Regional Continuous Improvement Leader

Hitachi Vantara Corporation; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Hitachi Energy in the United States is seeking a Senior Continuous Improvement Leader to drive operational excellence across the Power Transformers organization. You will partner with business and functional leaders to accelerate improvement, strengthen quality systems, and standardize best practices across sites.

You will lead strategic initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, and Root Cause Analysis to improve productivity, quality, and throughput time, with up to 50%

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, Quality Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in operational excellence, business process management, continuous improvement, manufacturing, or related disciplines.
• Lean Manufacturing, Lean Enterprise Systems, Six Sigma, Quality Management Systems, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Lean Six Sigma, Lean Expert, or Lean Master certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives across the Power Transformers organization.
• Partner with leadership teams to establish strategic objectives, performance metrics, and improvement roadmaps.
• Drive Lean transformation efforts focused on waste elimination, process standardization, and quality enhancement.
• Facilitate strategy deployment, KPI management, daily management systems, and structured problem-solving practices.
• Lead cross-functional projects utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, and Root Cause Analysis methodologies.
• Identify opportunities to improve quality, productivity, safety, delivery performance, and cost efficiency.
• Coach, mentor, and develop employees and leaders in continuous improvement principles and best practices.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, and support teams to optimize end-to-end business processes and reduce throughput time.
• Responsible to ensure compliance with applicable external and internal regulations, procedures and guidelines.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Kaizen

Value Stream Mapping

Root Cause Analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, Quality Management

Job description

Job Description:

The Opportunity

Are you passionate about transforming operations, driving measurable business impact, and building a culture of excellence? Join Hitachi Energy as a Senior Continuous Improvement Leader and play a key role in shaping the future of operational performance across our Power Transformers organization.

In this highly visible role, you will partner with business and functional leaders to accelerate continuous improvement, strengthen quality management systems, and drive sustainable business results. You will lead strategic initiatives that improve productivity, reduce waste, enhance quality, optimize throughput time, and standardize best practices across multiple sites and functions.

This is an exciting opportunity for a collaborative change agent who thrives on solving complex challenges, influencing stakeholders, and developing high-performing teams. Leveraging methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, and Root Cause Analysis, you will help create a culture where continuous improvement becomes part of everyday work.

With up to 50% travel, this role offers broad exposure across manufacturing sites and business operations, providing the opportunity to work directly with leaders and teams to drive transformational change, share best practices, build organizational capability, and deliver lasting operational improvements.

If you enjoy combining strategy, data-driven decision making, coaching, and operational excellence to create meaningful business impact, this role offers an outstanding opportunity to help shape the future of sustainable energy.

How you'll make an impact

• Lead continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives across the Power Transformers organization.
• Partner with leadership teams to establish strategic objectives, performance metrics, and improvement roadmaps.
• Drive Lean transformation efforts focused on waste elimination, process standardization, and quality enhancement.
• Facilitate strategy deployment, KPI management, daily management systems, and structured problem-solving practices.
• Lead cross-functional projects utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, and Root Cause Analysis methodologies.
• Identify opportunities to improve quality, productivity, safety, delivery performance, and cost efficiency.
• Coach, mentor, and develop employees and leaders in continuous improvement principles and best practices.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, and support teams to optimize end-to-end business processes and reduce throughput time.
• Responsible to ensure compliance with applicable external and internal regulations, procedures and guidelines.

Your background

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, Quality Management, or a related field.

• Minimum 10 years of experience in operational excellence, business process management, continuous improvement, manufacturing, engineering, or related disciplines.
• Proven success leading large-scale transformation and process improvement initiatives.
• Strong expertise in Lean Manufacturing, Lean Enterprise Systems, Six Sigma, Quality Management Systems, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders, lead organizational change, and drive enterprise-wide improvements.
• Lean Six Sigma, Lean Expert, or Lean Master certification preferred.

More about us

• At Hitachi Energy, you will help advance the transition to a more sustainable, secure, and resilient energy future while working with talented teams across a global organization.
• We invest in professional growth through continuous learning, leadership development, and opportunities to work on high-impact transformation initiatives.
• Our inclusive culture encourages collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, empowering everyone to contribute and grow.

Background Screening and Security Checks

As part of the hiring process, Hitachi Energy conducts pre-employment background checks that may include verification of employment history, education, criminal records, and other relevant information, in accordance with applicable laws.

For certain roles, particularly those involving access to sensitive information, financial responsibilities, client data, regulated environments, or security-sensitive functions, additional or more comprehensive background or security screenings may be required. These may include, but are not limited to, enhanced criminal history checks, credit history reviews (where legally permissible), sanctions screening, or other due diligence measures aligned with the responsibilities of the position.

The scope and depth of any background or security review will be determined based on the nature of the role and business necessity and will always be conducted in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Candidates will be notified and, where required, asked to provide consent prior to the initiation of any such checks.

Equal Employment Opportunity EEO-Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

Equal Employment Opportunity

Hitachi is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, including females, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals

with disabilities.

Accessibility and reasonable accommodation

Protected veterans and qualified individuals with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access the Hitachi Energy career site as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by completing a general inquiry form on our website. Please include your contact information and specific details about your required accommodation to support you during the job application process.

This accommodation channel is solely for job seekers with disabilities requiring accessibility assistance or an accommodation in the job application process. Messages left for other purposes will not receive a response.

Use of Al and automated tools in recruitment

As part of our recruitment process, Hitachi Energy uses digital and automated tools, including Al-supported solutions, to assist with activities such as application screening, job matching, and interview scheduling. These tools are designed to support our recruiters and do not replace human decision-making. Candidate data is processed in accordance with applicable data protection and employment laws as well as Hitachi's Global Data Privacy Notice.