Lean Leader: Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

Abec,-Inc.; Springfield (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

3 weeks vacation

401K match

Paid holidays

Life insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Referral program

Job summary

ABEC is seeking a Lean Leader to drive operational excellence across the organization in Springfield, MO. You will lead Lean initiatives, Kaizen events, waste reduction, and process optimization to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement.

You will partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and other functions to implement sustainable improvements and build internal Lean capability through coaching and mentoring of leaders and project teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or related field preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, or continuous improvement.
• Proven experience implementing Lean Manufacturing initiatives.
• Experience leading Kaizen events and cross-functional improvement projects.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt required; Black Belt preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the deployment of Lean Manufacturing principles throughout the organization.
• Champion continuous improvement activities aligned with strategic business objectives.
• Promote a culture of problem solving, accountability, and employee engagement.
• Develop and maintain site Lean roadmaps and improvement priorities.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate waste and improve process flow.
• Facilitate Kaizen events, Rapid Improvement Workshops, and Value Stream Mapping activities.
• Lead root cause analysis using structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Drive implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Improve productivity, efficiency, throughput, and quality performance.
• Establish and maintain standard work practices.
• Implement visual management systems and performance dashboards.
• Support workplace organization through 5S initiatives.
• Develop and track KPIs to measure operational performance.
• Analyze manufacturing and business data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Monitor savings, productivity gains, and project effectiveness.
• Report progress to leadership teams and stakeholders.
• Train employees and leaders in Lean principles and tools.
• Coach supervisors and managers on problem solving and continuous improvement techniques.
• Build internal Lean capabilities throughout the organization.
• Mentor improvement project leaders and Kaizen facilitators.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Project Management teams.
• Support new process implementation and operational readiness activities.
• Ensure Lean principles are incorporated into facility layouts, workflows, and new product introductions.
• Share best practices across departments and sites.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Kaizen events

Value Stream Mapping

Root cause analysis

5S

Data analysis

KPI tracking

Visual management

Cross-functional collaboration

Training & coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Value Stream Mapping

Kaizen events

Job description

ABEC is seeking a Lean Leader to drive operational excellence across the organization in Springfield, MO. You will lead Lean initiatives, Kaizen events, waste reduction, and process optimization to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement.

You will partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and other functions to implement sustainable improvements and build internal Lean capability through coaching and mentoring of leaders and project teams.