Senior Manager – Continuous Improvement (ISU) Grade - 4L

Kone; Chennai District; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 8,000,000; Full time

Job summary

KONE invites a seasoned Senior Manager to lead Continuous Improvement efforts across Engineering and Supply Chain in Chennai, India. You will drive Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and transformation initiatives to deliver productivity gains and cost reductions.

A strong collaboration with Engineering, Quality, Procurement, and frontline teams is essential for sustained impact. The role requires extensive experience in CI/Operational Excellence, with advanced Lean/Six Sigma expertise and a track record

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Engineering, Operations, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 15 to 18 years of experience in Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Engineering, Manufacturing, or Supply Chain functions.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, and Root Cause Analysis methodologies.
• Proven track record of leading business transformation and productivity improvement initiatives.
• Experience in the Elevator industry or a similar engineering/manufacturing environment is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical, stakeholder management, and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Continuous Improvement roadmap across Engineering and Supply Chain functions.
• Drive Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and Operational Excellence initiatives to improve efficiency and performance.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate waste, reduce lead times, improve quality, and enhance productivity.
• Facilitate value stream mapping, process assessments, and root cause analysis to resolve operational challenges.
• Establish and monitor KPIs to measure improvement impact.
• Lead cross-functional improvement projects from identification through implementation and sustainment.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, problem-solving, and accountability throughout the organization.
• Collaborate with Frontline, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams to align improvement priorities.
• Support digitalization, automation, and process transformation initiatives.
• Develop and coach teams on continuous improvement methodologies and best practices.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Kaizen

Value Stream Mapping

Root Cause Analysis

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering/Operations/Industrial Engineering/Supply Chain

Job description

Did you know KONE moves over one billion people every day? We employ over 60,000 professionals in over 60 countries worldwide joined together by a shared vision to ‘Deliver the best people flow experience’. As a global leader, we provide elevators, escalators, automatic building doors as well as solutions for maintenance and modernization to add value to buildings throughout their lifecycle. Through more effective People Flow®, we make people’s journeys safe, convenient and reliable, in taller, smarter buildings.

Job Title – Senior Manager – Continuous Improvement (ISU)

Job Location – Chennai, India

Reports to – Head Strategy and Development

Purpose of the Role

We are seeking a dynamic and results-oriented Senior Manager – Continuous Improvement to lead our continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives across the Elevator Supply Chain organization.

This role will be responsible for driving productivity, process optimization, quality improvement, cost reduction, and business transformation initiatives. The ideal candidate will partner closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Frontline teams to implement sustainable improvements that enhance customer satisfaction and business performance.

Are you the One?

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Engineering, Operations, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 15 to 18 years of experience in Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Engineering, Manufacturing, or Supply Chain functions.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, and Root Cause Analysis methodologies.
• Proven track record of leading business transformation and productivity improvement initiatives.
• Experience in the Elevator industry or a similar engineering/manufacturing environment is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical, stakeholder management, and leadership skills.

What will you be doing?

• Lead the Continuous Improvement roadmap across Engineering and Supply Chain functions.
• Drive Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and Operational Excellence initiatives to improve efficiency and performance.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate waste, reduce lead times, improve quality, and enhance productivity.
• Facilitate value stream mapping, process assessments, and root cause analysis to resolve operational challenges.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure improvement impact.
• Lead cross-functional improvement projects from identification through implementation and sustainment.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, problem-solving, and accountability throughout the organization.
• Collaborate with Frontline, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams to align improvement priorities.
• Support digitalization, automation, and process transformation initiatives.
• Develop and coach teams on continuous improvement methodologies and best practices.

What do we offer?

• Career progression and opportunities within a global organization
• Total reward elements that engage and motivate our employees and help us make KONE a great place to work
• Comprehensive learning and development programs covering a wide range of professional skills
• You are surrounded by funcolleagues and a lively working environment within Business Services team and KONE Front Line. The best part is all leaders are great and open-minded

At KONE, we are focused on creating an innovative and collaborative working culture where we value the contribution of each individual. Employee engagement is a key focus area for us and we encourage participation and the sharing of information and ideas. Sustainability is an integral part of our culture and the daily practice. We follow ethical business practices and we seek to develop a culture of working together where co-workers trust and respect each other and good performance is recognized. In being a great place to work, we are proud to offer a range of experiences and opportunities that will help you to achieve your career and personal goals and enable you to live a healthy and balanced life.

Read more on https://kone.com/global/en/careers.html