Director of Global Continuous Improvement

Company Overview: Nelson Global engineers, manufactures, and distributes clean and efficient Air & Fluid Transfer, NVH, Complex Structural, Acoustic, and Thermal Management Solutions. Nelson Global partners with the world’s leading OEMs. With 22 global manufacturing and distribution facilities and unparalleled engineering and innovation capabilities, Nelson Global provides mission-critical solutions with the highest degree of reliability at the lowest cost. Our dedication to serving our employees, partners, and the planet responsibly is realized across three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and governance. By empowering our people, reducing waste, and developing innovative and efficient systems, we support the communities and resources that spur the industries and technologies of the future. Position Overview: The Director of Global Continuous Improvement is accountable for developing, deploying, and sustaining the Nelson Excellence System across global operations. The role converts continuous improvement from isolated activities into a consistent operating capability that improves safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, inventory, capacity, and customer performance while building internal leadership capability. Primary Responsibilities & Duties: Global Operating-System OwnershipDevelop, maintain, and govern the Nelson Excellence System, including standards, playbooks, deployment requirements, audit methods, and management routines Operating Profile DeploymentClassify plants, lines, value streams, and products by operating profile and establish the appropriate flow, daily-management approach, and performance measures for each profile Strategy & Roadmap ExecutionCreate and execute a multi-year global CI roadmap with sequenced deployment waves, pilot locations, regional ownership, milestones, resources, and executive decision points Value CreationBuild and manage a prioritized global improvement portfolio tied to productivity, margin, quality, on-time delivery, inventory and cash, OEE, setup reduction, throughput, capacity, and cost of poor quality Daily Management & GovernanceStandardize tiered meetings, visual management, KPI definitions, escalation, countermeasure follow-up, plant and regional reviews, and executive reporting Benefit ValidationPartner with Finance to define baselines, validate forecast and realized benefits, track timing, distinguish hard and soft savings, and confirm sustainability Capability DevelopmentCreate role-based learning, coaching, certification, and leader-standard-work methods that develop plant, regional, and functional leaders through live improvement work Regional & Site LeadershipCoach regional CI leaders, plant managers, functional leaders, and site CI resources; clarify ownership and ensure local adoption without losing global standards Best-Practice ReplicationCapture proven improvements, convert them into reusable standards, and accelerate transfer across similar plants, product families, and operating profiles Transformation & IntegrationApply the operating-system playbook to plant stabilization, major launches, business transfers, network optimization, and acquisition integration External Partner ManagementSelect and manage outside CI or operational-excellence resources when needed, with clear deliverables, knowledge transfer, and transition of ownership to Nelson teams Cross-Functional ImprovementExtend CI methods beyond operations into appropriate business processes in engineering, quality, supply chain, commercial, HR, Finance, and IT Culture & RecognitionPromote employee engagement, practical problem solving, recognition of measurable results, and a culture in which teams improve the standard every day Safety & ComplianceEnsure improvement activities support safe work, legal and regulatory obligations, ethical conduct, and applicable Nelson Global policies Key Outcomes & Measures of Success: Global CI charter, governance model, standards, and deployment roadmap approved and activePlants and priority value streams classified by operating profile with defined flows, KPIs, and ownershipCommon daily-management routines and dashboards operating from line and business-unit level through plant, region, and executive reviewFinance-validated project funnel and realized benefits delivered against annual operating and value-creation plansImprovement in relevant safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, OEE, setup, lead-time, inventory, and capacity measuresQualified internal CI leaders and project leaders developed through applied learning and certification.Proven improvements replicated across comparable sites, with sustained results after handoffReduced reliance on outside resources as Nelson capability, standards, and ownership mature Required Education & Experience: Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, business, supply chain, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experienceProgressive leadership experience in continuous improvement, operational excellence, manufacturing engineering, operations, or plant transformation in a multi-site manufacturing environmentDemonstrated success deploying and sustaining an operating system or CI management system across multiple facilities, regions, or business units.Practical expertise in Lean systems, daily management, value-stream design, standard work, structured problem solving, visual management, setup reduction, OEE, flow, and inventory improvementAbility to translate operational improvement into financial impact and partner effectively with Finance on benefit validationExperience leading through influence across senior leaders, plant managers, functional teams, and frontline operationsStrong written, verbal, facilitation, coaching, data-analysis, and executive-presentation skills.Ability to work effectively across cultures, time zones, and varying levels of operational maturityWillingness and ability to travel regularly to manufacturing locations globally Preferred Education & Experience: Master's degree in engineering, operations, or businessLean Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt, Shingo, Toyota Production System, or comparable advanced CI credentialsExperience in fabricated metal products, tubing, welding, assembly, high-mix manufacturing, shared capacity centers, or complex global supply networksExperience with acquisition integration, plant turnaround, network optimization, or major product and process transfersExperience selecting and managing external operational-excellence partners with explicit knowledge-transfer requirementsWorking knowledge of digital performance management, ERP, Power BI or comparable analytics tools, and project portfolio systemsAdditional language capability relevant to Nelson Global operations Work Environment & Physical Requirements: Combination of office, remote, and manufacturing-plant environmentsFrequent presence on the manufacturing floor, including walking through production areas and observing equipment and work processesUse of required personal protective equipment and compliance with site safety rulesAbility to travel by air and ground, including international travel and multi-day site visitsAbility to work across global time zones as business needs require