Director Operational Excellence
$181,604–$272,406 year
On-site · Downers Grove, Illinois, United States
Job Summary
The Director, Operational Excellence leads a senior, enterprise-wide initiative across the manufacturing network to standardize processes and drive sustained performance improvements. Responsibilities include defining and standardizing Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, Daily Management Systems, and Tiered Accountability; leading a Change Agent team; coordinating cross-functional projects from opportunity through implementation; developing business cases and tracking financial and operational impact; traveling across the network to assess processes and coach site leaders; establishing enterprise KPIs, governance, and visual management; and building internal CI capability through training and kaizens. The role emphasizes strategic and hands-on leadership, adherence to continuous improvement principles, and the delivery of measurable safety, quality, cost, delivery, and productivity gains.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, or related field (or equivalent manufacturing experience)
- 10+ years of progressive manufacturing operations experience
- Prior experience as a Plant Manager, Engineering Leader, Continuous Improvement Leader, or Operations Leader
- Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-site operational improvement initiatives
- Deep working knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, Daily Management, and performance systems
- Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive change without direct authority
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification (or equivalent) preferred
- Travel: Willingness to travel extensively across the manufacturing network (~75%)
- Skills: Demonstrated ability to lead and sustain large enterprise-wide change initiatives, analytical mindset for data interpretation and root-cause analysis, strong communication skills to senior leaders and plant teams
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