Sr. Continuous Improvement Manager

SPX Cooling Technologies; Olathe (KS); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health insurance

401(k) match

Educational assistance

Job summary

SPX Cooling Technologies is seeking a Lean & Continuous Improvement Leader to deploy the Lean operating system across the Cooling business. You will coach frontline teams on problem solving, daily management, and Kaizen while partnering with site leaders to drive safety, quality, delivery, and cost improvements.

The role requires hands-on leadership on the factory floor and strategic engagement with senior leadership to prioritize initiatives and build capability across multiple facilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or related technical discipline.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in Lean/CI, change management, operational excellence, or manufacturing leadership.
• Demonstrated experience implementing Lean in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading cross-functional improvement initiatives.
• Proven track record delivering improvements in productivity, quality, delivery, cost, inventory, lead time, and/or capacity.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and change-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Lean / CI strategy aligned with business growth and operational priorities.
• Partner with site and functional leaders to identify opportunities affecting safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, inventory, and capacity.
• Establish and mature a common Lean operating system across manufacturing locations.
• Lead improvements in factory layout, product flow, line balancing, bottleneck identification and mitigation, labor utilization, material presentation, and production routing.
• Establish a disciplined Kaizen process focused on high-value opportunities.
• Lead and coach cross-functional teams through improvement events and longer-term transformation initiatives.
• Implement follow-up mechanisms to verify improvements are sustained.
• Develop site leaders, supervisors, functional leaders, and frontline employees in Lean thinking and problem solving.

Skills

Lean/CI

Change management

Operational excellence

Cross-functional leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Operations, Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or related technical discipline

Lean certification

Tools

SAP

Job description

Building the people that build the world.

With platforms in HVAC and Detection and Measurement, SPX Technologies builds innovative solutions that enable a safer, more efficient, sustainable world. Through our RiSE talent development framework, we Reach, Identify, Strengthen, and Engage our employees to support them in their continued development. We’re a global company of problem solvers, collaborators, and innovators, and our businesses build solutions that impact the world.

As part of HVAC Cooling, SPX Cooling Technologies is a leader in high quality industrial HVAC equipment used to cool large facilities like hospitals, data centers, and power plants. With cooling towers, fans, and refrigeration units, companies rely on brands like Marley, Recold, and SGS to provide comfort and mission critical and industrial cooling solutions.

How you will make an Impact (Job Summary)

SPX is a diverse team of unique individuals who all make an impact. As The Lean & Continuous Improvement Leader is responsible for developing, deploying, and sustaining the Lean operating system across the Cooling business. This leader will partner with operations and functional leadership to build the capabilities, processes, and problem-solving culture required to safely support growth while improving quality, delivery, productivity, cost, inventory, and customer experience.

This role requires a highly visible, hands-on Lean leader who is equally comfortable on the manufacturing floor coaching frontline teams and working with senior leaders to establish strategy and priorities. The successful candidate will go beyond leading individual improvement projects and will build sustainable Lean capability throughout the organization.

A primary objective of the role is to push problem solving and continuous improvement deeper into the organization by developing leaders and employees who can identify waste, understand root causes, implement countermeasures, and sustain improvements without dependence on the Continuous Improvement function.

The leader will establish and reinforce mastery of Lean fundamentals including daily management, leader standard work, visual management, standard work, 5S, value stream mapping, flow, pull, Kaizen, structured problem solving, and waste elimination. The role will also help the organization use Lean principles to unlock capacity and support growth while minimizing unnecessary increases in cost, inventory, complexity, and capital.

What you can expect in this role (Job Responsibilities)

While each day brings new opportunities at SPX, your core responsibilities will be:

• Develop and execute the Lean / CI strategy aligned with business growth and operational priorities.
• Partner with site and functional leaders to identify the largest opportunities affecting safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, inventory, and capacity.
• Establish and mature a common Lean operating system across manufacturing locations.
• Establish common problem-solving methodologies utilizing PDCA, A3 thinking, root-cause analysis, 5-Why, Pareto analysis, fishbone analysis, and other appropriate methods.
• Lead improvements in factory layout, product flow, line balancing, bottleneck identification and mitigation, labor utilization, material presentation, and production routing.
• Establish a disciplined Kaizen process focused on the highest-value operational opportunities.
• Lead and coach cross-functional teams through improvement events and longer-term transformation initiatives.
• Implement follow-up mechanisms to verify that improvements are sustained.
• Serve as a teacher, coach, and role model for ops leadership throughout the organization.
• Develop site leaders, supervisors, functional leaders, and frontline employees in Lean thinking, CI mindset, and structured problem solving.
• Coach leaders in effective Gemba walks, visual management, leader standard work, daily management, 5S, and employee engagement.

What we are looking for (Required/Ideal Experience, Skills, Education)

We each bring something to the table, and we are looking for someone who has:

Required Experience & Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or related technical discipline.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in Lean/CI, change management, operational excellence, or manufacturing leadership.
• Demonstrated experience implementing Lean in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading cross-functional improvement initiatives.
• Proven track record delivering measurable improvements in productivity, quality, delivery, cost, inventory, lead time, and/or capacity.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and change-management skills.

Ideal Experience & Skills

• Experience leading Lean transformation across multiple manufacturing facilities.
• Experience in engineered-to-order, configure-to-order, mixed-model, or high-mix manufacturing environments.
• Manufacturing leadership experience with direct accountability for operational results.
• Experience supporting rapidly growing manufacturing operations.
• Industrial Engineering background.
• Lean certification, Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification
• Experience with SAP or similar ERP/manufacturing systems.

Travel & Working Environment

• Office environment with varying degrees of noise levels
• This role will need to function in the manufacturing plant and office
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 30%

How we live our culture

Our culture is at the center of what we do and, more importantly, who we are. Our core values set a standard for how we manage ourselves, and our Leadership Model sets the standard for how we engage with each other. Whether you are an individual contributor or you lead a large team, each of us leads at SPX.

What benefits do we offer?

We know that the well-being of our employees is integral. Our benefits include:

• Generous and flexible paid time off including paid personal time off, caregiver, parental, and volunteer leave
• Competitive health insurance plans and 401(k) match, with benefits starting day one
• Competitive and performance-based compensation packages and bonus plans
• Educational assistance, leadership development programs, and recognition programs

Our commitment to embrace diversity to build a culture of inclusion at SPX

We value different backgrounds, experiences, and voices at SPX, and we are committed to challenging ourselves, openly communicating, and striving to improve every day. We believe in creating an inclusive work environment where everyone has a voice and is encouraged to realize their fullest potential.

SPX is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer committed to making selection decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.