Manufacturing Lean Practitioner and Continuous Improvement Manager

Business Systems Manager

Role Overview

The Lean Practitioner, Manufacturing is a key driver of operational excellence within manufacturing plants. This role leads Lean implementation at the shop‑floor and plant level, enabling problem-solving, standard work, and continuous improvement across production, quality, maintenance, and supply chain operations. Working closely with Plant Leaders, Regional Operations, and Lean Leaders, this role builds sustainable Lean capability, improves safety, quality, delivery, cost, and engagement, and embeds a strong culture of continuous improvement within the plant.

Key Responsibilities

Plant-Level Lean Leadership

• Act as the primary Lean subject‑matter expert for manufacturing plants, leading plant‑based and regional problem‑solving initiatives.

• Translate plant and regional manufacturing goals (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People) into actionable objectives for production teams, supervisors, and operators.

• Partner closely with Plant Managers, Operations Leaders, Engineering, Quality, and Maintenance teams to drive operational performance and stability.

• Serve as a key interface between plant leadership and regional/global Lean teams to ensure alignment on priorities and execution.

Shop-Floor Continuous Improvement

• Champion a strong Lean and CI culture on the shop floor, applying tools such as Daily Management, Standard Work, Visual Management, and Problem-Solving routines.

• Identify and eliminate waste across manufacturing processes including production flow, changeovers, material movement, inventory, and admin processes linked to plant operations.

• Lead Kaizen events, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and focused improvement workshops targeting throughput, OEE, scrap, rework, downtime, and safety incidents.

• Support implementation of TPM, OEE improvement, and process standardization across production lines.

Capability Building & Coaching

• Coach and develop Production Supervisors, Engineers, Maintenance Leads, and CI Practitioners in Lean thinking and problem-solving.

• Mentor plant CI champions and project leaders to build internal ownership and sustainability of improvements.

• Design and deliver Lean, Six Sigma, and problem‑solving training tailored for operators, supervisors, and plant leadership.

What You Will Do

• Align plant Lean initiatives with the global Lean manufacturing framework while enabling local plant execution.

• Lead plant improvement projects aligned with business priorities such as safety improvement, capacity enhancement, cost reduction, quality improvement, and lead time reduction.

• Facilitate Daily Management Systems (Tier meetings), Obeya rooms, lineup boards, and action tracking with disciplined follow‑through.

• Conduct root cause analysis (A3, 5‑Why, Fishbone) for chronic manufacturing issues and recommend sustainable countermeasures.

• Drive cross‑functional collaboration between Production, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and Engineering.

How You Will Do It

• Work hands‑on at the shop floor with operators and supervisors to implement and sustain Lean practices.

• Use data from production systems (OEE, scrap, downtime, safety metrics) to prioritize and track improvements.

• Lead standardization of critical manufacturing processes, work instructions, and visual controls across lines and shifts.

• Balance Lean principles with real‑world manufacturing constraints such as demand variability, equipment limitations, and labor dynamics.

• Proactively identify operational risks (safety, quality, delivery) and ensure timely escalation and resolution.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or a related technical discipline.

• Minimum 10 years of experience in manufacturing‑focused Continuous Improvement / Operational Excellence roles.

• Strong track record of leading Lean transformations in manufacturing plants with measurable impact on safety, quality, cost, delivery, and productivity.

• Hands‑on experience with Lean manufacturing tools: Daily Management, Standard Work, VSM, Kaizen, TPM, OEE, 5S, and problem-solving methodologies.

• Demonstrated ability to influence and coach shop‑floor teams, supervisors, and plant leadership.

• Strong facilitation, communication, and change‑management skills in unionized and/or complex plant environments (where applicable).

• Experience in training and coaching Lean and Six Sigma methodologies in a manufacturing setting.

• Strong systems thinking with the ability to design end‑to‑end manufacturing solutions.

 

Experience Level

Mid Level