Senior Business System Leader (Continuous Improvement)

We are seeking an experienced Senior Business System Leader to drive the evolution and deployment of the Johnson Controls Business System across the EMEA region. In this highly strategic role, you will partner closely with senior leadership to translate business strategy into execution, build organizational capability, and deliver sustainable, measurable performance improvements.

As a coach of leaders and architect of system excellence, you will play a pivotal role in embedding Lean thinking, strengthening operational discipline, and building a culture of continuous improvement at scale.

How will you do it

• Champion and continuously evolve the Johnson Controls Business System across the EMEA Domain

• Partner closely with the Domain VP/GM to align business system deployment with strategic priorities or have end-to-end ownership of simplifying one of the Core Value Streams.

• Act as a system steward and cultural architect, driving consistency, rigor, and maturity across the Domain

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Business System Leaders, elevating both Lean expertise and leadership capability

• Provide hands-on coaching in Kaizen leadership, structured problem solving, and performance delivery

• Build a strong succession pipeline of high-performing BSL talent

• Partner with Domain leadership to build, prioritize, and actively manage the Kaizen funnel aligned to strategic objectives

• Ensure a robust pipeline of improvement initiatives that deliver high-value business impact

• Drive execution discipline and hold teams accountable for value realization and outcomes

• Establish and reinforce high standards for structured problem solving (A3 thinking, root cause validation, countermeasure effectiveness)

• Coach leaders to focus on root causes rather than symptoms, shifting from activity to impact

• Conduct deep dives and reviews to ensure consistency, quality, and scalability of problem-solving practices

• Translate strategy into action through effective action planning and Kaizen activation

• Drive measurable outcomes across growth, productivity, margin, cash flow, and customer experience

• Partner with senior leadership to identify opportunities and remove systemic barriers to execution

• Ensure effective deployment of Daily Management systems, with clear linkage between KPIs, strategy, and improvement activity

• Drive standardization of visual management, accountability routines, and escalation processes

• Regularly assess and improve business system effectiveness and maturity

• Ensure alignment of JCBS deployment across functions, regions, and value streams

• Drive end-to-end value stream optimization, eliminating siloed improvements

• Align digital transformation initiatives with Lean principles to avoid automating waste

What we are looking for

Required

• Extensive experience in Lean, Business System, or Operational Excellence leadership, ideally in a regional or enterprise scope

• Proven track record of delivering sustained, measurable business impact in complex, matrixed organizations

• Experience partnering with and influencing senior executives (VP/GM level and above)

• Demonstrated success leading large-scale transformation and capability-building initiatives

• Strong track record in leading and developing leaders, with the ability to act as a coach of leaders

• Exceptional stakeholder management with the ability to challenge and influence at senior levels

• Strong strategic mindset combined with execution excellence and operational discipline

Preferred

• Master’s degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field 

• Lean certifications such as Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent

• Familiarity with digital transformation and analytics tools supporting operational excellence

Please note: This position will require 50% international travel.