Lean & Kaizen Leader for Operational Excellence

Nippon Paint Automotive Americas; Lansing (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Attendance bonuses

Merit increases

Annual incentive plan

Health and welfare coverage

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Nippon Paint Automotive Americas Inc. seeks an experienced manufacturing professional to lead Lean initiatives and 5S on the production floor.

You will partner with Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to redesign processes for speed, safety, and quality while tracking performance via the monthly customer scorecard. You will champion Kaizen events focused on cost reduction, inventory turns, and process stability, applying Lean/Six Sigma across multiple projects with coaching and hands-on

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline (or equivalent practical experience).
• 10+ years of relevant experience in manufacturing environments.
• Working knowledge of IATF 16949 and/or ISO 9001.
• Proven project leadership delivering cross-department process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Own and champion NPAA’s 5S system—sustain audits, visuals, and coaching.
• Lead cross-functional analyses to map sequences of operations and re-engineer workflows.
• Conduct studies on cost control/reduction, inventory control, and production record systems; implement changes.
• Facilitate Kaizen events to remove waste and build capability.
• Apply Lean and Six Sigma toolsets on multiple projects and stand up new processes.
• Track the monthly customer scorecard and drive corrective/preventive improvements.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Cross-functional leadership

Problem solving

Change management

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline

Tools

SAP

Job description

Nippon Paint Automotive Americas Inc. seeks an experienced manufacturing professional to lead Lean initiatives and 5S on the production floor.

You will partner with Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to redesign processes for speed, safety, and quality while tracking performance via the monthly customer scorecard. You will champion Kaizen events focused on cost reduction, inventory turns, and process stability, applying Lean/Six Sigma across multiple projects with coaching and hands-on