Mgr Continuous Improvement Senior

This position reports to the Director of Continuous Improvement, Fabrication.

About the Role

The Continuous Improvement / Industrial Engineering Sr. Manager defines labor and process requirements based on demand, cycle times, OEE, overall equipment efficiency, and overall availability. This role designs processes (labor and materials) prioritizing safety, quality, delivery, and cost, and collaborates with safety, quality, scheduling, and operations teams to optimize fabrication area performance. The position applies and teaches Industrial Engineering principles while driving cultural transformation through Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Manage, train, and mentor managers overseeing continuous improvement projects.
• Design processes based on safety, quality, delivery, and cost, including labor management.
• Disseminate and implement Lean Manufacturing principles across the factory.
• Drive cultural transformation through systematic training, sponsorship, and coaching of continuous improvement projects.
• Maintain a dynamic audit process for key metrics and communicate findings with factory management.
• Collaborate with the Process Engineering (PE) organization to optimize current and future production flow.
• Develop and manage a Cost Reduction Management System.
• Support scrap reduction, defect elimination, and data-driven problem-solving initiatives.
• Advance digital manufacturing and automation initiatives.
• Drive setup reduction using SMED methodology and identify opportunities to eliminate manual processes.
• Ensure a steady flow of process improvement ideas to meet targets.
• Develop model production workstations and processes for benchmarking across the factory and other locations.
• Participate in cross-functional projects to support ongoing business needs.
• Align work with the Director’s expectations, goals, and vision.
• Develop and implement strategic plans and departmental priorities in fast-changing environments.
• Foster employee engagement in Kaizen and improvement activities.
• Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to support TPM initiatives and zero-breakdown strategies.
• Improve process uptime and equipment utilization.
• Drive a culture of daily continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Work on complex issues and projects, providing guidance and training to managers and supervisors.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in Industrial Engineering management and implementing Lean Manufacturing tools in manufacturing environments.
• 10+ years in a leadership/management role, preferably in high-volume manufacturing.
• Strong Lean Manufacturing and problem-solving background.
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Mechanical, or Manufacturing Engineering.

Skills

• Ability to develop capacity analysis using technical inputs (e.g., cycle time, OEE, scheduling, mix).
• Proficiency in Lean principles and tools (e.g., cycle-time reduction, line balancing, SMED, VSM, Kanban, JIT delivery).
• Excellent leadership skills, including vision development, delegation, and motivation.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and working knowledge of MS Project, AutoCAD, and Minitab.
• Strong analytical skills, including business process mapping and quantitative analysis.
• Effective project management and collaboration across all organizational levels.
• Proven prioritization and organizational skills for managing multiple inputs.
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to apply judgment, ethics, and integrity in decision-making.

Physical Requirements

Must be able to perform essential responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodations.