Sr. Director, Operational Excellence & Industrial Engineering

HEICO Corporation•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Senior Director of Operational Excellence & Industrial Engineering is a senior strategic leader responsible for building and advancing the company’s Industrial Engineering function, driving operational efficiency, leading Lean transformation initiatives, and guiding the organization through ISO 9001 certification and beyond. This role will partner closely with Operations, Engineering, and the Quality Department to deliver measurable improvements in productivity, process reliability, and operational scalability. This role reports directly to the President.

Requirements

Experience in electronics, aerospace, automotive, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
Familiarity with ERP/MES systems, digital workflows, and manufacturing analytics platforms.
Background in automation, industrial systems, or operations technology deployment.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification.
Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in Industrial Engineering, Operational Excellence, Quality, Lean leadership, or similar functions within manufacturing.
Demonstrated success leading ISO 9001 certification efforts and managing supporting processes.
Expertise in Lean tools, continuous improvement methodologies, and change leadership.
Strong analytical capabilities, including data-driven decision-making and systems thinking.
Exceptional communication, leadership presence, and ability to influence at all organizational levels.

Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end effort to achieve and maintain ISO 9001 certification, including readiness assessments, documentation, internal audits, and corrective actions.
Develop systematic processes and governance structures that ensure sustainable compliance.
Evaluate and prepare the organization for future certifications critical to customer or industry requirements (e.g., ISO 13485, AS9100, TL 9000).
Partner with the Quality Department to align documentation, process controls, and audit readiness—while maintaining clear role boundaries.
Identify systemic inefficiencies and lead breakthrough improvement projects that improve safety, flow, cost, and productivity.
Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering leadership to standardize processes across facilities and product lines.
Develop and maintain dashboards, KPIs, and analytical tools that enhance operational visibility and decision-making.
Support the evaluation and implementation of manufacturing technologies that improve process capability and scalability.
Build and lead a high-performing Industrial Engineering team focused on workflow optimization, labor efficiency, automation, and process standardization.
Oversee factory layout development, capacity modeling, work measurement, and production standards.
Conduct time studies and establish labor models that support accurate standards, planning, and cost management.
Implement engineering-driven strategies to reduce waste, improve throughput, and enhance manufacturing reliability.
Own and lead the company’s Lean strategy, including the deployment of 5S, Kaizen events, value-stream mapping, SMED, visual management, and standard work.
Establish a culture of continuous improvement across all levels of the organization through training, coaching, and structured problem-solving.
Develop and manage a formal pipeline of Lean and operational excellence initiatives tied to measurable performance outcomes.
Facilitate cross-functional improvement teams and mentor leaders to build internal Lean expertise.
Act as a key advisor to the President & CEO on operational strategy, scalability, and long-term capability development.
Drive alignment across departments to ensure operational improvements support business growth.
Communicate progress on initiatives, certification milestones, and engineering-driven improvements to executive leadership.
Represent Operational Excellence & Industrial Engineering in key customer, supplier, or regulatory interactions when required.