Senior Continuous Improvement Program Manager - Oahu

Hawaiian Electric•Pearl City, HI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Continuous Improvement Program Manager leads and oversees the Generation Division’s continuous improvement and operational excellence strategy. The role drives sustainable performance improvement, operational efficiency, and cultural transformation using Lean, advanced problem-solving methodologies, and change management. Working with senior leadership, the manager prioritizes high-impact initiatives and business solutions, oversees improvement projects, and embeds continuous improvement practices into daily operations while ensuring business practices meet regulatory and industry standards. The position owns the continuous improvement roadmap for the Power Supply Process Area, establishes governance and measures results, leads cross-functional improvement projects, and ensures solutions are implemented, standardized, and sustained. It also serves as an internal Lean authority and advisor to senior leaders, builds employee and leadership improvement capabilities through coaching and training, and communicates progress, risks, and outcomes. The position is based in Pearl City, Oahu, and may participate in Company emergency response activities as assigned.

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, typically acquired through college-level training and/or equivalent experience.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from a nationally recognized organization such as PMI is required, or the posting lists certification as a planner through a nationally recognized professional society such as AICP as preferred.
Thorough knowledge of operations, preferably in an electric utility environment, with emphasis on power generation.
Working knowledge of personal computers and related software, such as MS Project, UIPlanner, Ellipse, Microsoft Word, and Excel.
Thorough knowledge of change management principles, normally 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 closure; work breakdown structures; progress and status tracking; scope management; and risk mitigation.
Knowledge of 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 or sensitive issues with tact, courtesy, and discretion.
Supervisory and leadership skills, including professionalism and discretion when handling sensitive, difficult, or confrontational situations.
In-depth analytical, computational, organizational, and time-management skills to handle multiple projects.
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 work environment and adapt to changing priorities and strategic direction.
Ability to conceptualize new ideas quickly.
Four or more years of experience implementing Lean or Lean Six Sigma business process improvement.
Eight or more years of experience as a project manager, implementation manager, designer, or engineer on large, complex projects, preferably in the electric utility industry.
Eight or more years of experience in root cause analysis.
Three to five years of project management experience involving small to large software, engineering, or implementation projects.

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of regulatory requirements such as SOX and PUC requirements is highly desired.
Certification as a planner through a nationally recognized professional society such as AICP is preferred as an alternative noted in the basic qualifications.
Lean Sensei, Lean Black Belt, or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is desirable.
Three to five years of supervisory experience is desirable.

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 improvement initiatives, including performance metrics, benefit realization, and sustainability plans.
Lead continuous improvement projects supporting Generation operations, including outage performance, asset reliability, safety, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency.
Oversee projects from initiation through sustainment by defining objectives and success metrics, leading cross-functional teams, applying Lean and structured problem-solving methods, and ensuring solutions are implemented, standardized, and sustained.
Report performance and results to leadership to support measurable, lasting business outcomes.
Drive organizational culture change to embed 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.
Serve as the internal Lean Sensei/Black Belt authority and set standards for improvement methodology, rigor, and execution quality.
Build continuous improvement capability by developing 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 on improvement progress, risks, and outcomes to leadership and external stakeholders.
Standardize, document, and integrate improvements into ongoing operations to prevent regression.
Participate in Company emergency response activities as assigned, including preparation activities.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.