Lean Kaizen Lead — Shop Floor Improvement & Training

Alliance Laundry System LLC; Ripon (WI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Alliance Laundry System LLC in Ripon, WI is seeking a Kaizen Facilitator to plan, lead, and facilitate Kaizen events and continuous improvement on the shop floor, coaching front-line leaders in Lean tools to deliver gains in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

The role focuses on training, data analysis, standard work, visual controls, and sustaining gains while partnering with Manufacturing and Engineering to identify opportunities and deploy CI methods.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or related field, OR equivalent manufacturing experience.
• 4+ years of hands-on experience facilitating Kaizen events, Lean projects, or continuous improvement activities in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience implementing Lean tools and concepts such as 5S, Standard Work, Value Stream Mapping, Kanban, SMED, line balancing, and root cause problem solving (A3, 5-Why, Fishbone).
• Lean/Six Sigma certification (e.g., Green Belt) a plus.
• Experience training or coaching others in Lean methods preferred.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and facilitate Kaizen events and improvement projects, guiding cross-functional teams through Lean problem-solving from chartering to results.
• Train and coach members and front-line leaders in core Lean tools and concepts, including 5S, Standard Work, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Management, SMED, and Kanban.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Engineering leaders to identify improvement opportunities in safety, quality, delivery, and cost, and prioritize Kaizen activity accordingly.
• Support goal deployment into actionable Kaizen and improvement events.
• Gather and analyze process data (cycle times, defect rates, downtime, etc.) to identify root causes and validate improvement results.
• Develop and maintain standard work documentation, visual controls, and metric boards to sustain gains after each event.
• Track, measure, and report progress on Kaizen activity and improvement projects against established KPIs; escalate barriers as needed.
• Champion a problem-solving, idea-driven culture on the shop floor by role-modeling behaviors and engaging team members at all levels.
• Assist in the planning and delivery of Lean training workshops for team members, supervisors, and plant leadership.
• Pilot and help improve Continuous Improvement methodology within the assigned area — testing new Lean tools and event formats, and contributing to CI standard work, event templates, and training materials in partnership with the CI team.

Skills

Facilitation

Communication

Data interpretation

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree / equivalent manufacturing experience

4+ years Kaizen facilitation experience

Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt a plus

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Alliance Laundry System LLC in Ripon, WI is seeking a Kaizen Facilitator to plan, lead, and facilitate Kaizen events and continuous improvement on the shop floor, coaching front-line leaders in Lean tools to deliver gains in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

The role focuses on training, data analysis, standard work, visual controls, and sustaining gains while partnering with Manufacturing and Engineering to identify opportunities and deploy CI methods.