Continuous Improvement Lead

Justrite Safety Group is a growing family of industrial safety companies. Together we protect workers, workplaces, and the environment with a comprehensive range of industrial safety solutions. All Justrite Safety Group portfolio companies are united by deep safety knowledge, long experience, and a commitment to protecting people, property, and the planet.

Summary:

The Continuous Improvement Lead will focus on driving and facilitating the lean transformation throughout the organization. The right candidate will be hands-on with production teams, as well as back and front office staffs, to facilitate Kaizen events and post-event sustainment activities. This leader will create a culture of continuous improvement, sustainment, and provide a Lean viewpoint and recommendations of improvement activities within each value stream as well as on business development opportunities. The candidate will also collaborate with management, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders to identify and facilitate key projects to improve lead time through projects that decrease waste and add value for the customer. They will be responsible for training production teams in Lean initiatives, including Value Stream Mapping, Kanban/pull production, daily management/policy deployment, kaizen culture, continuous flow manufacturing, 5S, TPM, SMED and more.

Responsibilities: 

• Leading the Lean/CI transformation at the business unit. Manage the planning, facilitation, and completion of projects to support improvements in product velocity and waste elimination/reduction for the business unit. Leading and acting as a change agent for Lean strategies and initiatives; driving culture change toward a Lean philosophy and making Kaizen a way of life.
• Investigating more effective processes and equipment to diversify production, enhance safety measures, and gain versatility; prepare reports and recommendations for management
• Providing input on capital programs and researching advanced technology; developing proposals for automation, special tooling, mechanization, etc. for cost reduction and estimating resultant savings and ROI
• Advancing the organization via training in process redesign, Lean tools, and other Continuous Improvement initiatives; lead change management and leverage experiences to drive change
• Work closely with all departments and Lean leaders in other business units to develop, communicate and execute lean initiatives. Provide leadership in communicating and executing continuous improvement and lean programs for benchmarking. 
• Tracking data and reporting on Lean initiatives to obtain necessary buy-in for initiatives
• Organize data for, and resulting from, Lean activities including Shingo Assessment, 5S Audits, Kanban Audits, and Kaizen events. Manage the plant’s Kaizen activities/funnel.
• Assist engineering teams in lean assessments of new types of machines, equipment, and processes to find simple, flexible, robust solutions, that can enhance safety, diversify production, and gain versatility.

Requirements:

• Proven experience working with Lean Manufacturing principles including Value Stream Mapping, Problem Solving Process/A3, SMED, TPM, Standard Work, Kaizen, 5S, Harris Lean Systems, etc.
• Ability to find patterns and generate solutions; brainstorming and implementing new ideas.
• Proven track record of leading Kaizen events and developing improvements to achieve business results; effective leadership, mentoring, and training skills.
• Managing technical/specialized project work methodically and efficiently to meet demands.
• Defining future direction of the organization
• Experience working in a team environment preferably with a small to medium size company.
• Ability to travel as needed.
• Experience with Solid Works or similar 3D CAD, MiniTab/SigmaXL, eVSM, DPloy, MS Project, and ERP systems is a plus.
• Preferred Bachelors degree or higher in Engineering, Organizational Development, Education Development, or Operational Excellence.
• Certified Black Belt/Lean Six Sigma a plus. 
• At least 5 years of experience in Continuous Improvement. 

BENEFITS:

We offer excellent comprehensive benefits that include:

• Medical, Dental & Vision benefits
• Health Care Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid time off including vacation & personal time 
• 401K – with company match.  Both pretax and Roth options available
• Company paid Short Term Disability
• Company paid Long Term Disability
• Company paid Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Wellness Program

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