Continuous Improvement Specialist

Summit Utilities, Inc.; Fort Smith (AR); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Flexible benefits options

Competitive pay

Job summary

Summit Utilities, Inc. is seeking a Continuous Improvement Specialist to drive process improvements across the organization. In this role, you will embed management practices into CI, ensuring changes are sustainable and valuable.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in operational excellence, a relevant Bachelor's degree, and at least two years of experience in change management. A competitive benefits package, including medical and dental options, is offered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, operations, or related field.
• 2 years of experience in Continuous Improvement, process improvement, operational excellence, and change management.
• Strong understanding of Lean and Kaizen initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Support multiple types of process change including incremental improvements.
• Conduct assessments of impacts to training and documentation needs.
• Monitor early execution, identify breakdowns, and recommend corrective actions.

Skills

Process mapping

Operational excellence

Change management

Cross-functional collaboration

Lean methodologies

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, operations, or related field

Tools

MOC (Management of Change)

Lean Certifications

Job description

Join our Growing Team and see why Summit Utilities, Inc was named as one of the Fastest Growing Denver Area Private Companies 2019 and 2020; Best Places to Work in Maine 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023; and Best Places to Work in Arkansas 2020 and 2023, Oklahoma 2022 and 2023 and Missouri 2023. Summit was also recently named one of Forbes 2023 America’s Best Small Employers.

Summit is a growing natural gas utility providing safe, reliable, and clean burning natural gas service to homes and businesses in Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Being part of the Summit team means embracing excellence and innovation, committing to safety each and every day, and doing all that we can to serve each other, our customers, and the communities where we live. We aim to bring warmth and energy to everything we do.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Continuous Improvement Specialist enables successful adoption and sustainment of process improvements and operational changes by integrating process improvement discipline into Continuous Improvement (CI), Kaizen, and project‑driven initiatives. This role ensures that process changes are evaluated, governed, implemented, and embedded into standard work with minimal disruption and maximum value realization.

This role serves as a bridge between CI execution, project delivery, and organizational adoption, ensuring improvements do not stop at implementation but become durable, repeatable ways of working.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Embed Management of Change (MOC) practices into CI, Kaizen, and process redesign efforts.
• Partner with CI leads and process owners to ensure improvements include adoption, readiness, and sustainment planning.
• Support multiple types of process change, including incremental CI improvements, project‑driven changes, and regulatory or technology‑enabled changes.
• Conduct structured assessments of impacts to:
  • Process steps and workflows
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Systems, data, and controls
  • Training and documentation needs
• Identify adoption risks such as workarounds, ownership gaps, and cross‑functional misalignment.
• Support process change intake, prioritization, and approval workflows.
• Ensure changes align with defined governance, risk thresholds, and decision rights.
• Help clarify ownership and accountability for process changes across functions.
• Ensure updated processes are translated into:
  • Standard operating procedures
  • Job aids and visual work instructions
  • Training and transition materials
• Partner with training and functional leaders to support readiness for new ways of working.
• Define adoption and sustainment indicators for process changes.
• Monitor early execution, identify breakdowns, and recommend corrective actions.
• Support reinforcement through feedback loops and PDCA cycles.
• Facilitate cross‑functional working sessions focused on:
  • Change impact assessment
  • Organizational alignment
  • Ownership and handoff planning
• Act as a neutral facilitator focused on process clarity, execution discipline, and risk reduction.

EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, operations, or related field
• 2 years of experience in Continuous Improvement, process improvement, operational excellence, and change management
• Strong understanding of process mapping, standard work, and improvement methodologies
• Ability to work effectively across functional boundaries
• Experience supporting CI, Lean, or Kaizen initiatives
• Certifications in Lean and Org Change Management
• Familiarity with MOC, operational governance, or regulated environments
• Experience partnering with PMO, IT, or transformation teams
• Background in utilities, or operations‑heavy environments

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES

• Process‑first and systems thinking
• Risk awareness and execution discipline
• Facilitation and influence without authority
• Ability to translate improvement into sustained behavior
• Comfort working in complex, cross‑functional environments

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and/or skills required of all personnel so classified.

Summit offers competitive pay and medical/dental/vision and other benefits that provide flexibility, choice and support to our employees when they need it most. We understand that home and family are essential pieces of your life, and our benefits are designed to support you both at work and at home.

Summit Utilities, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability or veteran status.