Director of Lean

Director of Lean

LOCATION: Boston, MA; Indianapolis, IN; South Plainfield, NJ; Springfield, MO, or Remote with travel

TRAVEL: 50% to US and international sites

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of the Lean will play a pivotal role in driving continuous improvement and organizational change as a member of the Corporate Lean group. They will be responsible for Lean deployment and strategy development across the US-based sites across both company’s business units.

The ideal candidate will have significant experience driving Lean tools and methodologies while fostering a culture of Continuous Improvement across the organization. As a proven shop floor leader, they will be hands-on in Lean deployment activities including the introduction of foundational Lean tools (5S, Standard Work, TPI, Value Stream Mapping, and Problem Solving). They will balance the strategical elements of the Lean Business System with tactical deployment.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Utilizing the Lean Business System to improve safety, quality, efficiency, cost, and other KPIs

Aligning corporate strategy with site-based goals, needs, and improvement priorities

Providing overall support, assistance, and direction to plant leadership teams regarding CI initiatives

Utilizing data to identify gaps in performance versus best practices; work with teams to execute improvement plans

Leading and coaching CI events and Kaizens through hands-on participation

Developing Lean competencies in others to ensure sustainment

Assisting with improvement of asset utilization and equipment management

Developing training materials and effectively delivering in a team environment

Understanding and applying financial drivers and key performance indicators

Documenting best practices and sharing improvements to leverage results across the organization

Collaborating with global Lean leaders, plant teams, and executive leadership to ensure alignment on corporate strategy and goals

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Chemistry, or related

8+ years relevant work experience across Continuous Improvement and Operations within a manufacturing/industrial environment

Experience in Life Sciences, consumables/instrumentation, or regulated industry preferred

Background in Industrial automation, genomics, cold chain, and/or GLP is beneficial

Training and dedicated experience with Continuous Improvement/Lean methodology; Lean certifications preferred

Proven successful application of Lean tools including 80/20, Lean Leadership, including Daily Management, KPI Leadership, Standard Work, Gemba Walks, Value Stream Mapping, 6S, Transactional Process Improvements, Kanban/replenishment systems, Structured Problem Solving, etc.

Experience leading manufacturing operations in addition to dedicated Lean roles

Strategy / Policy Deployment experience preferred

Demonstrated ability to facilitate Kaizen events to produce sustained, measurable improvements.

Influential leadership skills to develop, mentor, and train employees at all levels without direct supervisory responsibility

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to relate to people at all levels of the organization

Proficiency with Microsoft Office and general computer skills. Power Automate, Power Apps, Tableau experience preferred.

Lean Focus LLC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or protected Veteran status.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION:

At Lean Focus, we help businesses overcome their biggest challenges by transforming them for the better, and for the long-term. A "who's who" of global leaders in every industry, our clients include some of the world's most respected brands and several members of the Fortune 1000.