Lean Development Manager, EMEA & North America

FI115 Valmet Technologies Oy; Tampere; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Valmet Technologies Oy is seeking a Manager, Lean Development to drive Lean transformation across EMEA and North America. The role focuses on improving safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost, while embedding a culture of continuous improvement.

You will collaborate with site leaders and suppliers to deploy best practices, coach teams, and build long-term capabilities in Lean. Strong English and regional travel are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's in Engineering, Operations Management, Business or related field.
• At least five years of Lean Operational Excellence/Continuous Improvement experience.
• Experience leading manufacturing or supply chain leadership roles and Lean initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead deployment of Lean and Operational Excellence across plants and suppliers in EMEA and North America.
• Drive improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost performance by leading structured improvement projects and Kaizen activities.
• Coach and train leaders and teams on Lean methodologies, helping them build sustainable continuous improvement capabilities.
• Develop the capability of unit leaders and employees to analyze performance, identify improvement opportunities, and implement improvements using Lean tools.

Skills

Lean principles

Six Sigma

Structured problem solving

Change management

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Advanced English

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering, Operations Management, Business

Job description

Drive Lean Transformation Across EMEA & North America as Manager, LEAN Development

Are you passionate about driving operational excellence and creating measurable business impact? Join us as Manager, LEAN Development, EMEA & NA, where you will enforce Lean transformation across manufacturing plants and supplier operations. In this role, you will help organizations improve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost performance while building a strong culture of continuous improvement. You will work closely with leaders across EMEA and North America, coaching teams, facilitating improvement initiatives, and ensuring Lean principles translate into sustainable business results. If you enjoy combining strategy, leadership, and hands-on improvement work, this could be the next exciting step in your career.

Location

Location will be in Tampere.

Your responsibilities

You will lead the deployment of Lean and Operational Excellence initiatives across assigned plants and suppliers in EMEA and North America. You will drive improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost performance by leading structured improvement projects and Kaizen activities. You will coach and train leaders and teams on Lean methodologies, helping them build sustainable continuous improvement capabilities. Your role is to develop the capability of unit leaders and employees to analyze performance, identify improvement opportunities, and implement improvements by utilizing Lean tools and methodologies. You will partner with site leaders, operational teams, and suppliers to implement best practices and ensure long-term improvement outcomes.

Expectations for you

You have a bachelor's or master's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a related field. You have at least five years of experience in Lean Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement. A few years experience Manufacturing, or Supply Chain leadership roles (+Lean understanding). You have solid knowledge of Lean principles, Six Sigma, structured problem solving, and performance management, as well as proven experience in leading projects that utilize these methodologies and tools. You have experience leading change and influencing stakeholders across functions and organizations. You have advanced English proficiency. Travel max. up to 50%, mainly within Finland/Nordic countries.

To succeed in this role

To be successful, you combine strong Lean expertise with the ability to engage and influence people at all organizational levels. You are comfortable working in an international environment and can turn operational data into practical improvement actions. Most importantly, you create trust, build capability in others, and deliver sustainable business results through continuous improvement.

Valmet's Leadership Principles

• Take accountability - Act with ownership, set clear expectations, and follow through
• Lead with courage - Champion change, try bold ideas, and learn quickly
• Build on trust - Listen to understand, be open, and create psychological safety
• Collaborate for growth - Work across boundaries, value diverse perspectives, and focus on customer value

Company Culture & Inclusion

We also encourage our employees to a healthier lifestyle by being a Smoke-free Workplace. When everything works together Valmet is where the best talent from a wide variety of backgrounds comes together. We work together with our customers throughout the entire lifecycle, delivering cutting-edge technologies and services as well as mission-critical automation and flow control solutions. Backed by more than 225 years of industrial experience and a global team of over 19,000 professionals close to customers, we are uniquely positioned to transform industries toward a regenerative tomorrow. At Valmet, diversity of thought drives innovation. We are committed to a respectful and inclusive environment, where people can be themselves and are supported to contribute at their best. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and make hiring decisions based on skills, experience, and potential, never on personal characteristics such as gender, gender identity, age, ethnicity, nationality, disability, neurodiversity, religion, sexual orientation, or political views.

Recruitment Process

In our recruitment process we use a variety of selection methods, eg video screening, personality questionnaires, ability tests and interviews.

Company Overview

www.valmet.com/career http://www.valmet.com Valmet is a global technology leader in serving process industries. We work with our customers throughout the lifecycle, delivering cutting-edge technologies and services, as well as mission-critical automation and flow control solutions. Backed by more than 225 years of industrial experience and a global team of 18,500 professionals close to customers, we are uniquely positioned to transform industries toward a regenerative tomorrow. In 2025, Valmet's net sales totaled approximately EUR 5.2 billion. Our head office is in Espoo, Finland, and we have experts in approximately 40 countries around the world. Valmet's shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

Candidate Privacy

To protect our candidates' privacy, Valmet will never ask any personal information such as banking information or social security number during the recruitment process.