Lean Director (Lean Operating System)

Wesco•Glenview, IL

1d•$153,662 - $211,286•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Director - Lean, you will lead the Lean Operating System (LOS), driving strategy, capability development, cultural transformation, and measurable business results across the enterprise. Partnering with executive leadership, you will advance goal deployment, daily management, problem-solving, and Lean maturity initiatives aligned to business objectives and sustainable operational outcomes. Through coaching, mentoring, and certification programs, you will build organizational capability and develop leaders capable of owning and expanding Lean practices within their organizations. You will oversee the evolution of the LOS, promote accountability, strengthen executive alignment, and ensure Lean initiatives deliver meaningful business impact. Leading a high-performing Lean team, you will drive enterprise transformation by translating strategy into action, influencing stakeholders, and establishing the communication and operating rhythms needed to sustain change.

Requirements

Bachelors Degree - Engineering, Logistics, Technical required
10 years experience of extensive LEAN leadership in a medium or large company
5 years experience managing a team
5 years required of managing large-scale strategic initiatives
Must be a seasoned Lean Expert or 6 Sigma Black Belt
Leadership – ability to formulate and communicate clear vision and sense of direction and mobilize people.
Communication – ability to pass messages using different channels (verbal and written)
Facilitating – ability to organize and facilitate multidisciplinary teams through structured workshops (strategic session, Kaizens, problem solving sessions)
Change management – ability to communicate a need for change, create all necessary conditions for successful change and overcome different forms of resistance
Coaching – ability to coach people to develop their skills and abilities to achieve agreed upon objectives
Training – ability to identify and formulate training needs and assure training execution and follow up

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred
PMP, Change Management or Scrum Master certifications preferred
Experience with coordinating and optimizing lean tools (visualization, etc.) applications preferred

Responsibilities

Leads, develops, and provides tactical and strategic direction to a team of Lean leaders and practitioners responsible for deploying, sustaining, governing, and continuously evolving the enterprise Lean Operating System (LOS) to achieve strategic objectives and measurable business results.
Functions as the senior Lean leader and enterprise owner of the Lean Operating System, establishing strategy, governance, and execution approaches that align with business objectives, support long-term transformation efforts, and deliver measurable operational and financial outcomes.
Partners with executive leadership teams to identify priorities, establish roadmaps, and execute Lean strategies across business units, regions, and functions, leveraging Lean maturity assessments and Shingo principles to drive continuous improvement, capability growth, and leader accountability for results.
Facilitates executive-level goal deployment, daily management, and problem-solving processes, aligning organizational priorities, strengthening leadership ownership, and accelerating achievement of strategic objectives.
Leads enterprise-wide Lean transformation initiatives and strategic events, deploying appropriate Lean methodologies, resources, and tools to solve complex business challenges, improve performance, and embed sustainable improvements within existing business operations.
Builds organizational capability through coaching, mentoring, training, and certification of Lean practitioners and leaders, developing self-sufficient continuous improvement capabilities and ensuring business leaders own and sustain Lean practices within their areas of responsibility.
Develops Lean program managers, facilitators, and application specialists through hands-on leadership, coaching, performance management, and professional development, enabling the team to influence outcomes while reinforcing accountability within the business.
Utilizes customer, operational, and financial data to identify opportunities, guide decision-making, measure progress, and ensure Lean initiatives are directly connected to enterprise objectives and business outcomes.
Serves as a trusted advisor to senior executives, providing regular updates, influencing cross-functional stakeholders, fostering alignment across Operations, Commercial, Finance, and other key business functions, and promoting ownership of Lean outcomes at the leadership level.
Champions a culture of continuous improvement by promoting innovative thinking, sharing best practices, and driving enterprise adoption through effective Lean communications, storytelling, visibility tools, dashboards, and engagement strategies.
Promotes and advances the organization's Lean maturity journey by assessing current-state capabilities, identifying improvement opportunities, and translating maturity findings into actionable year-over-year transformation plans that strengthen organizational capability and business performance.
Partners across Operations, Commercial, Finance, HR, IT, and EPMO functions to integrate Lean principles into enterprise programs, operating models, and strategic initiatives.