Business Analysis Manager (Operational Excellence Manager)

Wolters Kluwer•Chicago, IL

23d•$98,500 - $172,700

About The Position

The Operational Excellence Manager plays a hands-on and strategic role in identifying, executing, and sustaining continuous improvement initiatives across Service and FCOE operations. This individual contributor partners with leadership to assess current-state workflows, identify inefficiencies, and define future-state solutions. The role drives measurable improvements through data-driven analysis, technology enablement, and methodologies including Lean, Six Sigma, and Agentic AI. The successful candidate will collaborate across functions and apply complex problem-solving to advance efficiency, productivity, and customer experience. The position requires up to 10% domestic travel annually. Applicants may be required to appear onsite at a Wolters Kluwer office during recruitment.

Requirements

Minimum bachelor's degree or equivalent.
At least 5 years of experience in operational improvement, service delivery, fulfillment, business analysis, or process optimization roles.
Hands-on experience with process mapping, workflow analysis, value stream mapping, and root-cause analysis.
Proficiency with process mapping and visualization tools such as Visio, Lucid, Miro, or Smartsheet.
Experience with continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, or Kaizen.
Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, including the ability to interpret data, identify root causes, and develop actionable solutions.
Ability to translate data into insights and recommendations, with proficiency in Excel, Power BI, analytics, and workflow tools.
Ability to collaborate across functions and influence stakeholders through strong communication and relationship-building skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with strong attention to detail.
Familiarity with enterprise systems and data analytics tools such as Power BI.
Understanding of business operations, strategic planning, and financial modeling for business case development.
Familiarity with emerging technologies, including AI and automation, and experience working with technology partners to implement digital solutions.
Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution and a strong interest in process improvement.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams and senior leadership.
Ability to lead teams and stakeholders through change, conflict resolution, and dynamic environments.
Skill in designing and improving workflows using Lean or Six Sigma methodologies.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including MS Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Experience with project management software such as Smartsheet or JIRA.
Candidates must participate in interviews without AI tools or external prompts; virtual backgrounds must be removed, and the process includes in-person interviews.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Analytics, or a related field.
Certification in a continuous improvement methodology such as Lean or Six Sigma.
Experience supporting digital transformation or automation initiatives.
Familiarity with AI-driven process improvements.

Responsibilities

Conduct process assessments to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, risks, and improvement opportunities using Lean, Six Sigma, and other process improvement methodologies.
Perform time-motion studies, workflow observations, and quantitative assessments to establish baseline performance and identify improvement levers.
Create current-state and future-state process maps using Visio, Lucid, Miro, Smartsheet, or other visualization tools.
Recommend and implement improvements to lower operating expenses, increase throughput, reduce defects, and improve cost-to-serve metrics.
Develop business cases, including cost-benefit analyses, effort estimates, options and alternatives, and risk assessments; translate findings into executive-ready recommendations.
Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives with Operations, Technology, Product, PMO, BPC, and Reporting, ensuring timely delivery and measurable outcomes; manage projects directly as needed.
Track and document initiative progress, risks, escalations, dependencies, and results for portfolio visibility and reporting.
Develop reusable standards, playbooks, and toolkits to promote consistent ways of working and support scale.
Use analytics, reporting tools, and root-cause analysis to diagnose performance issues, quantify opportunities, and validate impact.
Partner with technology teams to explore and validate automation, AI, agentic AI, and other emerging tools for operational workflows.
Define, collect, and monitor KPIs and operational metrics to evaluate initiative impact and guide improvements.
Maintain documentation and partner with the reporting team to create dashboards and artifacts for performance monitoring and decision-making.
Gather requirements, validate process changes, and execute improvement plans with Technology, Product, Service Operations, FCOE, and other departments.
Lead change management activities, including communications, training documentation, SOP updates, and adoption support.
Provide senior stakeholders and leaders with structured updates on progress, challenges, risks, and outcomes.