Global Operational Excellence Leader

Americhem; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Americhem, a leader in color masterbatch and performance technologies, seeks a Global Operational Excellence Leader to drive enterprise-wide continuous improvement. You will design and deploy Lean/Six Sigma strategies across manufacturing sites, coaching leaders and standardizing practices to boost safety, quality, delivery, cost, and engagement.

The role requires hands-on change leadership, data-driven decision making, and the ability to align global standards with local execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Management, or related field.
• 8 years of manufacturing operations experience with a Lean/CI focus.
• Formal CI training with Lean and Six Sigma; Black Belt or Lean Master preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a global Operational Excellence roadmap aligned with business strategy.
• Coach site leaders and functional heads on Lean leadership behaviors.
• Establish and standardize Lean and Six Sigma methodologies across all regions.
• Build a multi-year pipeline of cost, productivity, and service improvements.
• Drive measurable improvements in OEE, lead time, inventory turns, and working capital.
• Lead global implementation of Lean principles including value stream mapping, 5S, standard work, visual management, SMED, TPM, and waste elimination.
• Deploy value stream transformations to reduce lead times and improve flow.
• Embed daily management systems to sustain gains and create operational accountability.
• Use advanced analytics to drive root cause problem-solving and process capability improvement.
• Develop global KPI dashboards and performance review cadence.
• Lead structured problem-solving efforts for underperforming sites or functions.
• Drive benchmarking and best-practice sharing across global facilities.

Skills

Lean & Six Sigma

Leadership

Data-driven decision making

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Industrial Management/Operations Management

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Americhem is a globally recognized designer and manufacturer of custom color masterbatch, functional additives, engineered compounds and performance technologies. Our business is built around delivering Performance, Solutions and Trust through close collaboration with customers seeking to optimize their polymer products. All of our products are backed by complete technical support that ensures quality, reliability, and value.

We are seeking a Global Operational Excellence Leader who will be responsible for driving enterprise-wide performance improvement across all manufacturing and operational sites. This role champions a culture of continuous improvement, operational discipline, and data-driven decision-making to enhance safety, quality, delivery, cost, and engagement. This leader will design, deploy, and sustain Lean and Six Sigma strategies globally, ensuring measurable impact on productivity, cost structure, customer satisfaction, and organizational capability. The role requires a hands-on change agent who can align global standards while respecting local execution realities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a global Operational Excellence roadmap aligned with business strategy.
• Coach site leaders and functional heads on Lean leadership behaviors.
• Establish and standardize Lean and Six Sigma methodologies across all regions.
• Build a multi-year pipeline of cost, productivity, and service improvements.
• Drive measurable improvements in OEE, cost per unit, lead time, inventory turns, and working capital to be measured at the designed frequency.
• Lead global implementation of Lean principles including value stream mapping, 5S, standard work, visual management, SMED, TPM, and waste elimination.
• Deploy value stream transformations to reduce lead times and improve flow.
• Embed daily management systems to sustain gains and create operational accountability.
• Use advanced analytics to drive root cause problem-solving and process capability improvement.
• Develop global KPI dashboards and performance review cadence.
• Lead structured problem-solving efforts for underperforming sites or functions.
• Drive benchmarking and best-practice sharing across global facilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Management, Operations Management, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 8 years of experience in manufacturing operations with a strong Lean and continuous improvement focus
• Extensive formal CI training with demonstrated hands-on usage of common Lean and Six Sigma principles
• Certification in Continuous Improvement methodologies (e.g. Black Belt, Lean Master) preferred

Desired Qualities/Attributes:

• Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline
• Change agent who thrives in complexity.
• Data-driven decision maker.
• Influential communicator across all organizational levels.
• Builder of high-performing teams.
• Courageous challenger of the status quo