Director Operational Excellence & Transformation

Nextpower Inc; Fremont, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 220,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Nextpower Inc. seeks a Director of Operational Excellence & Transformation to lead a portfolio of multi-site improvement programs spanning manufacturing, supply chain, planning, procurement, and quality.

The role partners with Finance, Engineering, IT, Sales, HR, and other functions to standardize processes, implement automation, and realize value. The position emphasizes Lean and Kaizen capability, cross-functional leadership, and system-driven improvements across a growing energy technology

Qualifications

• Requires 12+ years leading complex cross-functional transformation programs in industrial tech or energy sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to influence site leaders without direct authority.
• Practical knowledge of Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma, A3/PDCA methods.
• Experience with enterprise systems implementation, process automation, and change management.
• Strong financial acumen with ability to quantify operational benefits with Finance.

Responsibilities

• Translate VP priorities into initiative charters, plans, milestones, risks and decisions.
• Lead portfolio governance, stage gates, and executive reporting across functions.
• Drive redesign of priority processes and implementation of Lean, Kanzen and automation.
• Partner with IT and site leaders to standardize practices across sites and acquisitions.
• Build and coach a high-performing transformation team and ensure adoption and value realization.

Skills

Leadership

Lean

Kaizen

Six Sigma

A3 / PDCA

Process automation

Enterprise systems

Change management

Financial acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Operations/Business or Finance

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

ERP systems

Data analytics tools

Job description

## Director Operational Excellence & Transformation## *Strategic Program Management • Kaizen & Lean Operations • Systems & Automation*## **Job Title**## Director, Operational Excellence & Transformation## **Department**## Operational Excellence Office (PMO)## **Reports To**## Vice President, Operational Excellence & Transformation## **Direct Reports**## Program Managers, Process Improvement Leads, and Business Systems Analysts, as assigned## **Classification**## Full-Time, Exempt## Position Summary## Nextpower is evolving from a solar tracker company into an integrated utility-scale energy technology platform spanning trackers, eBOS, foundations, power conversion, energy storage, robotics, and other adjacent solutions. As the company grows through organic expansion and acquisitions, it needs greater alignment, standardization, scalability, and execution across the enterprise.## Reporting to the Vice President, Operational Excellence & Transformation, the Director leads a portfolio of priority initiatives and manages the day-to-day delivery of the Operational Excellence Office. The role concentrates on Operations—manufacturing, supply chain, planning, procurement, quality, logistics, and field operations—and leads cross-functional work involving Finance, Engineering, Sales, IT, HR, and other functions when processes span organizational boundaries. The Director turns strategic priorities into executable programs, builds Lean and Kaizen capability, partners on systems and automation, and delivers measurable improvements in customer experience, productivity, operating margin, working capital, and cash flow.## Key Responsibilities## **Program Portfolio and Governance**## · Translate VP priorities into initiative charters, integrated plans, milestones, resource needs, risks, and decisions.## · Manage portfolio reviews, stage gates, executive reporting, and escalation processes; recommend sequencing based on value, capacity, and execution risk.## · Lead program managers as we build up the team, and workstream owners to resolve dependencies and deliver commitments across functions.## **Operational Excellence and Transformation**## · Lead redesign and simplification of priority processes, including cross-functional handoffs, controls, and ownership.## · Deploy Lean, Kaizen, standard work, visual management, structured problem solving, and value stream improvements across selected Operations areas.## · Partner with site and functional leaders to standardize practices while accommodating justified local needs and acquired businesses.## **Systems and Automation**## · Set up and manage Operations Excellence portal for methodologies, documents, and training videos.## · Partner with IT and process owners to define business requirements and integrate process redesign with enterprise systems, analytics, workflow automation, and appropriate AI-enabled solutions.## · Drive adoption and effective use of Oracle and other enterprise platforms; reduce manual and spreadsheet-driven work where practical.## · Establish consistent measures and reporting for the initiatives in the assigned portfolio.## **Performance and Value Realization**## · Build baselines, benefit cases, milestones, and measurement plans with Finance and business owners.## · Track Finance-validated impact on productivity, cost, margin, working capital, cash flow, and service; intervene when delivery or adoption falls short.## · Develop a pipeline of improvement opportunities and ensure business owners sustain results after implementation.## **Team and Change Leadership**## · Work individually while building a team. Manage and coach assigned program managers, improvement leads, and analysts; strengthen project management and problem-solving capability.## · Build stakeholder alignment, communicate changes, and coordinate training and adoption plans.## · Promote accountability, collaboration, respect for people, and data-driven decisions.## Qualifications## · A minimum of 12 years of experience leading complex, cross-functional transformation or operational improvement programs in manufacturing, industrial technology, energy, or engineered products.## · Demonstrated people leadership and ability to influence functional and site leaders without direct authority.## · Practical knowledge of Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma, A3, PDCA, or comparable methods.## · Experience with enterprise systems implementation, process automation, performance metrics, and change management.## · Strong financial acumen and experience quantifying and tracking operational benefits with Finance.## · Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Finance, or a related discipline; Master’s degree preferred.## Success Measures First 6 to 12 Months## · A governed portfolio of priority initiatives has clear owners, plans, milestones, risks, and a regular review cadence.## · Initial initiatives deliver Finance-validated improvements in service, productivity, margin, or working capital.## · Priority processes have documented standards and measurable adoption of Lean, Kaizen, systems, or automation improvements.## · Functional leaders use consistent performance reporting to address delivery issues and sustain gains.## Working Relationships## Works closely with the Vice President and leaders across Operations, Engineering, Finance, IT, Sales, HR, business units, and sites to deliver the assigned transformation portfolio.## Nextpower 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, disability, or veteran status. Pay is based on market location and may vary based on factors including experience, skills, education and other job-related reasons. The annual salary range for this position is $220,000.00-$240,000.00.