Director, Continuous Improvement

RESTEK CORPORATION•Bellefonte, PA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Restek is seeking a Director of Continuous Improvement to establish an enterprise-wide continuous improvement program and develop the systems, talent, and Lean culture needed to embed operational excellence across Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Customer Experience. Reporting to the Vice President of Operations, the Director will serve as the principal change agent, leading multi-year transformation programs and focused Kaizen events. The role is intended to reduce waste and scrap, improve quality and operational flow, enhance customer experience, and increase profitability. The Director will own the multi-year continuous improvement roadmap and establish the management systems, maturity model, metrics, training, and organizational capabilities that make improvements visible and sustainable. The role will lead high-impact improvement projects and partner across functions, including with Finance to validate savings and ensure gains are reflected in the P&L. This is a full-time, fully onsite position. Employment is contingent on successfully completing a standard background check and pre-employment drug screen.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 10 years of progressive operations and continuous improvement experience, including at least 5 years in a senior continuous improvement or operational excellence leadership role in manufacturing, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proven record leading enterprise-level Lean transformations with sustained, financially validated results.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
Hands-on experience across multiple functions, such as manufacturing, supply chain, quality, customer service, or engineering, with credibility on the manufacturing floor and with leadership.
Experience leading and developing continuous improvement practitioners and managers.
Deep fluency in Lean methods including 5S, standard work, visual management, flow, pull, SMED, TPM, and Kaizen.
Knowledge of Six Sigma methods including DMAIC, SPC, and DOE; Value Stream Mapping; Hoshin Kanri; and structured problem-solving methods including A3, 8D, 5-Why, and fishbone.
Advanced Excel and Power BI or equivalent skills for data-driven decision making.
Strategic and detail-oriented servant leader and coach who can influence from the manufacturing floor to the Leadership Team.
Outstanding written, verbal, and executive presentation skills.
Successful completion of a standard background check and pre-employment drug screen.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a relevant field.
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification.
Experience in a regulated manufacturing environment, such as FDA-regulated, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, or GMP.
Experience in scientific instruments, life sciences, chromatography, analytical products, or precision-manufactured products.
Experience incorporating digital tools and analytics, such as MES, ERP, Power BI, or advanced analytics, into continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Own the multi-year continuous improvement roadmap, aligned with Restek’s strategic plan, annual operating plan, and Operations priorities.
Establish daily management, tiered huddles, A3 problem solving, and a continuous improvement maturity model.
Partner with Finance to validate savings and ensure improvement gains appear in the P&L.
Lead and facilitate high-impact Kaizen events, Value Stream Mapping, and transformation projects tied to safety, quality, delivery, cost, inventory, and customer outcomes.
Drive measurable improvements in OEE, first-pass yield, scrap and rework, on-time delivery, lead time, inventory turns, customer response time, and total cost of quality.
Ensure improvement work is well scoped, resourced, and sustained, and share relevant practices from inside and outside Restek.
Improve manufacturing safety, quality, throughput, changeover, and productivity through standard work, visual management, and a Lean production system.
Improve Customer Experience through faster response and resolution, better processes, and digital enablement.
Strengthen supplier quality and delivery, optimize inventory, and streamline order-to-cash in Supply Chain while delivering measurable cost savings.
Partner with Engineering on design for manufacturability, new product introduction, and change management to speed time-to-market and improve first-time quality.
Build, lead, and develop the Continuous Improvement team.
Design and deliver Restek’s continuous improvement training curriculum, including Lean fundamentals, Yellow/Green/Black Belt paths, problem-solving methods, and leader standard work.
Coach senior leaders and frontline managers in continuous improvement thinking and develop change agents across the organization.
Establish metrics and dashboards to make progress visible from the manufacturing floor to the executive team, and share wins and learnings across the organization.
Model Restek’s core values; communicate openly, build trust, support team growth and well-being, clarify goals, foster accountability and cross-functional partnership, and lead with humility and service.