Continuous Improvement Lead

P & F Industries•Cranberry Township, PA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Continuous Improvement Lead builds and runs the continuous-improvement program at Continental Tool Group’s Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania facility. Reporting to the General Manager, the role partners with Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and frontline teams to deliver measurable, sustained improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, and inventory. This is a hands-on, outcomes-based role with significant time on the production floor. The lead influences without direct authority and develops Lean problem-solving capability among the people who operate the facility. Annual targets are established with the General Manager and evaluated on a rolling 12-month basis. The role establishes a prioritized project pipeline tied to plant goals, delivers finance-validated savings, and ensures completed projects have documented baselines, results, and control plans that sustain gains. It improves productivity, throughput, OEE, cycle time, changeover time, schedule adherence, quality, safety, inventory turns, and material flow. It also coaches supervisors and frontline teams, encourages employee-led improvements, and sustains practices such as 5S, standard work, and visual management. The position recommends CI project priorities, scope, and resourcing with the General Manager; leads cross-functional teams; and partners with area owners on changes to standard work, layouts, and visual systems. It recommends capital and automation investments supported by ROI analysis and escalates changes affecting customer commitments, product quality or safety requirements, or spending beyond delegated limits. Based at the Cranberry Township facility, the role splits time between the office and manufacturing floor, with significant floor time and occasional travel potentially required. The position is non-exempt and hourly; hours worked over 40 in a workweek are paid at overtime rates. Physical demands include prolonged standing and walking on concrete floors and lifting up to 50 pounds. The work requires PPE, including safety glasses, hearing protection, and steel-toe footwear, and may involve exposure to compressed-air systems, noise, oil mist, dust, and vibration. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
At least 7 years of continuous-improvement, Lean manufacturing, operations, or process-improvement experience in a manufacturing environment.
A record of leading complex, cross-functional projects that delivered measurable, sustained results.
Strong command of Lean and structured problem-solving methods.
Hands-on experience with OEE, takt time, cycle-time analysis, line balancing, and capacity analysis.
Advanced Excel and data-analysis skills.
Experience with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing data.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and project-management skills.
Ability to influence without authority and work effectively with both frontline teams and senior leadership.
Ability to meet the stated physical demands, including prolonged standing and walking on concrete floors and lifting up to 50 pounds, with reasonable accommodation where applicable.
Ability to use required PPE, including safety glasses, hearing protection, and steel-toe footwear.

Nice To Haves

10 or more years of relevant experience is preferred.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
Experience in discrete manufacturing of engineered products, machinery, tools, or industrial products.
Experience with multi-site or enterprise-wide improvement initiatives.
Experience with automation, manufacturing engineering, or capital projects.

Responsibilities

Build and own the continuous-improvement program by identifying and prioritizing opportunities, chartering projects, tracking progress, and reporting results and financial impact to the General Manager monthly.
Lead Kaizen events and Lean projects from identification through sustainment, using methods such as 5S, value stream mapping, standard work, visual management, SMED, Kanban, and waste elimination.
Lead structured problem solving with cross-functional teams using A3, 5-Why, Fishbone, Pareto, and DMAIC methods; ensure corrective actions address root causes and are sustained through control plans and follow-up.
Analyze cycle time, labor utilization, throughput, OEE, quality, and inventory data to quantify opportunities and validate results; develop operational KPIs and visual performance-management systems.
Partner with Engineering and Operations on layout, workstation, material-flow, tooling, and automation improvements; develop ROI cases for capital projects; and support new product introductions and process transfers.
Partner with Supply Chain and Planning to apply Lean methods to inventory, replenishment, warehouse, purchasing, and internal-logistics processes.
Coach supervisors, managers, and frontline employees in Lean principles and problem solving, building ownership, accountability, and fact-based decision-making.
Establish baseline KPIs and a prioritized project pipeline within 90 days, and implement a repeatable CI framework embedded in the facility’s operating rhythm within 12 months.
Deliver finance-validated annual savings at or above the agreed target and ensure completed projects have documented baselines, results, and control plans, with gains sustained for at least 12 months.
Improve productivity, throughput, OEE, cycle time, changeover time, schedule adherence, on-time delivery, scrap, rework, inventory turns, and material availability.
Train supervisors and frontline teams in Lean and structured problem solving, increase employee-led improvements, and sustain 5S, standard work, and visual management.
Agree with the General Manager on an annual scorecard and performance targets, including savings, operational metrics, sustainment, training, and employee participation.