Lean Operational Excellence Leader

Great Dane; Elysburg (PA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Great Dane is seeking a Lean Operational Excellence Leader to drive lean implementation and continuous improvement. You will mentor leaders and frontline staff, develop waste-reduction processes, and coordinate lean governance across the plant.

The role emphasizes data-driven decision making, coaching, and sustaining lean through standard work and metrics. Ideal candidates bring a strong process mindset, 3–5+ years in engineering/manufacturing, and advanced Excel skills to analyze data and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline.
• 3-5+ years of engineering/manufacturing experience.
• Strong process mindset and problem-solving ability.
• Excellent communication and coaching skills.
• Advanced Excel and data analysis capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead lean implementation across the plant.
• Develop processes to identify, record, and reduce waste in value-add activities.
• Coach leaders and line workers in lean deployment and problem solving.
• Support gate-based lean controls and governance reporting.
• Provide feedback on waste trends and improvement opportunities.
• Oversee on-line waste reduction and maintain built-in quality.
• Conduct daily lean process audits and ensure standards compliance.
• Coordinate lean metric reporting and governance with plant leadership.
• Assist in change management and cross-functional training.
• Support other improvement projects and lean visits from leadership.

Skills

Process thinking

Communication

Coaching

Problem solving

Data analysis

Organizational skills

Customer service

Travel

Excel (advanced)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering/quality/management/business

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Under the direction of the Plant Manager and the Director of Industrial Engineering, the Lean Operational Excellence Leader is a leader in Lean Implementation and continuous improvement efforts in all five phases of Lean. The Lean Operational Excellence Leader mentors operational and support group leaders in Lean deployment and implementation, problem solving methodology and supports change management in the cascading of Lean through the facility. The Lean Operational Excellence Leader is the facility operating processes subject matter expert, who ensures all processes are documented, lean, and capable while monitoring for compliance amongst all groups and coordinating Lean Metric Reporting.

Responsibilities

• Be the leader in lean implementation.
• Establish processes that detect, record and reduce waste of any form throughout the value-add process affecting quality, throughput, efficiency, cost, etc. Coordinate project to roll out such lean processes.
• Coach leadership and line workers in those processes and establish a culture of continuous improvement.
• Coach and support team in developing and managing Engineering controls of lean Gates to support lean processes.
• Provide feedback to appropriate managers of waste trends, patterns, and opportunities.
• Responsible oversight of on-line waste reduction activities in order to ensure principles of lean manufacturing are being executed and maintained: built in quality, schedule and time control, shorten lead time, capital and manpower utilization.
• Conduct problem solving efforts and improvement projects related to waste reduction.
• Facilitate and conduct data analysis of waste related to gates.
• Coordinate lean metric reporting, create and distribute gate management reports. Develop governance package for plant leadership to lead transition of ownership to corresponding functional leader and track result progress.
• Conduct daily lean process audits in order to ensure compliance with applicable standards.
• Ensure feedback is getting back to all levels of work teams when issues occur.
• Support project change management in the cascading of lean through facility and other areas of the support staffs. Help inform/engage impacted employees.
• Effectively support other functions as required such as training, Model Line events, and other improvement projects.
• Coordinate Lean visits by leadership and from other plants.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in related discipline (e.g., engineering, quality, management, or business)
• Years of Experience: 3-5+ years of relevant work experience in engineering and/or manufacturing related fields or equivalent combination of education and training.
• Have a strong process focused thinking and mentality.
• Good communication skills and ability to motivate and engage others.
• Have some coaching, facilitation, and leadership experience. Prior Lean experience is desired.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products, including advanced data functions in Excel.
• Excellent analytical skills; Ability to collect and analyze data and present findings.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with attention to detail.
• Strong customer service orientation and ability to maintain a professional, friendly demeanor.
• Solid ability in identifying and resolving problems in a timely, effective manner.
• Strong verbal, written and interpersonal skills.
• Travel: Travel as needed.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical demands: Ability to stand and move about on concrete 8-12 hours a day. Ability to, sit, speak, hear, see, walk, bend, reach, grasp, stoop, kneel, twist, crawl, carry, climb, work overhead, push and pull. Ability to do heavy lifting (50 pounds) on occasion. Ability to maneuver large parts and assemblies (up to 50 pounds) by pushing, pulling and flipping them into place. The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
• Work environment: Employees must dress according to the company policy, and will be required to wear certain eye, head, hearing, hand and foot protection. Employees must wear all mandated PPE due to: Potential for scrapes, punctures, and cuts. Metal shavings or other debris falling in eyes. Light radiation burns. Pinch points. Possible respiratory hazards. Heavy objects that may fall. High noise level in the plant. Potential contact with hazardous chemicals. Employee may share desk space, filing cabinets and office equipment with other employees.