Group Manager Continuous Improvement

Milwaukee Tool•Milwaukee, WI

About The Position

Come be DISRUPTIVE with us! At Milwaukee Tool, our most valued resource is our dedicated team of employees - employees who work with a passion to be the best and have an unparalleled pride in their work and in the Milwaukee brand. We know that the only way to sustain growth and success is to value the growth and success of each person within the organization that’s why we invest in an individual’s growth and development from day one. The Group Manager of CI supports the development and deployment of an operations-wide OPEX process improvement strategy, supporting multiple manufacturing global sites. The Group Manager is a change agent responsible for building a culture of waste elimination by analyzing the effectiveness of manufacturing processes then developing and executing action plans to achieve optimal future state, reduce costs, and streamline processes. This position is a fundamental part of our OPEX cross-functional team in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate will be a strong facilitator with proven process improvement experience in various high-volume manufacturing processes including assembly, injection molding, machining, and others. Particularly looking for a candidate with experience establishing machine and assembly cell layout and design, pull and material delivery systems; including Kanban, optimizers, changeover wheels, and PFEP throughout the extended value stream. It will also be necessary to be a strong project leader, facilitating kaizen and process mapping activities with groups that may be unfamiliar with Lean tools. You will need to influence and motivate project teams that span multiple departments and locations. Equally important, will be simultaneously managing multiple site CI projects from project definition through sustainment of improvements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent years of directly related experience in Lean/Continuous Improvement roles
4+ years of experience with manufacturing process improvement
Specific experience in advanced implementation of OEE, SMED, TPM, Machine Optimizers, and Material Flow
Previous Facilitator and Coaching experiences where problem solving, process development and/or behavior change methods and tools have been used successfully
Strong Proficiency in Lean principles such as Value Stream Mapping & Kaizen
Proficient in project management and Microsoft tools (Excel, Pareto, PowerPoint, Visio or other)
Strong skills in implementing lean and building a lean management system in a manufacturing environment, including driving step changes in KPI’s
Travel required, up to 75%

Nice To Haves

Extensive training in lean methodologies
Plant Manager, Lean Manager, Value Stream Manager and/or Materials Management experience
Desired Location Preferred location: Milwaukee, WI. Secondary preference near Milwaukee Tool facility and/or major airport

Responsibilities

Capability to quickly establish credibility, influence project teams and persuade employees at all levels.
Facilitate strategic Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, Quick hit and Strategic projects from definition through execution.
Coordinate cross-functional resources for these events and communicate the results throughout the business.
Work with site lean resources and teams to develop, standardize and deliver training and tools to all levels of organization as needed.
Build the skills of all functional leaders and associates through hands-on interactions and personal mentoring in lean management tools.
Establish common language and processes across sites.
Work across multiple sites and BU’s to establish standard KPI’s and visual dashboards as a basis for continuous improvement.
Provide multiple what-if scenarios to find best solution to achieve future state.
Well rounded understanding of financial impacts of these scenarios to drive productivity improvements.
Part of team that establishes and develops digital lean strategies in partnership with automation and data teams.
Drive accountability for team to successfully complete project work.
Establish appropriate metrics and report on progress, achievements and results. This includes executive level reporting, management updates, and best practice sharing throughout the organization.
Ensure changes are fully integrated through follow-up communication, perseverance and consistency.
Select and execute appropriate lean tools depending on situation – VSM, Standard Work, 6S, Flow – material, cell, and plant level (3P), Kaizen, SMED, TPM, Poka-Yoke, JIT, Kanban, Visual Management, layered audits, PFEP, Pull systems, Root cause, 8D, and 5-why analysis etc.