Continuous Improvement Manager

Dana Incorporated•Gordonsville, TN

56d

About The Position

The Continuous Improvement Manager is responsible for driving and overseeing initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, reduce waste, and improve overall performance. The role supports plant safety, quality, cost, delivery, production capacity, and continuous improvement objectives through implementation of Dana’s Operating System and Lean initiatives. It leads and coordinates Kaizen and Zero Defect activities, supports new program projects and production-line improvements, and promotes world-class housekeeping and on-time customer delivery.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical or scientific field.
Several years of business experience in a Supply Chain and/or Operations function.
Five or more years of experience in manufacturing leadership or management.
Knowledge of the Toyota Production System and ability to implement it.
Experience in manufacturing, MIG welding, training, and team-member involvement teams.
Experience with equipment and process setup.
Excellent computer skills, including MS Office, frameworks, and Lotus Notes.
Ability to travel overnight for one or more weeks at a time.
Ability to effectively lead and direct teams.
Good verbal and written communication skills.
Good organizational and time-management skills.
Good interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and in a team environment.
Positive attitude; self-starter who is organized and driven to deliver key tasks and accountabilities.
Ability to establish and reach work goals.
Prior leadership experience.
Knowledge of prototype management.
Proven track record of continuous-improvement initiatives.
Strong report-writing and technical-presentation skills.
Attentive to detail, results-oriented, and capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously.
Safety- and quality-oriented.

Nice To Haves

Green Belt Certification.

Responsibilities

Monitor and proactively improve plant safety and maintain a safe work environment.
Support and deploy Dana Henderson’s Operating System initiatives, including Black Belt and EIM programs.
Maintain performance and continuous-improvement measures to support on-time customer deliveries.
Lead efforts to reduce costs and improve efficiency in line with Dana and customer objectives.
Learn and implement all elements of the Dana Operating System (DOS), and lead Kaizen and Zero Defect teams.
Implement DOS throughout the plant.
Support new program projects.
Coordinate Kaizen projects and implementations.
Design and implement poka-yoke solutions to meet customer expectations of fewer than 15 ppm.
Support, implement, and teach Dana Henderson’s Lean initiatives.
Take a proactive approach to unplanned downtime.
Perform cost estimating, cost control, and cost-savings activities.
Maintain facility and production capacity.
Lead and support production activities.
Support production-line improvements as needed.
Continuously support the 5S program to achieve and maintain world-class housekeeping.
Track and improve in-process buffer quantities.