Senior Process Improvement Specialist, Cross Mile Continuous Improvement (XMCI)

Key job responsibilities

• Event Planning & Stakeholder Alignment
• Partner with the XMCI scoping team to review kaizen-ready charters, validate event readiness, and ensure the problem statement, scope, baseline metrics, and business case are sound before committing to execution
• Lead pre-event stakeholder engagement — aligning site leadership, process owners, and functional partners on event objectives, expectations, roles, and commitments well in advance of the event
• Develop detailed event plans including agenda design, Lean tool selection, data requirements, logistics, and pre-work assignments tailored to the specific problem and site context
• Assemble and confirm the right cross-functional team composition for each event — ensuring the right mix of decision-makers, subject matter experts, process owners, and frontline associates are in the room
• Build trust and credibility with site leadership ahead of each event — demonstrating respect for local expertise, understanding of site-specific context, and clarity on what the event will and will not accomplish
• Manage stakeholder expectations across multiple levels — from frontline participants to site GMs to senior leaders up to the VP level — ensuring alignment on objectives, timeline, and anticipated outcomes
• Kaizen Event Facilitation & Execution
• Lead and facilitate kaizen events across multiple miles and business units within Amazon Stores — guiding cross-functional teams through structured problem-solving methodologies to deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, people, and cost
• Structure and manage the event agenda — teaching and applying the appropriate Lean tools and methodologies (value stream mapping, root cause analysis, 5 Why, fishbone diagrams, standard work, process flow analysis, waste walks, spaghetti diagrams, PDCA, and others) based on the nature of the problem
• Guide teams through current state validation — leveraging the baseline data and root cause hypotheses from the charter while encouraging the team to verify and build on those findings through direct observation and analysis during the event
• Facilitate productive dialogue, healthy conflict, and consensus-building among diverse stakeholders with competing priorities and perspectives — navigating group dynamics with confidence, empathy, and methodological discipline
• Drive the team from problem understanding through solution development and implementation planning within the event timeframe — maintaining pace, focus, and energy while ensuring rigor is not sacrificed for speed
• Lead the development of actionable implementation plans with clear owners, timelines, and success metrics — ensuring solutions are practical, sustainable, and owned by the people who will live with them after the event
• Manage real-time event risks — adjusting scope, approach, or team dynamics as needed to keep the event on track and productive
• Ensure all events are executed in alignment with XMCI methodology standards and reflect Amazon's commitment to Lean Excellence
• Post-Event Close-Out & Sustainment
• Own the post-event close-out process — documenting event results, solutions implemented, projected financial and operational impact, and open action items in a clear, standardized format
• Develop comprehensive sustainment plans in partnership with site leadership — defining who owns each improvement, how it will be monitored, what metrics will be tracked, and what triggers should prompt escalation if results begin to erode
• Facilitate event report-outs to site leadership, XMCI leadership, and senior stakeholders — clearly communicating what was accomplished, what the projected impact is, and what is needed to sustain the results
• Hand off validated event results and documentation to the XMCI analytics team for financial validation and entitlement tracking — ensuring clean, complete, and Finance-ready data
• Conduct post-event follow-ups at defined intervals (30/60/90 days) to verify sustainment, support site leadership in maintaining momentum, and identify any corrective actions needed
• Provide regular reporting to XMCI leadership and network stakeholders on event execution status, results delivered, sustainment health, and lessons learned
• Stakeholder Management & Relationship Building
• Build strong, trust-based relationships with site General Managers, Operations Managers, Area Managers, and functional leaders across multiple miles and business units within NA Operations — earning the credibility needed to lead effective events in environments where you have no direct authority
• Influence without authority at every level — from frontline associates to VPs — navigating the matrixed, cross-business unit environment with sound judgment, empathy, and a bias for action
• Serve as a communications consultant and brand ambassador for XMCI — ensuring every event and stakeholder interaction reinforces the team's reputation for world-class facilitation, operational rigor, and genuine partnership
• Manage the delicate balance between driving results during the event and respecting the operational realities and constraints of the host site — earning repeat invitations by being the kind of facilitator that site leadership wants to work with again
• Build local CI capability through every event — teaching participants the tools and thinking, not just leading them through the motions, so that site teams are more capable of driving improvement on their own after the event
• Gather and incorporate stakeholder feedback after every event to continuously improve the facilitation experience and strengthen the XMCI brand
• Methodology, Standards & Continuous Improvement
• Develop and continuously refine standardized facilitation guides, event templates, tools, and playbooks that ensure consistency and quality across all XMCI kaizen events regardless of site, mile, or business unit
• Contribute to the evolution of XMCI's continuous improvement operating system — providing field-level insights from event execution that inform how charters are scoped, how events are designed, and how sustainment is structured
• Partner with the XMCI scoping team to provide feedback on charter quality — creating a feedback loop that strengthens both the scoping and facilitation functions over time
• Partner with the XMCI analytics team to ensure event documentation and results capture are structured for clean financial validation and entitlement tracking from the outset
• Stay current on industry best practices in Lean, Six Sigma, facilitation, and change management — bringing outside-in thinking to Amazon's CI ecosystem and continuously raising the bar on what world-class kaizen facilitation looks like
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement that empowers local leadership to own and sustain results — reinforcing XMCI's dual focus on operational optimization and building a common Amazon CI culture

About the team

The XMCI team's mission is to be the standard for world-class continuous improvement for global logistics to support Amazon's goal of becoming Earth's Best Employer. We work backwards from customer needs to develop mechanisms, technology, and content to deliver the right training at the right time. These training solutions prepare our learners to be successful in driving safety, quality, people and cost metrics within our business.