Snr CI Manager

Tenneco•Northville, MI

About The Position

The Global CI Director leads continuous improvement strategy and execution across NVH operations to strengthen operational excellence, standardization, and financial performance. The role eliminates non-value-added activity, embeds consistent business system practices, and builds a sustainable culture of continuous improvement across multiple sites and regions. It partners closely with operations and functional leaders to align priorities with business goals, accelerate execution, and deliver measurable results in safety, quality, cost, delivery, and productivity. The role also leads and aligns P3 initiatives across plant operations while ensuring plant-level certification, standardization, and sustainability of continuous improvement practices. It reports directly to the Snr. Director Operations, Manufacturing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, engineering, or a related field.
At least 10 years of progressive experience in continuous improvement, operational excellence, Lean, and/or manufacturing operations.
Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification.
Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, Kaizen, Standard Work, A3, 8D, and other structured improvement methodologies.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional improvement initiatives across complex, multi-site operations.
Strong business and operational acumen, with the ability to connect process improvements to financial performance.
Experience building continuous improvement systems, governance, metrics, and capability across regions or multiple facilities.
Proven leadership ability in coaching teams, driving accountability, and leading organizational change.
Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively in a matrixed global organization.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
Willingness to travel up to 30–40%.

Nice To Haves

MBA.
Experience in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, or similarly complex industrial environments.

Responsibilities

Lead global continuous improvement strategy and execution across manufacturing and operational sites.
Lead and align P3 initiatives across plants to support consistent deployment, execution discipline, and operational performance.
Lead manufacturing transformation projects.
Drive operational excellence initiatives that improve productivity, reduce waste, and strengthen financial performance.
Ensure continuous improvement systems, tools, and standard processes are deployed consistently across the organization.
Partner with senior leadership to align continuous improvement priorities, resources, and execution plans with business objectives.
Lead cross-functional improvement efforts focused on safety, quality, cost, delivery, inventory, and throughput performance.
Identify process gaps, performance losses, and operational inefficiencies, then translate findings into corrective actions and implementation plans.
Champion Lean, Six Sigma, value stream, and structured problem-solving methodologies to deliver sustainable results.
Establish, monitor, and communicate key continuous improvement metrics, reviews, and performance reporting.
Lead continuous improvement capability building through training, assessments, coaching, and development of continuous improvement resources.
Ensure plant-level certification requirements are established, tracked, and sustained to reinforce standard work, capability, and continuous improvement maturity.
Support plant, regional, and global teams in driving standardization, best-practice sharing, and execution discipline.
Participate in long-range operational planning, including footprint, expansion, and consolidation activities that improve cost and performance.
Develop resource plans, budgets, and strategic plans for areas of responsibility.
Lead, coach, and develop direct reports while strengthening succession planning and team capability.
Ensure compliance with company policies, governance requirements, and applicable laws and regulations.