Operational Excellence Manager

External•Sedro-Woolley, WA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Janicki Industries is an innovative, family-owned aerospace company looking for an Operational Excellence Manager to join their growing team. The Operational Excellence (OE) team partners with every part of Janicki to drive improved documentation, training, and standardization in support of engineering and manufacturing processes. The role involves identifying inefficiencies, building scalable solutions, and equipping teams across the organization to do their best work. The OE Manager will lead a team focused on optimizing documentation, delivering ongoing training, and partnering with internal customers to build new training programs. This role requires coaching and developing a high-performing team, managing a portfolio of improvement projects, and shaping the OE strategy alongside the Director. The position is located on-site in Sedro-Woolley, Washington State.

Requirements

Minimum 3 years of direct people management experience, including hiring, performance management, and team development.
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional projects or programs from concept through delivery.
Prior experience working in or directly supporting an engineering, manufacturing, or other technical operations environment, with the ability to engage credibly with engineering and manufacturing leaders on technical topics.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging from technician to executive audiences.
Proven ability to navigate ambiguous environments and translate organizational vision into clear direction and priorities for a team.
Embodies and fosters a continuous improvement mindset.
US Citizen or of Legal Permanent Resident Status.
Ability to obtain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance (U.S. Citizenship Required).
Must agree to enter a Continuous Evaluation program.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in engineering (mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, quality, or related) or another technical discipline.
Experience in a manufacturing, engineering, and/or aerospace environment.
Prior hands-on experience as a practicing engineer, quality engineer, or manufacturing professional before moving into Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement, or leadership.
Track record leading technical improvement initiatives such as kaizen events, value stream mapping, NPI ramps, capacity expansions, or quality system improvements.
Experience leading Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement, or Quality functions.
Certification in PMP, Lean Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt), or equivalent.
Experience with Agile methodology and applying it to non-software delivery work.
Experience with Learning Management Systems (LMS), document control systems, or Quality Management Systems (QMS).
Experience scaling training and documentation programs in a growing organization.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop a team of OE professionals, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, regular 1:1s, and career development planning.
Build team capacity and capability over time by identifying skill gaps, providing stretch opportunities, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Set clear expectations, provide timely feedback, and recognize team contributions.
Manage the OE project portfolio, ensuring milestones are met while actively managing scope, budget, and risks to delivery.
Own the OE program budget, including forecasting, tracking, and reporting against plan.
Establish and track key performance indicators (e.g., training completion and effectiveness, documentation adoption, project cycle time) to measure team and program impact.
Drive change management activities to support adoption of new documentation, processes, and training across the organization.
Partner with engineering, manufacturing, operations, and administrative leaders to understand technical and operational pain points, identify trends, and prioritize improvement opportunities.
Solicit and refine requirements from internal customers to shape the OE delivery roadmap.
Routinely review priorities with stakeholders to ensure the team is executing against the highest-value work.
Communicate program status, risks, and outcomes clearly and consistently to team members, peers, the Director, and executive leadership.