Continuous Improvement Manager

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.; Allentown (Lehigh County); On-site; USD 111,000 - 178,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, life, vision benefits

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. is seeking an on-site Continuous Improvement Manager in Allentown, PA. You will lead lean initiatives, drive site strategy, and mentor a Lean team to deliver rapid improvements across processes and safety compliance.

The role requires a engineering degree, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and 10+ years in plant operations with strong leadership. Excellent analytical and collaboration skills are essential for driving measurable benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
• 10+ years of plant operations experience with 5+ years of leadership in operations improvement.
• Demonstrated expertise in lean manufacturing, ISO standards, and policy/procedure development.
• Proven track record of successful project development, management, and implementation.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and root cause decision-making skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel; Power BI a plus.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of initiative, adaptability, and commitment to driving organizational change.

Responsibilities

• Lead continuous improvement vision and align site strategy with corporate lean objectives.
• Lead KPI tracking, weekly leadership meetings, and issue resolution.
• Design and deliver training programs on lean tools for staff and management.
• Oversee selection, qualification, and development of CI personnel.
• Track progress of improvement projects and maintain CI documentation.
• Lead site productivity meetings and cross-functional collaboration.

Skills

Leadership

Lean manufacturing

ISO standards

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Change management

Strategy alignment

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Allentown, PA, United States

Continuous Improvement Manager - Onsite

Allentown, PA, United States

Come make the world and accelerate your success.

It takes great people to achieve greatness. People with a sense of purpose and integrity. People with a relentless pursuit of excellence. People who care about making things better For Those Who Make The World™. Sound like you? Join our top-notch team of approximately 43,500 diverse and high-performing professionals globally who are making their mark on some of the world’s most beloved brands, including DEWALT®, BLACK+DECKER®, CRAFTSMAN®, STANLEY®, CUB CADET®, and HUSTLER®.

The Job:

As a Continuous Improvement Manager, you’ll be part of our Industrial team working as an on-site employee. You’ll get to:

• Leadership & Strategy
  • Champion the continuous improvement vision and align site strategy with corporate lean objectives.
  • Lead weekly site leadership meetings, organize the agenda, drive site-wide long-term issue resolution, and lead site strategy development and deployment systems.
  • Lead daily tier meetings, KPI tracking and reporting, and issue resolution.
  • Lead, mentor, and develop site leadership team members and makers, providing clear direction and fostering a high-performance culture in continuous improvement concepts.
• Process Improvement & Loss Elimination
  • Analyze current processes, identify inefficiencies, and develop actionable strategies for improvement.
  • Plan, coordinate, and facilitate rapid improvement events (e.g., Kaizen, RIE, OEE, SMED, Line Balancing, 5S).
  • Collaborate with all departments to establish and maintain standards that support corporate goals.
• Training & Development
  • Design and deliver training programs on lean manufacturing tools and principles for all staff, including management.
  • Identify and address ongoing training and educational needs within the department.
  • Onboard and train new personnel in CI methodologies and best practices.
• Project Management & Execution
  • Oversee the selection, qualification, and development of CI personnel.
  • Track and report on the progress of improvement projects, ensuring timely completion and realization of benefits.
  • Maintain all documentation related to CI initiatives and departmental activities.
• Collaboration & Communication
  • Lead weekly site productivity meetings and monthly corporate productivity reviews to ensure alignment with targets.
  • Maintain active involvement with SBD performance excellence programs (e.g., SPX).
  • Encourage open communication, empowering staff to identify concerns and suggest improvement opportunities.
• Quality Compliance & Safety
  • Participate in improvements that facilitate adherence to safe procedures and proper use of equipment.
  • Support compliance with ISO standards and internal policies.

The Person:

You love to learn and grow and be acknowledged for your valuable contributions. You’re not intimidated by innovation. Wouldn’t it be great if you could do your job and do a world of good? In fact, you embrace it. You also have:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering required and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
• 10+ years of plant operations experience with 5 plus years of leadership experience in operations improvement or process optimization.
• Demonstrated expertise in lean manufacturing, ISO standards, and policy/procedure development.
• Proven track record of successful project development, management, and implementation.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and root cause decision-making skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, including Excel, Power BI a plus
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of initiative, adaptability, and commitment to driving organizational change

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship (H1B, OPT/CPT, TN etc)

The Details:

You’ll receive a competitive salary and a great benefits plan, including:

• Medical, dental, life, vision, disability, 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement in addition to programs & benefits in support of your well-being.
• Discounts on Stanley Black & Decker tools and other partner programs.

And More:

We want our company to be a place you’ll want to be – and stay. Being part of our team means you’ll get to:

• Grow: Be part of our global company with 20+ brands to grow and develop your skills along multiple career paths.
• Learn: Have access to a wealth of learning resources, including our digital learning portal.
• Belong: Experience an awesome place to work, where we have mutual respect and a great appreciation for a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
• Give Back: Help us continue to make positive changes locally and globally through volunteerism, giving back, and sustainable business practices.

What’s more, you’ll get that pride that comes from empowering makers, doers, protectors, and everyday heroes all over the world. We’re more than the #1 tools company. More than a driving force in outdoor power equipment. More than a global leader in industrial. We’re visionaries and innovators. As successful as we’ve been in the past, we have so much further to go. That’s where you come in. Join us!

The Salary range for this position is $110,600.00 - $178,000.00

• This is the lowest to highest annual full-time salary range we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. The salary offered within the range may vary depending on multiple factors including job level, geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience and in compliance with local wage requirements. Please note that salary is only one component of total rewards at Stanley Black & Decker.
• The salary range listed in this job posting reflects the range for the primary location specified. The salary range may vary for other locations.
• The successful candidate may be eligible for annual merit increases.
• Medical, dental, life, vision, disability,401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement in addition to programs & benefits in support of your well-being.
• Discounts on Stanley Black & Decker tool sand other partner programs.

We Don’t Just Build The World, We Build Innovative Technology Too.

Joining the Stanley Black & Decker team means working in an innovative, tech-driven and highly collaborative team environment supported by over 43,500 professionals in 60 countries across the globe. Here, you’ll get the unique chance to impact some of the world’s most iconic brands including STANLEY TOOLS, DEWALT, CRAFTSMAN, MAC TOOLS and Black + Decker. Your ideas and solutions have the potential to reach millions of customers as we work together to write the next chapter in our history. Come build with us and take your career to new heights.

Who We Are

We’re the World’s largest tool company. We’re industry visionaries. We’re solving problems and advancing the manufacturing trade through innovative technology and our Industry 4.0 Initiative. We are committed to ensuring our state-of-the-art “smart factory” products and services provide greater quality to our customers & greater environmental and social value to our planet. We are unique in that we have a rich and storied history dating back to 1843, but that hasn't stopped us from evolving into a vibrant, diverse, global growth company.

What You’ll Also Get

Career Opportunity: Career paths aren’t linear here. Being part of our global company with 60+ brands gives you the chance to grow and develop your skills along multiple career paths.

Benefits & Perks

You’ll get a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits plan that includes medical, dental, life, vision, wellness program, disability, retirement benefits, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Paid Time Off, including paid vacation, holidays & personal days, and tuition reimbursement. And, of course, discounts on Stanley Black & Decker tools and products and well as discount programs for many other vendors and partners.

Learning & Development:

Our lifelong learning philosophy means you’ll have access to a wealth of state-of-the-art learning resources, including our Lean Academy and online university (where you can get certificates and specializations from renowned colleges and universities).

Diverse & Inclusive Culture:

We pride ourselves on being an awesome place to work. We respect and embrace differences because that’s how the best work gets done. You’ll find we like to have fun here.

Purpose-Driven Company:

You’ll help us continue to make positive changes in the local communities where we work and live as well as in the broader world through volunteerism, giving back and sustainable business practices.

EEO Statement:

All qualified applicants to Stanley Black & Decker are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran’s status or any other protected characteristic.

If you require reasonable accommodation to complete an application or access our website, please contact us at [phone] or at [e-mail]. Due to volume, we cannot respond to unrelated inquiries about the status of a completed application or resetting an account password.

Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal (eeoc.gov)