Operational Excellence Lead: Lean & Process Improvement

S. Martinelli & Company; Watsonville (CA); Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) profit sharing

Paid sick leave

Paid vacation leave

Eight paid holidays per year

Long-term disability (LTD)

Job summary

S. Martinelli & Company is seeking an Operational Excellence Specialist in Watsonville, CA to drive continuous improvement across the organization.

The role partners with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and EHS to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity through Lean and data-driven initiatives. The candidate will lead waste-elimination efforts, optimize production flow, and implement sustainable solutions with measurable business results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Minimum 4 years of experience in Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement, Manufacturing Operations, or Industrial Engineering.
• Expertise in Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement tools, including TPS, Six Sigma, Kaizen, VSM, TPM, OEE, 5S, and Standard Work.
• Demonstrated project management and cross-functional leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the site Operational Excellence strategy and Continuous Improvement roadmap.
• Lead and execute Continuous Improvement initiatives across manufacturing and business operations.
• Facilitate Kaizen events, daily management system, root cause investigations, process mapping, and cross-functional projects.
• Track KPIs and realized business benefits.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing to eliminate waste and reduce variation.
• Develop KPI dashboards and performance reporting.
• Lead Operational Excellence projects from opportunity identification through implementation and sustainment.
• Develop project charters, business cases, timelines, resource plans, and risk assessments.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects and coordinate cross-functional stakeholders.
• Monitor scope, schedule, budget, risks, and expected benefits.
• Communicate project status and validate financial and operational outcomes.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Continuous Improvement

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Data analytics

Communication

Adaptability

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Operations

Tools

TPS

Six Sigma

Kaizen

VSM

TPM

OEE

5S

Standard Work

Domo

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

S. Martinelli & Company is seeking an Operational Excellence Specialist in Watsonville, CA to drive continuous improvement across the organization.

The role partners with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and EHS to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity through Lean and data-driven initiatives. The candidate will lead waste-elimination efforts, optimize production flow, and implement sustainable solutions with measurable business results.