Enterprise Lean & Continuous Improvement Leader

Triumph Financial, Inc.•Dallas, TX

About The Position

Join Triumph! At Triumph, our vision is a world where freight transactions are accurate and seamless on the most modern and secure freight transaction network. That’s why we’re looking for passionate, innovative, solutions-oriented people to join our team. We thrive on providing exceptional customer service and we look for team members with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion to build successful partnerships with our clients. Because at the end of the day our goal is to help our partners businesses run better. Position Summary: The Leader of Lean Implementation is accountable for leading the enterprise adoption, execution, and sustainment of Lean and continuous improvement practices across Triumph Financial. This role serves as the enterprise Lean leader, partnering with executive leadership, functional heads, and delivery teams to translate strategy into operational excellence and measurable business outcomes. This leader designs and governs the Lean operating model, ensures disciplined execution of improvement initiatives, and embeds a culture of continuous improvement across the organization. The role operates at the intersection of strategy execution, transformation, and change, enabling the enterprise to improve speed, quality, customer experience, and financial performance. The leader works closely with Technology, Operations, PMO/SPMO, and Business Leaders to ensure Lean principles are applied consistently—while remaining pragmatic, outcome‑focused, and adaptable to a matrixed organization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or equivalent advanced training preferred.
10+ years of experience leading Lean, continuous improvement, operational excellence, or enterprise transformation initiatives.
Demonstrated experience leading Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen events, Lean transformations, and cross‑functional improvement programs in complex organizations.
Proven ability to partner with executive leadership and influence without direct authority.
Experience operating in matrixed, fast‑changing environments.
Deep expertise in Lean principles, continuous improvement, and problem‑solving methodologies.
Strong executive presence with the ability to facilitate, coach, and challenge leaders constructively.
Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
Strong communication skills, capable of engaging technical and non‑technical audiences.
Ability to manage multiple, competing priorities while maintaining focus on outcomes.
High degree of integrity, resilience, and adaptability.
Proven success driving change, building consensus, and sustaining improvements over time.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Lean Strategy & Deployment Define and lead the enterprise Lean implementation strategy, aligning Lean priorities to business objectives, customer outcomes, and enterprise transformation initiatives.
Establish and evolve a Lean operating framework, including standard work, governance, metrics, and sustainment mechanisms.
Partner with executive leadership to prioritize Lean initiatives that deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, quality, customer experience, and cost.
Ensure Lean principles are embedded across strategy execution, product delivery, operations, and enabling functions.
Lean Execution, Kaizen & Continuous Improvement Lead and govern Kaizen events, value stream mapping, and root‑cause problem solving across multiple business units.
Coach leaders and teams in applying Lean tools (e.g., problem solving, visual management, flow, pull systems) to real business challenges.
Ensure improvement initiatives move from design to execution to sustainment, with clear ownership and accountability.
Identify systemic issues and recurring inefficiencies, escalating insights and recommendations to the enterprise level when appropriate.
Program & Change Leadership Ensure Lean initiatives account for organizational change impacts, including process changes, role clarity, capability building, and adoption risk.
Support change management efforts by helping define future‑state processes, readiness plans, and success metrics.
Use influence, facilitation, and data‑driven storytelling to align stakeholders and resolve cross‑functional friction.
Partner with PMO/SPMO and functional leaders to integrate Lean practices into program planning, execution, and governance.
Metrics, Performance & Sustainment Define and track Lean performance metrics and KPIs, including cycle time, throughput, quality, adoption, and financial impact.
Establish sustainment mechanisms (standard work, leader routines, visual management, audits) to prevent regression.
Regularly communicate progress, outcomes, and lessons learned to executive leadership.
Use data and insights to continuously refine Lean strategy and execution.
Coaching, Capability Building & Culture Serve as a Lean coach and advisor to executives, senior leaders, and frontline teams.
Build enterprise Lean capability through training, mentoring, and hands‑on facilitation.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and learning, reinforcing behaviors aligned with Triumph’s values.
Lead by example in ambiguity, demonstrating structured problem solving, resilience, and customer focus.
Vendor & Partner Engagement Evaluate and manage external Lean, transformation, or consulting partners as needed.
Ensure vendor contributions align with enterprise Lean standards, outcomes, and internal capability development.
Monitor performance and value realization from third‑party engagements.