Operational Excellence Leader - Lean Manufacturing & Gemba

ZEISS Group; Osseo (MN); On-site; USD 101,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Dental

401k Matching

Employee Assistance Programs

Vacation and sick pay

Job summary

ZEISS Group in Maple Grove, MN, seeks an experienced Production Manager to lead day-to-day shop floor operations, drive safety, quality, and on-time delivery, and optimize costs. You will stabilize processes, maximize machine uptime, and coach teams in Lean and best practices to build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

You will set ambitious performance standards, analyze KPIs, and lead problem-solving efforts to reduce downtime, improve takt times, and sustain world-class

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial, mechanical, manufacturing engineering or related field (two-year technical degree acceptable with strong relevant experience).
• 7+ years of progressive experience in high-volume lean manufacturing, including 2+ years in a people leadership/management role.
• Six Sigma Green or Black Belt strongly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of Lean methodologies and Value Stream Mapping with proven implementation success.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on Gemba leadership, spending 60-70% of time on the shop floor to identify bottlenecks, safety hazards, and waste and to support teams in meeting production goals.
• Plan, develop, and motivate a high-performing team; hire, coach, and manage performance in line with ZEISS policies and core values.
• Implement and sustain Daily Management Systems, including visual boards, tiered accountability meetings, Lean techniques, and 6S standards.
• Lead rapid problem solving through root cause analysis and Kaizen events, ensuring timely resolution of production issues and quality defects.
• Analyze production KPI's to reduce downtime, improve takt times and drive continuous improvements in throughput, quality, and cost.
• Develop hands-on training on Standard Work and maintain training matrix for all shop floor employees.
• Ensure routing and build procedures are current and compliant with ISO and internal product requirements; coordinate timely implementation of engineering changes.
• Ensure production equipment is properly maintained, calibrated, and in good working order.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and ergonomic work environment; complete safety reports and provide training per OSHA and ZEISS standards.
• Lead escalation in a timely manner through the organization.

Skills

Leadership

Lean manufacturing

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial/Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering

Six Sigma Green or Black Belt

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Job description

ZEISS Group in Maple Grove, MN, seeks an experienced Production Manager to lead day-to-day shop floor operations, drive safety, quality, and on-time delivery, and optimize costs. You will stabilize processes, maximize machine uptime, and coach teams in Lean and best practices to build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

You will set ambitious performance standards, analyze KPIs, and lead problem-solving efforts to reduce downtime, improve takt times, and sustain world-class