Kaizen Facilitator

Alliance Laundry Systems•Ripon, WI

23d•Onsite

About The Position

The Kaizen Facilitator is a member of the NA Manufacturing team who plans, leads, and facilitates Kaizen events and continuous improvement activities on the shop floor to drive measurable gains in Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost. The role coaches team members and front-line leaders in Lean tools and problem-solving methods to help make continuous improvement part of everyday work. The position is located in Ripon, Wisconsin, and reports to the Director of Continuous Improvement. The facilitator partners with Manufacturing and Engineering leaders to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities, supports goal deployment, and gathers and analyzes process data to identify root causes and validate results. The role also develops standard work and visual controls to sustain improvements, tracks progress against KPIs, and contributes to the development of Continuous Improvement methods, event formats, templates, and training materials.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent manufacturing experience.
At least 4 years of hands-on experience facilitating Kaizen events, Lean projects, or continuous improvement activities in a manufacturing environment.
Hands-on experience implementing Lean tools and concepts, including 5S, Standard Work, Value Stream Mapping, Kanban, SMED, line balancing, and root-cause problem solving (A3, 5-Why, Fishbone).
Strong facilitation skills and ability to lead diverse teams through structured problem-solving in a fast-paced production environment.
Effective communication skills and ability to teach and coach team members at all organizational levels.
Ability to gather and interpret basic process data to identify improvement opportunities.
Detail orientation and strong follow-through on action items and sustaining improvements after events close.
Ability to build trust and engagement on the shop floor and approach challenges with curiosity rather than blame.
Organizational skills and ability to manage multiple Kaizen events or projects concurrently.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word).
Energetic, hands-on approach and willingness to spend time on the plant floor.
Ability to stand for extended periods, walk throughout the facility, use manual dexterity, stoop, bend, and lift minimally (less than 40 pounds).

Nice To Haves

Lean/Six Sigma certification, such as Green Belt.
Experience training or coaching others in Lean methods.
Familiarity with visual management or Continuous Improvement tracking software.

Responsibilities

Plan, organize, and facilitate Kaizen events and Team Improvement projects, guiding cross-functional teams through Lean problem-solving from chartering through results.
Train and coach team members and front-line leaders in Lean tools and concepts, including 5S, Standard Work, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Management, SMED, and Kanban.
Partner with Manufacturing and Engineering leaders to identify improvement opportunities in safety, quality, delivery, and cost, and prioritize Kaizen activity accordingly.
Support the deployment of goals into actionable Kaizen and improvement events.
Gather and analyze process data, such as cycle times, defect rates, and downtime, to identify root causes and validate improvement results.
Develop and maintain standard work documentation, visual controls, and metric boards to sustain gains after events.
Track, measure, and report progress on Kaizen activity and improvement projects against established KPIs, and escalate barriers as needed.
Promote a problem-solving, idea-driven shop-floor culture by role-modeling behaviors and engaging team members at all levels.
Assist with planning and delivering Lean training workshops for team members, supervisors, and plant leadership.
Pilot and improve Continuous Improvement methodology in the assigned area by testing Lean tools and event formats and contributing to CI standard work, event templates, and training materials with the Continuous Improvement team.