Continuous Improvement Lead

all O'Neal Industries' Affiliates • Cincinnati, OH

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Continuous Improvement Lead will identify process bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities across business functions, developing recommendations to enhance operational performance. This role involves leading continuous improvement initiatives and Kaizen events, partnering with cross-functional teams to implement sustainable process improvements and drive measurable results. The Lead will evaluate operational workflows, design solutions to improve efficiency, quality, service, and productivity, and maintain process documentation, workflow maps, and standard operating procedures (SOP). Responsibilities also include owning departmental KPI reporting and operational data analysis, designing project-specific performance metrics and dashboards, and leading the planning and execution of integration and process improvement projects. The role requires prioritizing opportunities based on business needs and collaborating with various departments to implement solutions. The Lead will present findings to leadership, train employees on continuous improvement principles, and facilitate change management activities. Travel is approximately 10-15% to support initiatives at domestic locations. Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and documentation abilities
• Experience with Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma, or other CI methodologies
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment
• Experience with data analysis tools and dashboard reporting platforms
• Experience supporting operational improvement or process optimization initiatives
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Detail-oriented with a strong process-driven mindset
• High level of accountability and follow-through
• Collaborative team player with the ability to influence and coach others
• Passion for improving workflows, creating structure, and driving efficiency

Nice To Haves

• Experience with methodologies such as Kaizen, 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)
• Experience leading Kaizen events or CI workshops
• Familiarity with tools such as Microsoft Project, Power BI or similar platforms

Responsibilities

• Identify process bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities across business functions and develop recommendations to enhance operational performance.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives and Kaizen events, partnering with cross-functional teams to implement sustainable process improvements and drive measurable results.
• Evaluate operational workflows and design solutions that improve efficiency, quality, service, and productivity.
• Develop, maintain, and optimize process documentation, workflow maps, and standard operating procedures (SOP).
• Own departmental KPI reporting and operational data analysis, providing insights and recommendations to support business decisions.
• Design project-specific performance metrics, dashboards, and reporting tools to monitor progress, risks, outcomes, and organizational impact.
• Lead planning and execution of integration and process improvement projects, including project scope, timelines, stakeholder coordination, and implementation activities.
• Prioritize improvement opportunities and project activities based on business needs, operational impact, and organizational objectives.
• Collaborate with Operations, IT, Product, Customer Support, and other business partners to evaluate challenges and implement effective solutions.
• Present findings, recommendations, project updates, and improvement results to leadership and key stakeholders.
• Train, coach, and influence employees and leaders on continuous improvement principles, problem-solving methodologies, and process optimization practices.
• Facilitate change management activities to support adoption and sustainment of new processes and operational improvements.
• Travel approximately 10-15% to support improvement initiatives at domestic locations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Maintain a working environment that embodies the UPM and ONI Code of Conduct and Ethics policy.
• Actively contributes to the achievement of the Company’s goals for safety, security, compliance to company policies and procedures, OSHA Compliance, EPA Compliance, and Housekeeping 5S/Lean Culture.
• Full Compliance to all Safety Policies and Procedures while promoting a culture of safety awareness

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level