Director of Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

Komline Sanderson; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Komline Sanderson in Washington, DC, seeks a Director of Operational Excellence to lead the Komline Business System and enterprise CI capabilities. This hands-on manufacturing leader will partner with GMs and plant managers to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and working capital while guiding KPI-driven improvements across sites.

The role requires Lean expertise, strong business judgment, and the ability to influence leaders; travel approx. 50%+ to support site teams and acquisitions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations, CI, or related leadership roles.
• Proven success leading Lean/CI across multiple sites or business units.
• Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing, daily management, kaizen, standard work, value-stream mapping.
• Ability to influence leaders without direct authority.
• Strong business and financial acumen with measurable impact.
• Excellent leadership, coaching, and executive presentation skills.
• Willingness to travel ~50%+.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead implementation of the KBS Operational Excellence strategy across all sites.
• Lead CI Manager team and establish site coverage and priorities.
• Partner with GMs and Plant Managers to identify high-impact opportunities and create financially validated pipelines.
• Sustain common Lean/KBS operating practices including daily management, standard work, and problem solving.
• Create a maturity assessment for Operational Excellence and guide coaching.
• Drive productivity and capacity improvements through flow, layout, and waste elimination.
• Collaborate with various functions to quantify benefits and sustain improvements.
• Build CI capability within site leadership and frontline teams.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Daily management

Value-stream mapping

Kaizen

Executive communication

Leadership coaching

Financial impact analysis

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Operations/Business

Tools

Lean Six Sigma

Job description

Komline Sanderson in Washington, DC, seeks a Director of Operational Excellence to lead the Komline Business System and enterprise CI capabilities. This hands-on manufacturing leader will partner with GMs and plant managers to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and working capital while guiding KPI-driven improvements across sites.

The role requires Lean expertise, strong business judgment, and the ability to influence leaders; travel approx. 50%+ to support site teams and acquisitions.