Program Manager, Operational Excellence

NuScale Power, LLC • Corvallis, OR

1d • Remote

About The Position

As Program Manager, Operational Excellence, you will be tasked with implementing operational improvements that lead to sustainable, standardized practices throughout the enterprise. This position leads and facilitates improvement initiatives, developing and providing training and coaching on methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, and related tools to support NuScale Power’s commitment to ongoing process and operational enhancement. As a self-motivated/partially self-directed leader, you will play a visible, pivotal role in supporting the enterprise, promoting a culture of innovation, adaptability, and continual improvement, while participating in defining success metrics and developing comprehensive, multi-level balanced scorecard reporting across the organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field and significant applicable work experience in Operational Excellence / continuous improvement.
• 7+ years of operational excellence experience including application in a non-manufacturing environment.
• Proven leadership experience and application of skill set delivering tangible business results.
• Demonstrated ability to lead improvement initiatives and manage priorities to meet near-term needs and long-term goals.
• Ability to effectively coach / mentor others on application of tools.
• Excellent communication skills including writing, presentation, and interpersonal.
• Eligible to work under Department of Energy 10 CFR Part 810.

Nice To Haves

• Certification as Lean / Six Sigma Green or Black Belt.
• Certification as a root cause analyst.
• Knowledge and experience in nuclear corrective action programs, including causal analysis.
• Experience working within commercial nuclear industry.
• Experience working in ASME NQA-1 and ISO 9001 quality programs/systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the execution of Operational Excellence strategies, including Lean and other frameworks, to advance process optimization and operational efficiency within multiple departments.
• Facilitate the application of Operational Excellence tools (e.g., value stream mapping, A3 problem solving, FMEA), identifying areas for improvement and inefficiencies, and provide instruction, mentorship, and coaching in their use.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Enterprise Process Administration, to implement continuous improvement projects, streamline processes, eliminate redundancies, and maintain alignment with organizational objectives.
• Lead kaizen events and guide teams in adopting Operational Excellence principles, serving as a catalyst for a company-wide culture of adaptation and ongoing process refinement.
• Act as a subject matter expert for Operational Excellence, ensuring best practices are regularly benchmarked and integrated into NuScale’s operational framework. Work closely with leadership to assess change impacts, recognize resistance, and devise actionable mitigation plans.
• Lead organization in identification and reduction of cost of poor quality (COPQ), leveraging continuous improvement tools to identify and eliminate redundancies and waste. Participate with finance and project leadership to determine value associated with improvements and elimination of COPQ.
• Support leaders in establishing performance metrics and key indicators, utilizing data analysis to identify inefficiencies and generate actionable recommendations for improved business outcomes. Continually enhance and champion the usability of data visualization platforms such as PowerBI and KanBo to aid improvement initiatives.
• Guide the generation and prioritization of suggestions and initiatives, uphold tracking standards, and ensure accountability mechanisms are in place. Employ KanBo and similar tools to track progress, monitor accountability, and measure the impact of improvement activities on business outcomes.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees