Continuous Improvement Manager

This is an ONSITE full-time, permanent position, joining a client of Next Level Partners. Specific company information is confidential, but will be shared upon initial interview discussion.

Candidate must live in a commutable distance from client located in the Aurora, MO area.

The client: A privately held, high growth global company that operates in a non-cyclical pet food industry with the #1 position in North America.

The Site Leader has responsibility for the continued development, promotion and strategically aligned implementation of the company’s business system designed to drive world-class results in customer satisfaction, quality, on-time delivery, customer-value, and ultimately operating financial performance. The position has been purposely designed as a developmental role leading to an operations leadership role.

Specific responsibilities include:

• The role is responsible for building and maintaining a culture of continuous operational improvement that permeates all areas of the Aurora, MO site.
• Execution of the prioritized EVSM roadmap as it relates to Aurora operational improvement initiatives.
• Support site leader in developing and sustaining visual management processes to provide a forum for variation reduction and problem solving.
• Focused throughput / capacity expansion via SMED and TPM events in Aurora.
• Manage the kaizen funnel for Aurora, ensuring pre-work of scheduled events, delivering the in-week event, tracking sustainment and driving countermeasure when off-track.
• Teaching Lean Concepts and tools including: Daily Management, disciplined problem solving, standardized work, job instruction, material pull systems, value stream mapping, lean scheduling methods, Kaizen activities, variation reduction, 5S, and Six Sigma related initiatives
• Developing the daily management plan and Gemba, through dialogue and communication with peers, to establish protocols and cadences for next-level efficiency practices; highlighted and evidenced through standard operating reviews
• Promote and facilitate associate development in various tools, lean production, and Kaizen leadership. Facilitate networking and best practice sharing
• Develop, track and report on all metrics associated with Lean and Continuous Improvement activities

Requirements:

Education:

Undergraduate degree is required with an advanced degree preferred.

Professional & Personal:

The successful candidate will possess a proven track record of delivering results in a high-performance continuous improvement environment through implementation of and expertise with the latest lean and six sigma management methods. He/she will also have a working knowledge of the cultural issues impacting lean implementation and demonstrate success in overcoming these issues.

Additional traits and competencies that define the successful candidate are:

• Approximately 7-10 years or more of operations/engineering experience, with 3- 5 years or more utilizing Lean Six Sigma improvement concepts
• Demonstrated mastery of a variety of TPS tools including but are not limited to: Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Daily Management, 5S/Visual Management, SMED, TPM
• Strong project management skills with a significant record of accomplishment and increased scope of responsibility as a manager
• Proven experience creating Lean practices that empower employees, accelerate change and enable personal and team development.
• Possesses a high sense of urgency.
• Driven by very high expectations and delivers results, not “activity.”
• Low-Ego / High-Confidence/Humility
• Targets breakthrough performance, not simply incremental gain
• Thinks expansively and believes in achieving the heretofore unachievable.
• Is highly autonomous and self-directed.
• Loyal and honest; integrity will be the essential characteristic of the successful finalist candidate.
• A team player who is comfortable with consensus building in a mid-sized company environment
• Is comfortable in a very direct and candid environment focused on results.
• Has the ability to influence others and create followership
• Possess the technical skills necessary to resolve a broad array of business issues; leading the implementation of the business system across the enterprise.
• Effectively articulate issues, facilitate their resolution, and report results orally and in writing to multiple levels in the organization.
• High degree of credibility to be convincing and persuasive
• Ability to design, develop, and execute lean business system roadmaps for the operations and functional organizations.

Ultimately, the successful candidate will bring a dynamic combination of experiences with the interpersonal and communications skills that afford him/her superior credibility and leadership.