Continuous Improvement - Specialist

AkzoNobel; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,700,000; Full time

Job summary

AkzoNobel in Pune, India is seeking a CI Transformation Specialist to drive continuous improvement initiatives across GBS, delivering measurable gains in productivity, quality, cost and customer experience.

You will lead end-to-end CI projects, support process transformation, automation and AI, and collaborate with global stakeholders to embed sustainable improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; Master’s preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma certification is expected (Green Belt required, Black Belt preferred or in progress).
• Experience leading medium to complex CI projects with measurable impact.
• Proven stakeholder management and facilitation skills; strong analytical abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead medium to complex CI projects end-to-end from problem identification to sustainment.
• Apply CI methodologies (Lean Six Sigma, DMAIC, PDCA, A3, Kaizen, VSM).
• Conduct process analysis and root cause assessment to identify redesign opportunities.
• Support Celonis initiatives including due diligence, UAT coordination, validation, rollout and adoption.
• Assist BPM / Symbio process documentation and quality improvements.
• Collaborate with Process Owners, Operations and global stakeholders for outcome delivery.
• Build evidence-based benefit tracking and sustain gains with KPIs and standard work.
• Support CI capability building through training, coaching and Yellow/Green Belt projects.
• Identify opportunities for automation, AI and digital process transformation.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Excel

PowerPoint

Stakeholder management

Facilitation

Influence without authority

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Symbio

Visio

Celonis

Job description

About the Role

We are looking for a CI Transformation Specialist to drive Continuous Improvement (CI) initiatives across GBS, delivering measurable improvements in productivity, quality, cost, compliance, and customer experience.

The role will lead medium to complex CI projects end-to-end, support process transformation, automation and AI initiatives, and work closely with global stakeholders to embed sustainable improvements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead medium to complex Continuous Improvement projects from problem identification through implementation and sustainment.
• Apply CI methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma, DMAIC, PDCA, A3, Kaizen and Value Stream Mapping.
• Conduct process analysis, root cause analysis and identify opportunities for process redesign, standardization, controls and automation.
• Support Celonis initiatives, including due diligence, UAT coordination, business validation, rollout and post-go-live adoption.
• Support BPM / Symbio process documentation, process updates and quality improvements.
• Partner with Process Owners, Operations and global stakeholders to drive implementation and measurable business outcomes.
• Build evidence-based benefit tracking and ensure improvements are sustained through KPIs, controls and standard work.
• Support CI capability building through training, coaching, CI communities and Yellow/Green Belt projects.
• Identify opportunities for automation, AI and digital transformation to improve productivity and efficiency.

What We're Looking For

• 711 years of overall experience, preferably in SSC/GBS environments; Finance domain experience is preferred.
• 47 years of hands-on experience in Continuous Improvement / Process Excellence / Transformation.
• Proven experience leading medium to complex CI projects end-to-end with measurable business impact.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification is required ; Black Belt is preferred or in progress.
• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• Strong experience in stakeholder management, facilitation and influencing without authority.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with process mapping tools such as Symbio/Visio; exposure to Celonis is an advantage.
• Experience with automation, AI or digital/process intelligence initiatives is preferred.
• Excellent communication skills with professional proficiency in English.