Senior Manager, Continuous Improvement

Jobtailor; Kentucky; On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

DSV seeks a senior Continuous Improvement leader to drive and govern CI across warehousing, transportation, and freight forwarding. You will own optimization from discovery through sustainment and lead regional CIP strategy with kaizen events and DMAIC projects.

This role requires heavy data analysis, ROI tracking, and cross-functional coaching to improve throughput, labor productivity, and asset utilization while collaborating with IT, engineering, and customer teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, supply chain management, operations management, business, or related field.
• Proven experience leading Lean/Six Sigma projects with quantifiable results.
• Strong knowledge of warehouse and transportation operations and WMS/TMS systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, deployment, and governance of Continuous Improvement across warehousing, transportation, and freight forwarding.
• Own process optimization initiatives from opportunity identification through implementation and sustainment.
• Lead site/regional CIP strategy, kaizen events, DMAIC projects, and rapid-improvement initiatives.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Project Management

Kaizen

DMAIC

PDCA

Value Stream Mapping

Process Mapping

Root Cause Analysis

Time Studies

5S

Change Leadership

Coaching

Stakeholder Management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or related field

Tools

WMS

TMS

Power BI

Tableau

SQL

Microsoft Office

Advanced Microsoft Excel

Job description

• Lead the design, deployment, and governance of DSV’s Continuous Improvement Program across warehousing, transportation, and freight forwarding operations
• Own process optimization initiatives from opportunity identification through implementation and sustainment
• Lead and evolve site/regional CIP strategy, including kaizen events, DMAIC projects, and rapid-improvement initiatives
• Establish and track savings and benefits pipelines with ROI documentation
• Build and maintain CIP governance, including idea intake, prioritization, project charters, stage-gate reviews, and close-out
• Champion continuous improvement through training, coaching, and visible operational leadership
• Conduct time studies, value stream mapping, process mapping, and root cause analysis
• Redesign SOPs to reduce waste and variability and improve throughput, labor productivity, and asset utilization
• Partner with Industrial Engineering on labor standards, engineered labor standards, slotting, and layout optimization
• Identify and lead automation, WMS/TMS enhancement, and technology adoption opportunities
• Build dashboards and reports tracking operational KPIs such as OTIF, productivity, cost-per-unit, dock-to-stock, order accuracy, and safety incidents
• Use statistical analysis to identify variation, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities
• Prepare and present improvement business cases and results to site leadership, regional leadership, and customers
• Liaise among operations, engineering, IT, and customer-facing teams
• Lead cross-functional improvement teams and manage change through communication, training, and sustainment plans
• Support new site start-ups and customer implementations
• Facilitate Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt and Yellow Belt training
• Develop and maintain a network-wide playbook of standard processes, layouts, and best practices
• Conduct site assessments and audits and drive corrective action plans
• Benchmark internal-site performance and industry standards
• Potentially lead and develop 2–3 junior Continuous Improvement, Process Excellence, Engineering, or Analytics professionals

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in continuous improvement, industrial engineering, or operations roles within 3PL, logistics, warehousing, freight forwarding, or manufacturing environments
• Demonstrated experience leading Lean/Six Sigma projects with quantifiable results
• Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred
• Strong working knowledge of warehouse and transportation operations, WMS/TMS systems, and labor management systems
• Proficiency in process mapping, time studies, statistical analysis, 5S, Kaizen, DMAIC, PDCA, Value Stream Mapping, and Root Cause Analysis
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple initiatives across sites
• Experience in a multi-site or regional CI role within a global 3PL or logistics network
• Experience supporting new site launches, customer onboarding, or network design projects
• Familiarity with automation/robotics evaluation, including AS/RS, AMRs, and sortation
• Operational and financial acumen, including cost-to-serve and labor economics
• Ability to travel extensively; expected travel may reach up to three weeks per month
• Microsoft Office experience and advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Proficiency with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, and/or SQL a plus
• Six Sigma Black Belt certification listed under Certificates & Licenses
• Good mathematical skills
• Analytical problem-solving and structured DMAIC/PDCA methodology
• Excellent communication, facilitation, stakeholder management, and senior-level presentation skills
• Change leadership and influence without direct authority
• Coaching and capability-building mindset

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in leading Continuous Improvement initiatives, utilizing Lean/Six Sigma methodologies, and optimizing warehouse and transportation operations. Proficient in process mapping, statistical analysis, and project management to drive measurable improvements and operational efficiency.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Lean/Six Sigma Project Leadership
• Process Mapping and Statistical Analysis
• Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
• Change Leadership and Stakeholder Management
• Green Belt or Black Belt Certification

Hard Skills

• Continuous Improvement
• Process Mapping
• Statistical Analysis
• Time Studies
• Value Stream Mapping
• Root Cause Analysis
• Project Management
• Kaizen
• DMAIC
• 5S

Soft Skills

• Excellent Communication
• Facilitation Skills
• Analytical Problem-Solving
• Coaching Mindset
• Change Leadership

Certifications & Qualifications

• Green Belt Certification
• Black Belt Certification
• Lean Six Sigma Certification

Industry Keywords

• 3PL
• Logistics
• Warehousing
• Freight Forwarding
• Manufacturing
• Cost-to-Serve
• Labor Economics
• Automation
• Robotics
• Network Design

Tools & Technologies

• Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
• Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
• Power BI
• Tableau
• SQL
• Microsoft Office
• Advanced Microsoft Excel