Director of Lean & Operational Excellence

Welch Equipment Company; Denver, Northern (CO, KY); Hybrid; USD 174,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

STD, LTD, and Life insurance

Paid Sick Leave and PTO

401(k) match

Job summary

Welch Equipment Company seeks a Continuous Improvement Director to lead enterprise-wide Lean initiatives and Kaizen culture. Partner with executives to identify bottlenecks, set measurable targets, and drive standardized processes across all departments.

The role emphasizes building capability, coaching leaders, and delivering sustainable improvements that boost customer experience and profitability. Denver-area location with competitive compensation.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive experience leading continuous improvement, Lean, operational excellence, or business transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise in Lean methodologies and tools, including Kaizen, A3 problem solving, 5S, standard work, visual management, waste reduction, and process optimization.
• Experience coaching, facilitating workshops, and developing internal continuous improvement capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead Welch’s company-wide continuous-improvement strategy and strengthen a culture of Kaizen.
• Lead lean management initiatives, including RLM/TLM, ASEC/5S, A3 problem solving, standard work, process optimization, waste reduction, and cross-functional improvement projects.
• Partner with executive and department leaders to identify bottlenecks, prioritize improvement opportunities, create project charters, and establish measurable targets.
• Develop dashboards and operating reviews that show baseline performance, implementation progress, verified outcomes, and sustainment of improvements.
• Build internal capability by coaching leaders and associates in continuous-improvement methods, facilitating workshops, and developing lean champions across departments.
• Coordinate with training and instructional-design resources so new processes are documented, trained, adopted, and maintained .
• Ensure improvement work supports customer experience, employee success, operating efficiency, cost reduction, cash flow, and bottom-line profitability.
• Provide clear communication to leadership on project risks, resource needs, obstacles, achieved results, and next actions.
• Lead all ASEC operations and directions for the company . Work with all leaders to sustain ASEC standards in all areas
• Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and safe manner
• Additional duties as assigned

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Project management

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business / Operations Management / Engineering / Supply Chain / Manufacturing

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Kaizen

A3 problem solving

5S

Standard work

Visual management

Waste reduction

Process optimization

Job description

Welch Equipment Company seeks a Continuous Improvement Director to lead enterprise-wide Lean initiatives and Kaizen culture. Partner with executives to identify bottlenecks, set measurable targets, and drive standardized processes across all departments.

The role emphasizes building capability, coaching leaders, and delivering sustainable improvements that boost customer experience and profitability. Denver-area location with competitive compensation.