Lean & Operational Excellence Lead — Research Administration

University of Kentucky; Lexington, Northern (KY, KY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Kentucky is seeking a Research Operational Excellence Manager to lead Lean and continuous-improvement efforts across Research Administration. This role acts as the internal Lean facilitator, partnering with leadership, faculty and staff to improve service delivery, reduce administrative burden, and enhance operational effectiveness in support of the university’s research mission.

Responsibilities include developing governance for process mapping, leading cross-functional

Qualifications

• Experience applying Lean and continuous improvement in an academic or research administration setting.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Ability to develop and communicate performance metrics and dashboards.
• Excellent communication and change-management skills.
• Knowledge of process mapping, analysis, redesign, and implementation techniques.
• 5 years of related experience in improvement roles.
• Ability to drive organizational transformation through coaching and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive Lean and continuous improvement strategy across Research Administration.
• Lead enterprise-wide improvement initiatives that enhance service delivery, reduce inefficiencies, improve cycle times, and strengthen operational effectiveness.
• Facilitate cross-functional process improvement efforts, fostering collaboration and scalable approaches to organizational change.
• Establish methodologies, standards, and governance for process mapping, analysis, redesign, and implementation.
• Lead complex process analyses to identify waste, bottlenecks, redundancies, and opportunities for sustainable improvement.
• Oversee enterprise change management efforts, including stakeholder engagement, communication planning, readiness, adoption, and reinforcement strategies.
• Establish performance measurement frameworks, key performance indicators, executive reporting, and benefit realization methodologies.
• Lead and govern a portfolio of transformation and continuous improvement projects, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and successful implementation.
• Develop organizational capability in Lean methodologies through coaching, education, communities of practice, and workforce development programs.

Skills

Lean principles

Continuous improvement

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Data analytics

Process improvement

Organizational transformation

Job description

The University of Kentucky is seeking a Research Operational Excellence Manager to lead Lean and continuous-improvement efforts across Research Administration. This role acts as the internal Lean facilitator, partnering with leadership, faculty and staff to improve service delivery, reduce administrative burden, and enhance operational effectiveness in support of the university’s research mission.

Responsibilities include developing governance for process mapping, leading cross-functional