Lean Transformation Lead – Manufacturing Excellence

Gables Search Group; Bay Shore (NY); On-site; USD 115,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Gables Search Group is seeking an Operational Excellence Manager for our Bay Shore facility in the United States. This role leads Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce waste, improve production flow, increase capacity, and deliver measurable gains in quality, delivery, cost and inventory.

The successful candidate will combine hands-on shop-floor experience with strong analytical and change leadership skills, building processes, routines, and employee capabilities to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations, or related discipline.
• At least 7 years of progressive manufacturing experience, including 3 years leading Lean or Operational Excellence initiatives.
• Demonstrated waste reduction, throughput improvement, or cost savings results.
• Hands-on proficiency with value-stream mapping, kaizen, A3/PDCA, 5S/6S, standard work, visual management, SMED, root-cause analysis, and flow/pull systems.
• Experience in machining, aerospace, defense, or similarly regulated environments.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to link improvements to financial results.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive change without direct authority.
• Onsite work on manufacturing floor.

Responsibilities

• Identify waste, bottlenecks, and process variation through shop-floor observation and data analysis.
• Lead kaizen events and improvement projects from planning through sustained results.
• Apply Lean methods including 5S/6S, standard work, visual management, Kanban, SMED, and root-cause analysis.
• Improve material, labor, and information flow across machining, inspection, tooling, planning, and support functions.
• Prioritize improvements that increase throughput and address capacity constraints.
• Establish performance baselines for safety, quality, delivery, cost, labor, and inventory.
• Partner with Operations and Engineering to remove barriers affecting commitments and schedules.
• Reduce lead times, setup times, queue times, and aging WIP.
• Improve labor productivity, machine utilization, and staffing alignment.
• Collaborate with Finance to validate recurring savings and cash benefits.
• Ensure improvements meet aerospace quality, safety, and configuration-control requirements.
• Implement daily management practices and visual performance boards.
• Develop Lean deployment roadmap aligned with priorities and NPI.
• Use ERP/analytics for fact-based decisions and performance visibility.
• Create repeatable operating standards for multiple product families.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Change leadership

Cross-functional influence

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

Power BI

Epicor

Job description

Gables Search Group is seeking an Operational Excellence Manager for our Bay Shore facility in the United States. This role leads Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce waste, improve production flow, increase capacity, and deliver measurable gains in quality, delivery, cost and inventory.

The successful candidate will combine hands-on shop-floor experience with strong analytical and change leadership skills, building processes, routines, and employee capabilities to