Head of Operational Excellence

Reframe Systems•Andover, MA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Reframe Systems is looking for a Head of Operational Excellence to build and own the system that makes Reframe's factories improve over time. The focus is on creating a repeatable improvement engine and a replication playbook that allows learnings from one facility to become the standard across all facilities. This role is at the corporate level, not embedded in day-to-day production, and will own the manufacturing system, including improvement cadence, standard work governance, and cross-factory learning mechanisms. The Head of Ops Excellence will lead a small team focused on Continuous Improvement (CI), Quality, and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). This is an early-stage role with significant scope to define and grow the function, aiming to build the backbone of Reframe's scaled operations.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience owning CI and/or Operational Excellence in a manufacturing, fulfillment, or industrial operations environment. This should go beyond participation.
Experience building systems from a low base. You have stood up a CI program, a quality management system, or an EHS function that did not exist before you arrived.
Strong lean / operational excellence methodology grounding: you speak gemba, PDCA, value stream mapping, standard work, and CAPA fluently and can teach them to people who do not.
Experience in a scaling or ramp environment. You have worked in a context where the workforce was growing fast, processes were still being established, and you had to build infrastructure ahead of the need.
Strong presence on the floor. You are comfortable spending meaningful time with build team leads and hourly workers, earning trust by showing up and solving problems.
Ability to operate independently: this function is being built from scratch, and the roadmap does not exist yet. You will need to set priorities, make the case for resources, and drive action without a lot of organizational infrastructure to lean on.

Nice To Haves

Background that spans multiple disciplines: quality management, continuous improvement, safety, and/or training. This role initially owns all four. A generalist excellence background is more valuable than deep specialization in one.
Experience at a company that went through a 1-to-N scale-up: you have seen what breaks when a scrappy operation tries to replicate itself, and you know which systems prevent it.
Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent formal methodology training.
Comfort working in a technology-forward environment where software tools are part of how work gets managed and measured.
Background in construction, modular manufacturing, or similarly high-variability production (though not required. Strong lean and ops excellence experience from other industries translates well).

Responsibilities

Own the Ops CI program architecture: methodology, cadence, idea management, tracking, and ROI measurement. Build the system that makes improvement a habit, not a project.
Drive a depth-first approach to improvement cycles. Use structured PDCA at the work cell level with measurable leading indicators (improvement requests submitted, just-do-its completed, kaizen cycles per month).
Build the feedback loop between the floor and the standard work library: changes proven on the floor get documented and propagated; standard work reflects current best practice, not last year's.
Establish and champion lean vocabulary and methodology across the organization, including gemba, 5S, value stream mapping, and PDCA. CI should have a common language that does not have to be reinvented by each team.
Identify high-value initiatives that require engineering or manufacturing engineering resources; make the case and escalate through the appropriate channel. You are not expected to solve every problem yourself.
Build the replication playbook: how improvements, standard work updates, quality learnings, and safety learnings move from one facility to the next. Define ownership, approvals, training triggers, and audit mechanisms so replication is reliable.
Lead and develop the Quality function. Set priorities, build the operating cadence, and ensure the team delivers scalable, repeatable quality mechanisms.
Own the interfaces between quality and the manufacturing system: defect taxonomy, quality gates, CAPA, audit mechanisms, and rework tracking.
Ensure defect and rework learnings feed into the improvement engine and standard work system, including closed-loop corrective action and prevention mechanisms.
Ensure product and process changes flow through the appropriate review mechanisms before hitting the floor.
Own EHS in the near term and hire dedicated EHS leadership. Build the management system that ensures safety is embedded in how work is done.
Establish safety culture and expectations, leading-indicator tracking, near-miss systems, toolbox talks, incident management, and corrective action.
Ensure process changes include appropriate safety review, risk assessment, and adoption checks.
Ensure safety learnings and near-miss learnings are treated as improvement inputs and replicated across facilities.
Own the standards system that enables training at scale. Set the mechanisms that keep standard work accurate, versioned, and adopted.
Partner with Factory Operations leaders and training owners to ensure onboarding and skills transfer are supported by strong standards and consistent qualification mechanisms.
Develop the standards propagation playbook: how does what we learn at FAB1 get embedded at Fab Two without having to relearn it? This is one of the most leveraged problems you will own.
Serve as the organizational interface between Factory Operations (who runs the floor) and Engineering / Technology (who designs the next one).
Provide structured escalation paths for CI initiatives that require mechanical or manufacturing engineering resources. Engineering bandwidth should be allocated by decision rather than consumed by default.