Operational Excellence Manager

About the role

This position will be a key resource in developing and completing manufacturing process improvement projects, including lean manufacturing implementation and capital improvement projects at locations in the Mid Atlantic Region. These improvement projects will increase profitability, throughput, and quality; improving the Region's competitive position. This person should be self-motivated and able to work effectively in a decentralized and matrixed team environment. This position will work closely with Production, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Environmental Health and Safety. This is a heavy travel role consisting of 75%-90% travel between North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York.

This is an onsite position and will be located near one of our plants in Concord, NC, Raleigh, NC, Fuquay, NC, Fayetteville, NC, Avon, CT, Telford, PA, or Croydon, PA.

Responsibilities

• Develop, evaluate and improve production methods utilizing lean tools, knowledge of product design, materials and parts, tooling and production equipment capabilities, process methods, and quality control standards
• Help identify opportunities for significant improvement at Regional locations by working with operations and/or sales teams to understand opportunities to apply lean process improvement initiatives and/or capital investment to improve profitability and competitive advantage
• Provide oversight and guidance, planning, training and mentoring to plant-level teams executing lean process improvement activities
• Drive manufacturing process change through active hands-on communication and coordination with plant-level teams
• Optimize plant layout and flow to reduce inefficiencies and reduce costs
• Oversee and lead plant improvement workshops to identify, diagnose and address bottlenecks and inefficiencies in production processes
• Provide training on kaizen, 5S and lean tools and techniques
• Provide follow-up and tracking to ensure identified improvement opportunities are completed as planned
• Translate operational needs into project requirements and specifications
• Force rank improvement opportunities – develop and implement project analysis techniques and processes to select opportunities that optimize the following desired attributes: Profit impact, Time to complete, Complexity, Risk, Cost to Implement
• Evaluate and prioritize capital project proposals in partnership with operations teams.
• Develop capital project business cases, including scope, justification, and financial analysis.
• Perform ROI analysis for capital and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support plant leadership in identifying and prioritizing high-value investment opportunities.
• Manage and approve project-related commitments and expenditures, monitoring costs to ensure budget compliance and effective financial stewardship throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure that the policies, practices, and equipment running in plants comply the Operational Excellence framework and best practices

Requirements

• 3+ years of manufacturing experience ideally in precast
• In depth knowledge and practical experience applying lean manufacturing methodologies to support continuous production operations
• Quality control/maintenance experience in a manufacturing setting
• Track record of achieving positive results using lean manufacturing techniques
• Competency with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, AutoCAD, and experience with ERP/MRP systems and project management tools
• Effective team builder and leader with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse team within a highly matrixed environment
• Ability to lead multiple