Director of Operational Excellence

L & Jg Stickley • Manlius, NY

19d

About The Position

We're hiring a hands‑on Director of Operational Excellence to build and lead our enterprise operating model. This leader will centralize Lean, drive strategy deployment, and embed strong execution discipline across all functions. They will translate company strategy into clear priorities, coach leaders, and implement the systems that enable daily management, flow, and disciplined planning. Working side‑by-side with teams, the Director will pilot and scale improvements, redesign value streams, advance SIOP and SKU governance, and establish a phased PMO that elevates execution across commercial and operational areas. The ideal candidate blends doing with teaching-spending meaningful time in the work while designing the structures and routines that ensure sustained performance. Key Focus Areas - in priority order Strategy Deployment & Enterprise Alignment Translate company strategy into clear priorities, targets, and execution plans. Align Sales, Merchandising, Marketing, Retail Operations, and Operations around shared objectives. Establish the backbone for daily management, visibility, and accountability. Create and maintain the enterprise strategy deployment system, cadence, and governance. Daily Management & Execution Discipline Deploy daily management practices across commercial and operational functions. Create visibility, accountability, and rapid problem-solving routines. Coach leaders to adopt and sustain daily routines through hands-on teaching, observation, and reinforcement. Value Streams, Flow Conversion & Throughout Improvement Lead value stream mapping to redesign production flow and improve throughput. Pilot batch-to-flow conversions and validate new operating models. Partner with site leadership to roll out validated value streams and improve WIP, lead times, and on-time delivery. Lean Transformation Lead enterprise Lean transformation aligned to business and margin targets. Maintain the company-wide continuous improvement hopper and report project status and results. Institutionalize leadership standard work, A3 thinking, PDCA, and root-cause problem solving. Provide direction to site Lean leads to ensure consistent execution. SIOP & SKU Rationalization Establish a disciplined SIOP cadence that aligns demand, supply, and inventory. Define the planning system and governance that Scheduling will execute. Drive SKU rationalization to simplify the portfolio, reduce complexity, and free cash. Improve forecast accuracy, inventory health, and capacity alignment. Program Management Office (PMO) - Execution & Governance Stand up a phased PMO to improve project execution and governance. Replace or upgrade project management resources as needed. Clarify distinctions between project management and program management. Expand PMO scope into commercialization and enterprise program governance and mature it into a Strategic Portfolio Office over time. People Leadership Build and scale Operational Excellence, Lean, and PMO teams. Ensure alignment with COO, VP Global Supply Chain, and VP HR. Drive cross-functional accountability and capability building. Develop leaders' coaching capability to sustain new systems and routines.

Requirements

• Exceptional change leadership and influence skills, with a proven ability to align senior leaders and frontline teams, drive adoption of new routines, and sustain behavior change across multiple functions and sites.
• Hands-on implementer and teacher, spending meaningful time in the work to coach leaders, model new routines, remove barriers, and reinforce execution discipline.
• Deep command of flow and Lean operating principles, including value stream design, flow conversion, WIP control, lead-time compression, and throughput improvement.
• Enterprise strategy deployment practitioner experienced in translating strategy into aligned priorities, targets, and execution plans.
• Enterprise daily management practitioner experienced in deploying and sustaining daily management systems across commercial and operational functions.
• Operating-model architect with experience designing or materially improving SIOP cadence, SKU rationalization, and the planning governance that downstream scheduling executes.
• Demonstrated results improving inventory turns, flow stability, and on-time delivery, with clear examples of measurable impact tied to system redesign.
• Program and project governance capability, including standing up or maturing a PMO, clarifying project vs program roles, and driving disciplined execution across multiple initiatives.
• Lean systems builder who has institutionalized leadership standard work, A3/PDCA, and root-cause problem solving, and who can scale these practices through site leads or local champions.
• Practical, experiment-driven problem solver who translates analysis into pilots, tests, and scalable solutions rather than theoretical recommendations.
• Willingness to be present in the work, with regular on-site engagement and comfort leading transformation in real time with the teams who execute it.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership in operations, supply chain, manufacturing, or enterprise transformation roles.
• Experience leading multi-site or enterprise-level operating model changes.
• Proven success working directly with senior leadership teams to drive cross-functional change.
• Experience building or maturing Operational Excellence, Lean, or PMO teams.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, supply chain, operations management, or a related field.
• Formal Lean/CI training (Lean certification, Six Sigma Black Belt, Shingo, TPS immersion, or equivalent hands-on experience) strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Experience materially increasing inventory turns, reducing lead times, or stabilizing flow through operating model redesign.
• Experience implementing pull systems, single-piece flow, or flow-based scheduling in high-mix or complex environments.
• Experience deploying enterprise daily management across commercial and operational functions.
• Experience leading SIOP transformation, not just participating in the process.
• Experience standing up or maturing a Strategic Portfolio Office or enterprise PMO.
• Experience in furniture, high-mix manufacturing, or configure-to-order environments (helpful but not required).
• Experience coaching leaders at all levels, from frontline supervisors to senior executives.
• Master's degree (MBA, MS Operations, MS Supply Chain) or equivalent advanced training in Lean, operations, or industrial engineering.

Responsibilities

• Translate company strategy into clear priorities, targets, and execution plans.
• Align Sales, Merchandising, Marketing, Retail Operations, and Operations around shared objectives.
• Establish the backbone for daily management, visibility, and accountability.
• Create and maintain the enterprise strategy deployment system, cadence, and governance.
• Deploy daily management practices across commercial and operational functions.
• Create visibility, accountability, and rapid problem-solving routines.
• Coach leaders to adopt and sustain daily routines through hands-on teaching, observation, and reinforcement.
• Lead value stream mapping to redesign production flow and improve throughput.
• Pilot batch-to-flow conversions and validate new operating models.
• Partner with site leadership to roll out validated value streams and improve WIP, lead times, and on-time delivery.
• Lead enterprise Lean transformation aligned to business and margin targets.
• Maintain the company-wide continuous improvement hopper and report project status and results.
• Institutionalize leadership standard work, A3 thinking, PDCA, and root-cause problem solving.
• Provide direction to site Lean leads to ensure consistent execution.
• Establish a disciplined SIOP cadence that aligns demand, supply, and inventory.
• Define the planning system and governance that Scheduling will execute.
• Drive SKU rationalization to simplify the portfolio, reduce complexity, and free cash.
• Improve forecast accuracy, inventory health, and capacity alignment.
• Stand up a phased PMO to improve project execution and governance.
• Replace or upgrade project management resources as needed.
• Clarify distinctions between project management and program management.
• Expand PMO scope into commercialization and enterprise program governance and mature it into a Strategic Portfolio Office over time.
• Build and scale Operational Excellence, Lean, and PMO teams.
• Ensure alignment with COO, VP Global Supply Chain, and VP HR.
• Drive cross-functional accountability and capability building.
• Develop leaders' coaching capability to sustain new systems and routines.

Benefits

• We offer competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, flexibility, and long-term success.
• Benefits include generous paid time off, medical, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, a health reimbursement account, and a 401(k) plan with company match.
• You'll also work alongside collaborative, driven teammates in a dynamic and growing professional services environment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director