Continuous Improvement Manager - CCI/Speer

About the role

The Continuous Improvement Manager is responsible for advancing a culture of operational excellence across manufacturing and support functions at our CCI and Speer facility. This role serves as a coach, facilitator, and practitioner of Lean and CI disciplines, partnering with our leaders and frontline teams to identify waste, improve flow, increase reliability, and strengthen standard work.

Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate Kaizen, Blitz, and structured improvement events across manufacturing and support areas.
• Coach leaders and teams on Lean principles, including flow, pull, FIFO, standard work, visual management, and waste elimination.
• Support the deployment and sustainment of foundational Lean systems (5S, Daily Management, TPM, SMED, problem-solving).
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain to align CI efforts with business priorities.
• Apply structured problem-solving methods (A3, PDCA, root cause analysis) to address chronic losses and performance gaps.
• Drive improvements in throughput, equipment reliability, inventory flow, and labor productivity.
• Establish mechanisms to ensure follow-up, sustainment, and accountability after improvement events.
• Use data to prioritize opportunities and measure the effectiveness of improvement initiatives.
• Coach leaders, supervisors, and operators to build CI capability at all levels, with emphasis on ownership at the point of work.
• Develop and deliver Lean training and on-the-floor coaching aligned to plant maturity and needs.
• Work 1-on-1 with direct reports and CI specialists to support individual development plans and career growth.
• Reinforce behaviors that support a continuous improvement mindset, psychological safety, and employee engagement.
• Support the development and sustainment of standard work, visual controls, and documented best practices.
• Help plants progress toward an ideal-state value stream vision, balancing near-term execution with long-term evolution.
• Partner with leaders to integrate CI practices into daily operations, rather than running CI as a parallel effort.

Requirements

You must have a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience. You should have 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably high-volume or regulated manufacturing. Demonstrated experience leading or facilitating continuous improvement initiatives is required. Strong working knowledge of Lean manufacturing systems (TPS or related frameworks) is essential. Proven ability to influence without authority and engage teams at all organizational levels is necessary. Strong communication, facilitation, and coaching skills are also required. Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) is expected.

Qualifications

Experience in discreet manufacturing, metal forming, or ammunition/firearms production is beneficial. Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification is preferred. Experience supporting or leading TPM, daily management systems, or value stream transformations is advantageous. Demonstrated success sustaining improvements beyond initial implementation is important. Experience with manufacturing simulation software is helpful. Experience with the World Class Manufacturing framework is a plus.

Skills

Hands-on manufacturing credibility, strong change leadership skills, and the ability to both execute improvement work and develop others are key. The ideal candidate should be able to apply structured problem-solving methods, drive improvements in various areas, and reinforce a continuous improvement mindset.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits including medical and dental, vision, disability and life insurance, 401K, PTO, tuition reimbursement, gear discounts, and the ability to add value to an exciting mission!

Pay

$103,200.00 - $144,400.00 per year. The actual annual salary offered to a candidate will be based on variables including experience, geographic location, education, and skills/achievements, and will be mutually agreed upon at the time of offer.