Continuous Improvement Leader (CORE Leader) (onsite)

RTX•Cedar Rapids, IA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The CORE Leader (Senior Manager) serves as the site and/or multi-site strategic leader for Continuous Improvement, responsible for advancing and sustaining the CORE (Customer Oriented Results & Excellence) operating system across the organization. This role provides senior-level leadership, governance, and execution oversight of enterprise improvement initiatives that enhance operational performance, operational maturity, waste elimination, and cultural adoption of CI methodologies. The CORE Leader influences long‑term strategy, partners with senior site leadership, and ensures alignment with RTX standards, CORE maturity expectations, and business objectives. This role leads high-impact transformation projects, develops CI capabilities across all organizational levels, and drives measurable business results. Role based at Mission Systems (Cedar Rapids, IA) with routine visits to the Coralville facility with responsibility to support business travel up to 25% (domestic).

Requirements

University Degree or equivalent experience and minimum 10 years prior relevant experience, or An Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 7 years’ experience
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, or related field.
Minimum 5 years of experience in manufacturing, operations, or related field.
Demonstrated success leading large-scale CI or Lean transformations within complex operations environments.
U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are authorized to access information under this program/contract.

Nice To Haves

Lean/Six Sigma certification (Black Belt or equivalent) or Advanced knowledge of Lean, CORE, Six Sigma, and modern CI methodologies.
Experience leading multi-site transformation initiatives.
Strong leadership capability, including influencing senior leaders and mentoring CI teams.
High proficiency with operational data analytics, KPI interpretation, and performance management.

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic direction, long‑term planning, and governance of CORE deployment across one large site or multiple sites.
Align CI priorities with business strategy, cost reduction goals, productivity improvements, quality enhancements, and customer commitments.
Serve as senior advisor to site leadership teams on operational excellence, transformation planning, and CORE maturity development.
Oversee complex, cross-functional improvement initiatives that impact productivity, cost structure, delivery performance, scrap/rework reduction, equipment reliability, and safety.
Sponsor major Kaizen events, Lean transformations, and structured problem-solving activities; ensure outcomes translate into sustainable process changes.
Mentor and develop junior CORE Leaders, CI practitioners, engineers, and operational leaders to build enterprise CI capability.
Establish training programs across Lean, Six Sigma, CORE tools, and structured problem solving; ensure adoption and certification cadence.
Define and track enterprise-level KPI improvements driven by CORE initiatives.
Ensure effective project governance, including maturity assessments, rigorous action plan management, and reporting to senior leadership.
Use data-driven insights to identify systemic issues, risk areas, and long-term performance improvement opportunities.
Partner with other CORE leaders and functional leaders across the business to standardize best practices, CI methodologies, and site operating system maturity.
Influence the broader RTX CI community by sharing lessons learned, scalable solutions, and enterprise improvement strategies.
Ensure CORE initiatives meet all applicable safety, quality, regulatory, and compliance requirements.
Drive a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and operational excellence across all functional areas.

Benefits

Relocation support
Medical, dental, and vision insurance
Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
Tuition reimbursement program
Student Loan Repayment Program
Life insurance and disability coverage
Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection
Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
Adoption Assistance
Autism Benefit
Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
Annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs