Senior Lean & Continuous Improvement Leader — Aerospace

Howmet Aerospace Inc.; Brea (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k matching

Paid holidays

Paid vacation

Job summary

Howmet Aerospace Inc. in Brea, CA is seeking a Sr. Manager, Continuous Improvement to lead a small CI team and drive lean manufacturing excellence across all lines. You will ensure safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets while advancing throughput and productivity using HBS methods.

You will oversee Kaizen events, KPI dashboards, and cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to remove bottlenecks and sustain a high-performance culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical or industrial engineering or related field.
• 7+ years in aerospace/high-volume manufacturing with at least 5 years in a managerial role.

Responsibilities

• Directly supervise and mentor a cross-functional improvement team.
• Set quarterly goals, conduct performance reviews, and develop career paths.
• Foster a high-performance culture of accountability and ownership.
• Own Kaizen, Value-Stream Mapping, 5S, Standard Work, and SMED across lines.
• Lead projects targeting 10-15% waste reduction per year.
• Champion digital tools for real-time KPI tracking (e.g., Minitab, LeanKit).
• Translate plant objectives into measurable improvement roadmaps.
• Align initiatives with safety, quality, and cost targets.
• Provide quarterly status reports to senior leadership.
• Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to remove bottlenecks.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Team leadership

Kaizen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical/industrial engineering

Tools

Minitab

LeanKit

Job description

Howmet Aerospace Inc. in Brea, CA is seeking a Sr. Manager, Continuous Improvement to lead a small CI team and drive lean manufacturing excellence across all lines. You will ensure safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets while advancing throughput and productivity using HBS methods.

You will oversee Kaizen events, KPI dashboards, and cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to remove bottlenecks and sustain a high-performance culture.