Director, Business Process Excellence

Imperial Dade; Jersey City, Northern (NJ, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Imperial Brady in Jersey City, NJ seeks a Director of Business Process Excellence to identify and deliver productivity gains across the enterprise through process redesign, automation, and AI solutions. Lead end-to-end initiatives, build robust business cases, and partner with IT, Data, and vendors to scale successful implementations.

The role combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution, requiring strong analytical skills, cross-functional collaboration, and a track record of delivering

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, business, or related field; MBA a plus.
• 5–9 years in process improvement, operations excellence, or automation/AI delivery roles.
• Hands-on experience deploying automation/AI tooling in live environments (RPA, low-code, AI copilots).
• Experience scoping and configuring AI solutions with Data and IT teams.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt preferred.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills; proficient in Excel and Power BI; SQL or scripting a plus.
• Proven track record leading change with frontline teams in distribution/operational settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end process discovery and value-stream mapping across priority functions.
• Identify and prioritize automation and AI opportunities with ROI focus.
• Build business cases with FP&A and PMO to anchor benefits to EBITDA.
• Partner with IT, Data, and vendors to oversee automation solutions.
• Run pilots, measure results, and roll out across branches and DCs.
• Apply Lean/Six Sigma and change-management to sustain improvements.
• Equip teams with training and tools to sustain new ways of working.
• Maintain and prioritize a pipeline of initiatives in the PMO portfolio.
• Evaluate emerging AI/automation tech for distribution and industrial use.

Skills

Process improvement

Lean Six Sigma

Automation & AI

RPA

Data analytics

Change management

Project management

Stakeholder collaboration

Business case

SQL / scripting

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA

Tools

UiPath

Automation Anywhere

Power Automate

Low-code platforms

Generative AI tools

Job description

Imperial Brady has a Director, Business Process Excellence position in Jersey City, NJ! Join a strong and continuously evolving group, helping to continue to grow our business. If you’re eager for your next opportunity, Imperial Brady is a great place to take that next step.

The Director, Business Process Excellence role is responsible for identifying and delivering sustainable productivity improvements across the enterprise through process redesign, automation, and the application of AI solutions. The role combines strategic thinking with hands‑on execution, requiring the ability to map and analyze business processes, quantify improvement opportunities, and work collaboratively with IT and business teams to design, configure, and implement effective solutions.

Compensation Range: $180,000 to $220,000 + Bonus

You will:

• Lead end-to‑end process discovery and value‑stream mapping across priority functions (order‑to‑cash, procure‑to‑pay, warehouse/DC operations, pricing and quoting, customer service, back‑office finance/HR).
• Identify and prioritize automation and AI opportunities, including RPA, workflow and low‑code platforms, generative AI copilots and agents, and advanced analytics, based on effort, impact, and feasibility
• Build rigorous business cases (cost‑to‑serve, FTE impact, cycle‑time, error‑rate, working‑capital effects) in partnership with FP&A and the assigned Program Manager; ensure benefit cases are auditable and tied to the enterprise EBITDA bridge.
• Partner with IT, Data, and external vendors to design, configure, or oversee the development of automation and AI solutions, serving as the business‑side technical bridge between operating teams and technical delivery teams.
• Run structured pilots, measure results against the business case, and lead full‑scale rollout and standardization across branches and distribution centers once solutions are proven.
• Apply Lean/Six Sigma and change‑management practices to ensure redesigned processes and new tools are adopted, sustained, and continuously improved post‑go‑live.
• Equip frontline and functional teams with the training, tools, and support needed to adopt new ways of working and sustain improvements independently.
• Maintain and prioritize a pipeline of productivity and automation initiatives, tracking progress and realized benefits through the enterprise initiative portfolio managed by the PMO.
• Evaluate emerging AI and automation technologies relevant to distribution and industrial businesses and develop recommendations for where the company should invest and scale these capabilities.

You have:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, business, or related field; MBA a plus.
• 5–9 years in process improvement, operations excellence, or automation/AI delivery roles, (ideally within distribution, supply chain, manufacturing, or other high‑volume operating environments).
• Hands‑on experience deploying at least one class of automation/AI tooling in a live operating environment - e.g., RPA (UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Power Automate), low‑code workflow platforms, or generative AI tools/copilots/agents integrated into business processes.
• Hands‑on working knowledge of scoping, prompting, and configuring AI solutions for business applications, with experience partnering with Data and IT teams on data readiness and system integration.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt (or equivalent process‑excellence methodology training) preferred.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, with the ability to build defensible ROI cases and measure results against them; Comfortable working in Excel and Power BI. SQL or basic scripting experience is a plus but not required.
• Demonstrated track record of leading change with frontline operating teams, with the ability to work effectively in distribution center and branch environments.