Continuous Improvement Director

Director of Operational Excellence

About the Role

The Director of Operational Excellence reports to senior operations leadership and is responsible for driving enterprise-wide continuous improvement, manufacturing engineering, and quality initiatives across multiple production facilities. This role supports operational growth and performance optimization focused on safety, quality, delivery, and cost efficiency.

The ideal candidate will bring strong manufacturing leadership experience, preferably within a high-mix, low-volume production environment involving fabricated steel or heavy industrial products.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and support organization-wide continuous improvement initiatives.
• Direct manufacturing engineering efforts aligned with operational excellence goals.
• Oversee quality systems and process improvement programs to ensure product excellence.
• Partner with leadership teams to align improvement initiatives with long-term business strategy.
• Promote Lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement culture across all departments.
• Mentor and develop CI leaders while driving sustainable Kaizen activities and standardized metrics.
• Communicate project status, performance metrics, and strategic initiatives to executive leadership.
• Travel periodically between manufacturing facilities, training events, and benchmarking visits.
• Manage departmental budgets related to continuous improvement, engineering, and quality functions.
• Perform additional duties as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant manufacturing leadership experience.
• Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma certification preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in continuous improvement methodologies, manufacturing engineering, and operational excellence.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Financial and business acumen with experience using operational metrics to drive decisions.
• Ability to lead change and influence teams at all levels of the organization.

Preferred Experience

• Manufacturing operations within a heavy industrial or fabricated products environment.
• Exposure to welding, metal fabrication, or high-mix/low-volume manufacturing processes preferred.
• On-site leadership experience in a production environment is required.

Professional Traits

• Results-driven with a strong sense of accountability.
• Collaborative team leader with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
• Effective communicator with strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop teams.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

This role operates primarily within a manufacturing environment and may require standing, walking, climbing, and occasional lifting of up to 20 pounds. Exposure to varying temperatures, industrial noise, dust, fumes, and moving machinery is expected. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.