Vice President of Operational Excellence

Vice President of Operational Excellence

LOCATION: Chicagoland or Remote with travel

TRAVEL: 50%

POSITION SUMMARY:

We are seeking a Vice President of Operational Excellence to drive Continuous Improvement across the organization, beginning with North America manufacturing operations. This is a key leadership role with high-visibility to the C-suite and Business Unit Presidents. The right candidate will have experience driving Lean where it did not previously exist and collaborating cross-functionally to ensure sustainment. They will be responsible for the development, deployment, and continuous development of the company’s Business Operating System.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

·       Developing and implementing a comprehensive operational excellence strategy aligned to company goals with initial focus across North American plants

·       Leading and developing an operational excellence team, including coaching, mentorship, and training

·       Meeting people in the organization where they are and collaborating across diverse teams

·       Identifying improvement opportunities across manufacturing processes, supply chain operations, and quality management systems

·       Building a culture of Continuous Improvement through development and deployment of a Lean Business System, toolbox, and events

·       Partnering with leaders to establish KPIs and performance metrics; using data to surface trends, bottlenecks, and root causes

·       Utilizing manufacturing software to optimize operations, track and predict downtime, and improve productivity

·       Building and executing action plans that deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, quality, customer satisfaction, and delivery

·       Overseeing implementation of technologies, systems, and tools that streamline operations and improve productivity

·       Leading change management to ensure adoption and sustainability of new processes

·       Supporting supply chain performance through strong relationships with suppliers, vendors, and key partners

·       Staying current on industry best practices and emerging operational technologies; recommend innovative approaches

·       Collaborating with Business Unit Presidents on Lean initiatives and training

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

·       Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or related field (advanced degree preferred)

·       Minimum 10 years leading Lean deployment and operational excellence across a large business unit or enterprise

·       Experience with P&L leadership and operations management strongly preferred

·       Proven experience utilizing & deploying Lean tools (Strategy Deployment, Value Stream Mapping, 6S, Standard Work, FMEA, Problem Solving, Kanban, Visual Daily Management, 80/20, etc.)

·       Strong people leader with success influencing cross-functional teams and driving enterprise change.

·       Comfortable using performance data/metrics to drive prioritization and decision-making

·       Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives on time and within budget

·       Supply chain optimization and vendor management experience preferred