Continuous Improvement Manager

Air Products; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Affordable Medical, Dental and Vision

401k with company match

Paid Vacation and Holidays

Parental leave

Backup Child and Adult Care

Adoption assistance

Flexible spending accounts

Life Insurance

Legal Plan & Identity theft coverage

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Air Products seeks a strategic and results-driven Continuous Improvement Manager to own enterprise-wide CI initiatives. This role partners with business leaders and Lean Six Sigma guides to drive operational perfection, establish governance, and embed a culture of continuous improvement across the organization.

The ideal candidate has a strong Lean Six Sigma background, change management expertise, and experience coaching leaders to deliver measurable business impact through sustainable process

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, Manufacturing, Quality, or related field required.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification required; Master Black Belt certification preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Lean Manufacturing, Quality, or related leadership roles.
• Proven experience deploying enterprise-wide Continuous Improvement strategies and management systems.
• Experience leading organizational change, culture transformation, and capability-building initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy a layered Continuous Improvement program engaging executives, managers, supervisors, and frontline staff.
• Establish clear expectations and responsibilities across levels for CI ownership.
• Develop management systems, visual controls, leader standard work, and review processes to sustain improvements.
• Embed CI efforts within daily management systems and operational decision-making.
• Drive consistency in CI engagement, participation, and results across the organization.
• Monitor program performance and identify opportunities to enhance effectiveness, sustainability, and adoption.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Change Management

Leadership

Operational Excellence

Strategic Planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Master Black Belt certification (preferred)

Tools

Governance Frameworks

Training Program Design

Visual Management

Job description

At Air Products, we reimagine what’s possible. By tapping into the motivation of our people and our collective experience, we create the ideas and innovations that drive us forward. When we come together – where every voice is heard and everyone knows they belong and matter – we create solutions that launch people into space, support lifesaving care in hospitals, and enable the construction of groundbreaking, world scale production facilities.

Reimagine What’s Possible

We are seeking a strategic and results-driven Continuous Improvement Manager to own the development and deployment of enterprise-wide Continuous Improvement initiatives. This role will partner closely with business leaders and Lean Six Sigma guides to drive operational perfection, establish global standards and governance, and embed a culture of continuous improvement across the organization. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Lean Six Sigma, change management, and talent development, with experience leading teams, coaching leaders, and delivering measurable business impact through sustainable process improvement and interpersonal transformation.

What's In It for You:

At Air Products we develop a culture of inclusion where every voice is heard, and everyone feels they belong and matter. Additionally, we offer competitive pay and great benefits for our employees. Check out some of our benefits below!

• Affordable Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance (day 1 of employment)
• 401k with 100% vested company core and match
• Paid Vacation, holidays + sick time
• Paid Parental leave (Up to 8 weeks)
• Backup Child and Adult Care benefit
• Adoption assistance
• Flexible spending accounts (medical, dependent daycare)
• Life Insurance (AD&D- Paid for by Air Products), Supplemental AD&D
• Legal Plan & Identity theft coverage
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
• Many more supplemental benefits available

Layered Continuous Improvement Program Management:

• Design and deploy a layered Continuous Improvement program that effectively engages executives, managers, supervisors, and frontline employees.
• Establish clear expectations and responsibilities for each interpersonal level to ensure ownership of Continuous Improvement activities.
• Develop management systems, visual controls, leader standard work, and review processes that reinforce accountability and sustain improvements.
• Ensure Continuous Improvement efforts are embedded within daily management systems and operational decision-making processes.
• Drive consistency in Continuous Improvement engagement, participation, and results throughout the organization.
• Monitor program performance and identify opportunities to enhance effectiveness, sustainability, and cultural adoption

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading global or multi-site Continuous Improvement programs.
• Solid understanding of Lean, Six Sigma, Daily Management Systems, Strategy Deployment, Visual Management, and Change Management methodologies.
• Experience developing governance models, training programs, certification frameworks, and operational perfection systems.
• Manufacturing or industrial operations experience preferred.
• Proven ability to build sustainable Continuous Improvement cultures and drive long-term interpersonal transformation.

Minimum Hiring Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, Manufacturing, Quality, or a related field required.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification required; Master Black Belt certification preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Lean Manufacturing, Quality, or related leadership roles.
• Demonstrated success developing and deploying enterprise-wide Continuous Improvement strategies and management systems.
• Proven experience leading organizational change, culture transformation, and capability-building initiatives.
• Experience leading, coaching, and developing Continuous Improvement professionals and operational leaders.
• Strong leadership, communication, facilitation, mentoring, and change management skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all interpersonal levels, from frontline employees to executive leadership.
• Must be legally eligible to work in the US without current or future sponsorship (e.g. temporary work visa or work permit).

#LI-LA1

Founded in 1940, Air Products is a world-leading industrial gases company and has a proud history of innovation, operational excellence, with an unwavering commitment to safety and environmental stewardship. Working together, we are taking our passion and diverse backgrounds forward to reimagine what’s possible and generate a cleaner future for our customers, our communities, and the world.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (U.S.). You will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, citizenship, gender, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or veteran status.