Senior Continuous Improvement Program Manager - Oahu

Hawaiian Electric•Pearl City, HI

3d•$109,900 - $142,600

About The Position

The Senior Continuous Improvement Program Manager leads and oversees the Generation Division’s continuous improvement (CI) and operational excellence strategy. The role drives sustainable performance improvement, operational efficiency, and cultural transformation through Lean and advanced problem-solving methodologies and change management. Working with senior leadership, the manager prioritizes and delivers high-impact initiatives and business solutions, oversees CI projects, and embeds improvement practices into daily operations. The position also leads complex initiatives to improve business practices in alignment with regulatory and industry standards. The manager owns the CI and operational excellence roadmap for the Power Supply Process Area and leads improvement projects involving areas such as outage performance, asset reliability, safety, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. The role guides projects from initiation through sustainment, develops metrics and dashboards, reports results to leadership and stakeholders, and ensures successful improvements are documented, standardized, and sustained. It serves as an internal Lean Sensei/Black Belt authority, advises senior leaders, coaches and trains employees, and develops tools, training approaches, and best practices to build organizational improvement capability. The position may also participate in Company emergency response activities as assigned and perform other related duties.

Requirements

Extensive knowledge of Lean and/or Lean Six Sigma.
Knowledge of project management principles, generation operations and maintenance procedures and practices, cost systems, quality control, management principles, scheduling, and workflow management, acquired through college-level training and/or equivalent experience.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from a nationally recognized organization such as PMI is required.
Thorough knowledge of operations, preferably in an electric utility environment, with emphasis in power generation.
Working knowledge of personal computers and software applications such as MS Project, UIPlanner, Ellipse, Microsoft Word, and Excel.
Thorough knowledge of change management principles, acquired through related training and/or several years of experience in a cross-matrixed organization.
Thorough knowledge of project management standards and methodologies, including project initiation, planning, execution, control, and closeout; work breakdown structures; progress and status tracking; scope management; and risk mitigation.
Knowledge of applicable policies governing employee responsibilities and conduct.
Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills.
Strong interpersonal skills to direct, influence, motivate, and persuade groups or individuals.
Ability to handle difficult and sensitive issues with tact, courtesy, and discretion.
Supervisory and leadership skills, including the ability to address sensitive, difficult, or confrontational situations professionally.
In-depth analytical, computational, organizational, and time-management skills.
Ability to work collaboratively as a team member and manage people at all levels within the company.
Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with leaders and members of the community and government.
Ability to remain flexible in a demanding environment, adapt to changing priorities and strategic direction, and quickly conceptualize new ideas.
At least 4 years of experience implementing Lean or Lean Six Sigma business process improvement.
At least 8 years of experience as a project manager, implementation manager, designer, or engineer on large, complex projects; electric utility industry experience is preferred.
At least 8 years of experience in root cause analysis.
3–5 years of project management experience with small to large software, engineering, or implementation projects.

Nice To Haves

Certification as a Planner by a nationally recognized professional society such as the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is preferred.
Working knowledge of regulatory requirements such as SOX and PUC requirements is highly desired.
Experience in the electric utility industry.
Certified Lean Sensei, Lean Black Belt, or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
3–5 years of supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

Own and maintain the continuous improvement and operational excellence roadmap for the Power Supply Process Area, aligned with Generation and Company strategic objectives.
Identify and prioritize improvement opportunities based on value, risk, performance gaps, and strategic impact.
Establish governance for CI initiatives, including performance metrics, benefit realization, and sustainability plans.
Lead Generation CI projects related to outage performance, asset reliability, safety, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency, from initiation through sustainment.
Define project objectives and success metrics, lead cross-functional teams, apply Lean and structured problem-solving methods, and ensure solutions are implemented, standardized, and sustained.
Provide regular reporting to leadership on project performance, results, and measurable business outcomes.
Drive organizational culture change by embedding Lean thinking, disciplined problem solving, and continuous improvement behaviors.
Advise senior leaders on operational excellence strategy, organizational readiness, and transformation risks.
Coach and mentor leaders, managers, and improvement practitioners in Lean principles, change leadership, and leader standard work.
Train employees to become change leaders and improvement practitioners; establish standards for improvement methodology, rigor, and execution quality.
Build continuous improvement capability through tools, training approaches, and best practices.
Establish and maintain performance dashboards and KPI frameworks to track improvement progress and results.
Prepare and deliver high-level briefings and presentations about initiative progress, risks, and outcomes to leadership and external stakeholders.
Ensure improvements are documented and integrated into ongoing operations to prevent regression.
Participate in Company emergency response activities as assigned, including required preparation activities.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.