Lean Transformation Manager - Operational Excellence

InvestedintheMission; Simi Valley (CA); On-site; USD 107,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental & Vision

401(k) with match

9/80 schedule

Paid holidays

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. in California is seeking a Manager of Operational Excellence to design, implement, and optimize lean manufacturing strategies across business units. You will drive value-stream efficiency, deploy kaizen events, and align lean goals with output, cost, quality, and lead time improvements.

Lead training, standardize problem solving, mentor supervisors and frontline teams, and report ROI to executive leadership, while ensuring compliance with ITAR and ISO standards.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in complex assembly production environments.
• 3+ years leading manufacturing teams in a product development environment.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering or related field.
• Proficiency in process simulation, time studies, and data analytics.
• Strong leadership, PM, and facilitation skills.
• Able to travel domestically and internationally up to 50%.
• Organizational and time management skills; adaptable in fast-paced environments.
• Strategic thinker with collaborative mindset and ownership attitude.

Responsibilities

• Lead lean manufacturing implementation across all units.
• Develop & maintain lean training tools, content, boot camps, workshops, kaizen & project funnels.
• Standardize problem solving methodology; create training content and deployment strategy.
• Conduct value stream mapping; own implementation of value stream tracking centers.
• Deploy Lean to reduce waste and non-value-added activities.
• Facilitate cross-functional Kaizen events and improvement workshops.
• Analyze production data for trends, root causes and opportunities.
• Establish visual daily management systems with KPI tracking.
• Develop cost-benefit analyses for capital projects and process changes.
• Train and mentor supervisors, engineers and front-line teams in lean principles.
• Act as change agent promoting ownership and continuous improvement.
• Build lean maturity roadmaps and assess transformation readiness.
• Partner with Ops, Quality, Eng, Supply Chain, PM to align lean initiatives.
• Interface with exec leadership to report progress, ROI and impact.
• Ensure compliance with AS9100, ISO 9001, ITAR and customer requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Facilitation

Data analytics

Communication

Travel up to 50%

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering/Manufacturing Engineering or related field

Job description

AeroVironment, Inc. in California is seeking a Manager of Operational Excellence to design, implement, and optimize lean manufacturing strategies across business units. You will drive value-stream efficiency, deploy kaizen events, and align lean goals with output, cost, quality, and lead time improvements.

Lead training, standardize problem solving, mentor supervisors and frontline teams, and report ROI to executive leadership, while ensuring compliance with ITAR and ISO standards.