Director of Maintenance & Continuous Improvement

CLM Search; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

CLM Search is assisting a leading U.S. automotive manufacturing client in identifying a Director of Maintenance & Continuous Improvement.

This senior leader will drive maintenance excellence, asset reliability, and Lean-based improvements across multiple sites, translating strategic goals into actionable site plans and measurable outcomes. The role requires 10+ years in manufacturing leadership with multi-site responsibility, deep Lean and CI experience, and the ability to travel up to 50%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Business, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience across manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, operations, or continuous improvement, including multi-site responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading maintenance reliability, asset management, operational excellence, Lean transformation, or continuous improvement in manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of Lean methodologies (Kaizen, value-stream mapping, 5S, standardized work, root-cause analysis, structured problem solving).
• Ability to translate strategic objectives into plant-level execution plans, governance processes, metrics, and measurable results.
• Strong leadership, coaching, facilitation, communication, change-management, and cross-functional influencing skills.
• Experience using operational metrics, financial data, and project tracking to support decision-making.
• Experience implementing maintenance excellence, equipment reliability, preventive/predictive maintenance, and asset-performance strategies.
• Ability to travel regularly between facilities (up to ~50%).

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a multi-site strategy for Maintenance Excellence and Continuous Improvement.
• Establish standardized maintenance systems, reliability expectations, asset-management practices, governance routines, and performance measures.
• Lead preventive and predictive maintenance programs, reliability initiatives, spare-parts management, downtime reduction, and standardized processes.
• Collaborate with Engineering and plant teams to improve uptime, process capability, maintainability, and lifecycle asset performance.
• Support capital planning, maintenance budgeting, and risk reduction using data-driven strategies.
• Lead Kaizen, value-stream mapping, 5S, standardized work, and structured problem solving initiatives.
• Identify, prioritize, and track cost-saving and operational improvement projects with measurable results.
• Use KPIs and data to identify trends and improvement opportunities across safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and costs.
• Develop standards, dashboards, and visual-management for visibility and accountability.
• Provide leadership and development to maintenance, engineering, and CI leaders across sites.
• Promote cross-site collaboration and replicate successful initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Maintenance leadership

Asset management

Lean transformation

Operational excellence

Cross-functional collaboration

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Operations/Business

Job description

Job Title: Director of Maintenance & Continuous Improvement

Location: United States – Multi-Site

About the client and role

• Our client, a leading manufacturing organization operating within the automotive sector, is seeking a Director of Maintenance & Continuous Improvement to lead maintenance excellence, asset reliability, and operational improvement across multiple manufacturing facilities.
• This is a senior operational leadership position responsible for developing and implementing standardized maintenance systems, improving equipment uptime, strengthening asset-management practices, and driving continuous improvement throughout the organization.
• Working closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, and Plant Leadership, the successful candidate will translate strategic operational objectives into practical site-level execution plans and measurable results.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a multi-site strategy for Maintenance Excellence and Continuous Improvement aligned with wider operational and business objectives.
• Establish standardized maintenance systems, reliability expectations, asset-management practices, governance routines, and performance measures across manufacturing facilities.
• Lead the deployment and sustainability of preventive and predictive maintenance programs, equipment reliability initiatives, spare-parts management, downtime reduction, and standardized maintenance processes.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and plant maintenance teams to improve equipment uptime, process capability, maintainability, launch readiness, and lifecycle asset performance.
• Support capital planning, maintenance budgeting, equipment readiness, and operational risk reduction using data-driven maintenance strategies.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives including Kaizen, value-stream mapping, 5S, standardized work, structured problem solving, and waste-elimination activities.
• Identify, prioritize, and track cost-saving and operational improvement projects, ensuring measurable and sustainable results.
• Utilize operational KPIs, customer performance measures, and plant-level data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Drive improvements across safety, quality, delivery, productivity, equipment effectiveness, customer performance, and cost.
• Develop practical standards, procedures, dashboards, and visual-management systems to improve visibility and accountability across operations.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and development to maintenance, engineering, and continuous improvement leaders across multiple sites.
• Build organizational capability through training, mentoring, knowledge sharing, succession planning, and best-practice deployment.
• Promote cross-site collaboration and ensure successful maintenance and continuous improvement initiatives are replicated across the wider manufacturing network.
• Act as a change leader, supporting teams in applying Lean principles, root-cause analysis, maintenance best practices, and structured problem solving.
• Collaborate closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, IT, Finance, Human Resources, Program Management, and Plant Leadership.
• Partner with senior and plant leadership to establish long-term operational priorities and improvement strategies supporting profitability, growth, launch execution, and customer performance.
• Support new equipment, technology, and manufacturing-process launches by ensuring appropriate maintenance readiness, operating standards, training, and sustainment plans are in place.
• Ensure compliance with applicable safety requirements, corporate standards, regulatory requirements, and industry expectations.
• Champion a proactive safety culture and establish governance processes that drive consistent execution, accountability, and measurable performance across all locations.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Business, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience across manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, operations, or continuous improvement, including experience with multi-site responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading maintenance reliability, asset management, operational excellence, Lean transformation, or continuous improvement within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of Lean methodologies including Kaizen, value-stream mapping, 5S, standardized work, root-cause analysis, and structured problem solving.
• Proven ability to translate strategic objectives into plant-level execution plans, governance processes, performance metrics, and measurable financial or operational results.
• Strong leadership, coaching, facilitation, communication, change-management, and cross-functional influencing skills.
• Strong commercial and operational awareness, with experience using operational metrics, financial data, and project tracking to support decision-making.
• Experience implementing maintenance excellence, equipment reliability, preventive and predictive maintenance, and asset-performance strategies.
• Ability to travel regularly between manufacturing facilities, with travel of up to approximately 50% depending on business requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or advanced degree.
• Lean, Six Sigma Black Belt, quality, operational excellence, or equivalent professional certification.
• Background across Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Manufacturing Engineering, or Program Launch.
• Experience developing Lean and continuous improvement roadmaps, maturity assessments, training programs, and cross-site best-practice deployment.