Operational Excellence Lead (Lean & CI)

Rehrig Pacific Company, Inc.; Illinois City (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Rehrig Pacific Company, Inc. seeks an Operations Excellence Manager to drive scalable standards and data-driven improvements across the organization. You will lead cross-functional teams to simplify processes, enhance safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance, and align execution with customer expectations.

You will develop KPI dashboards, coach leaders, and manage governance of SOPs and standard work while enabling continuous improvement through training and effective communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• 5+ years in operations excellence, continuous improvement, or related areas.
• Proven cross-functional project leadership applying Lean, PDCA, Kaizen, and Gemba.
• Strong data analysis and executive-ready communication.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and analytics tools; Lean Six Sigma preferred.
• Willingness to travel approximately 30–40%.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an operations excellence roadmap with measurable targets.
• Standardize processes using Lean principles and standard work.
• Coach leaders to embed continuous improvement in daily operations.
• Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives impacting safety, quality, service, and cost.
• Facilitate Gemba, root cause analysis, Kaizen, PDCA, and A3 problem solving.
• Validate benefits and establish controls to prevent regression.
• Develop KPI dashboards and review routines to drive timely action.
• Align metrics, reporting, and accountability across functions.
• Own governance for SOPs, work instructions, audits, and corrective actions.
• Develop practical training materials and coach teams in Lean tools.

Skills

Lean principles

PDCA

A3 problem solving

KPI dashboards

Executive-ready communication

Change leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Lean Six Sigma certification preferred

Tools

Microsoft 365

AI-enabled productivity tools

Job description

Rehrig Pacific Company, Inc. seeks an Operations Excellence Manager to drive scalable standards and data-driven improvements across the organization. You will lead cross-functional teams to simplify processes, enhance safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance, and align execution with customer expectations.

You will develop KPI dashboards, coach leaders, and manage governance of SOPs and standard work while enabling continuous improvement through training and effective communication.