma, TPS or similar) in appropriate circumstances. Certification preferred but not essential.
• Experience in leading small or medium sized projects. Project management qualification/certification (especially PMBOK aligned) welcome but not essential.
• A hands-on approach and not afraid to get into the details of a process where required.
• Capability in process mapping and value stream mapping.
• Superior stakeholder management skills and ability to build relationships.
• Highly effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Financial and business acumen.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Highly regarded but not essential:

• Previous experience implementing emerging technologies (e.g. drones).
• Interest or previous exposure to Power BI as a reporting and data visualisation tool.

Additional information:

• Regular (approx monthly) business travel required (usually 1-2 nights). Flights, accommodation and expenses covered.

What we offer you:

At Aurizon, we support the development and growth of our employees. With a national portfolio of operations, we offer long-term and exciting career opportunities.

Some of our benefits include:

• Development and growth opportunities.
• Access to mentoring and development programs.
• Discounts on selected health insurance funds, personal travel, gyms, vehicles and retail brands.
• Parental leave program and super booster.

About Aurizon.

https://youtu.be/PHESxVZ6dQY

Aurizon is Australia’s largest rail freight operator and a top 100 ASX company. Each year, we deliver more than 250 million tonnes of Australian commodities right across the country. Aurizon is crucial to the Australian economy, connecting miners, primary producers and industry with international and domestic markets.

Look to Aurizon for a diverse and collaborative culture.

At Aurizon, we are proud of our diverse, collaborative, creative and high-performance culture. We celebrate the contribution of every employee and provide opportunities for career development in a dynamic, caring, and inclusive work environment.

To learn about us and our company values, please visit www.aurizon.com.au/careers