Operational Excellence Manager

Rehrig Pacific Company, Inc.; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Rehrig Pacific Company, Inc. is seeking an Operations Excellence Manager in the United States to drive scalable standards and data-driven continuous improvement. You will work with Operations leaders to simplify processes, enhance performance, and align with safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets.

The role focuses on deploying Lean tools, building problem-solving capability, and sustaining measurable gains across functions with KPI dashboards and governance of SOPs and training materials.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 5+ years in operations excellence, continuous improvement, or related field.
• Proven success leading cross-functional improvement initiatives.
• Strong capability in change leadership, facilitation, coaching, and project management.
• Proficiency with data analysis, KPI dashboards, and executive-level communication.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an operations excellence roadmap with measurable targets.
• Standardize processes using Lean principles and visual management.
• Coach leaders to embed continuous improvement in daily operations.
• Lead cross-functional improvements to enhance safety, quality, service, and cost.
• Facilitate problem solving (Gemba, kaizen, PDCA, A3) with clear owners and dates.
• Validate benefits, remove barriers, and sustain gains with controls.
• Develop KPI dashboards and review routines for visibility and action.
• Analyze trends, prioritize opportunities, and communicate progress to leadership.
• Align metrics and reporting across Operations and support functions.
• Govern SOPs, work instructions, and corrective actions with proper versioning.
• Create training materials and coach teams in Lean tools and disciplined execution.

Skills

Lean methods

Cross-functional leadership

Data analysis

KPI dashboards

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft 365

AI-enabled analytics

Job description

Career Opportunities with Rehrig Pacific Company

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Here at Rehrig Pacific, we are all about our people. Since 1913, our organization has focused on sustainable supply chain solutions while creating a culture and atmosphere where amazing people, like you, are celebrated for doing their best work. Rehrig Pacific has grown to meet the needs of our industry consumers across the country and internationally. We are constantly creating innovative solutions to transcend the new standards set forth by our customers. We find true fulfillment in helping others, both within the Rehrig Pacific family and in our communities. As servant leaders, we lead by example.

Purpose of the Role

The Operations Excellence Manager improves operational performance by establishing scalable standards, strengthening daily management systems, and leading data-driven continuous improvement initiatives. This role works cross-functionally with Operations leaders to simplify processes, build problem-solving capability, sustain measurable gains, and align execution with safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer expectations.

Areas of Accountability

Operational Excellence Deployment

• Develop and maintain an operations excellence roadmap, site-level improvement plans, and measurable performance targets based on assigned business priorities.
• Standardize and simplify processes using Lean principles, standard work, visual management, and leader routines.
• Coach leaders and teams to embed continuous improvement practices into daily operations and sustain adoption.
• Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives that increase safety, quality, service, productivity, and cost performance.
• Facilitate Gemba, root cause analysis, kaizen, PDCA, and A3 problem solving; ensure countermeasures have clear owners and due dates.
• Validate benefits, remove barriers, and establish controls that prevent regression.
• Develop and refine KPI dashboards, scorecards, and review routines that create visibility to performance and drive timely action.
• Analyze trends, quantify opportunities, prioritize the improvement pipeline, and communicate progress, risks, and realized value to leadership.
• Align metric definitions, reporting cadence, escalation triggers, and accountability across Operations and support functions.
• Own governance for SOPs, work instructions, standard work, audits, and corrective actions, including approval, version control, implementation, and sustainment.
• Develop practical training, job aids, and facilitation materials; coach teams in Lean tools, KPI interpretation, and disciplined execution.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• ​Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent relevant experience; 5+ years in operations excellence, continuous improvement, manufacturing, service operations, quality, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional improvement initiatives and applying Lean, root cause analysis, PDCA, A3, kaizen, Gemba, and standard work.
• Strong capability in change leadership, facilitation, coaching, project management, data analysis, KPI dashboards, and executive-ready communication.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, reporting and visualization tools, and AI-enabled productivity and analytics solutions, including effective prompting, responsible use, output validation, and practical workflow automation; Lean Six Sigma certification preferred.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and travel approximately 30–40%.

Rehrig Pacific Company is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also here .