Director, Continuous Improvement, North America

Bodycote•Dallas, TX

About The Position

Director, Continuous Improvement, North America Due to the nature of our business and a heavy industrial market, Bodycote deems this position to be safety-sensitive. Summary: The Director, Continuous Improvement, is responsible for leading operational excellence, productivity improvements, and cultural transformation across the Company’s North American operations through the deployment of the Company’s CI system. They partner closely with operations leadership, treating them as key stakeholders and co-owners of improvement. The Director, Continuous Improvement ensures that CI practices are embedded into daily operations, aligned with business priorities, and drive sustainable gains in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Management, or a related field.
Minimum 10 years of experience applying Lean enterprise systems and CI tools in manufacturing or industrial environments.
Demonstrated success leading multi-site or global transformation initiatives.
Strong communication, coaching, and influence skills with the ability to partner effectively with operational leaders.
Proven ability to lead change, drive execution discipline, and build CI capability across diverse teams and cultures.
Data-driven mindset with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Knowledge and hands-on experience of computer applications, including Microsoft Suites such as Project, Office, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Experience leading change successfully.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills.
Demonstrated leadership ability to drive cross-functional initiatives.
Exceptional leadership presence along with experience leading cultural and structural transformation within a complex matrixed organization.
Excellent communication and influencing skills – able to unite diverse teams and cross-functional stakeholders to one shared vision.
Must be a self-directed individual capable of multi-purpose activities.
Must be able to work in a sitting position for extended periods of time (at a desk, while driving, and/or on airplane travel) in an office/industrial environment.
Manual dexterity to perform data entry functions.
Ability to bend, pull, stoop, and reach to perform functions.
Ability to lift 25-30 lbs.
May be exposed to heat, fumes, noise, and humidity, etc.
Must have the cognitive and mental capacity to perform essential job functions.
Must be able to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
Visual acuity to read documents, computer screens, files, etc.
Ability to hear in person and via phone.
Must be able to sit and drive for long periods, visiting customers’ facilities and other required travel, including domestic and international.

Nice To Haves

Experience in heat treatment, metals processing, automotive, aerospace, or industrial manufacturing preferred.
Lean, CI, or OPEX certification preferred (IASC or ASQ).
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and deployment of the regional continuous improvement plan aligned with division and functional strategies.
Build a strong culture of continuous improvement across all sites by partnering closely with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Commercial, and HR.
Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders by translating strategic objectives into actionable CI roadmaps, and work with them at all levels to identify high ‑ impact opportunities, accelerate execution, and ensure improvements strengthen business performance.
Act as a connector across corporate and functional teams to maintain alignment and reduce friction in cross ‑ functional improvement initiatives.
Ensure deployment and develop/train capability in the use of the appropriate CI OPEX and growth tools.
Coach site and functional leaders to deliver ongoing improvements in safety, quality, delivery, inventory, cost, innovation, and growth.
Mentor and support site-level CI champions or coordinators to build CI capability without direct supervisory responsibility.
Facilitate cross-site sharing of best practices, lessons learned, and standardized methodologies to accelerate improvement across the network.
Identify systemic issues across locations and help leaders address root causes at regional or functional levels.
Execute continuous improvement initiatives and facilitate Kaizens to improve business performance by deploying a Problem-Solving mindset, VSM, Standard Work, Pull Systems, SMED, TPM, Transactional Process Improvement, etc., and ensuring sustainability.
Integrate CI principles into capital projects, technology upgrades, and new equipment installations to optimize workflow and productivity.
Support the development and rollout of management operating systems, including Daily Management meetings, KPIs, visual management, and daily performance routines, and provide objective, data-driven insights and recommendations to guide prioritization, resource allocation, and decision-making.
Be willing and able to travel at least 50% of the time to engage in current and future business activities, or as frequently as needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.