Sr. Manager, Continuous Improvement

Foot Locker•Junction City, KS

22h•$120,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Value Stream Lean Leader (Sr. Manager, Continuous Improvement) drives Operational Excellence capability development and partners with functional leaders to define and execute improvement initiatives across Foot Locker distribution center operations. The role is part of the facility leadership team, with a dotted-line relationship to the site's Sr. Director of Operations, and leads the site's strategic plan to improve quality, service, and efficiency. The position requires expert knowledge of Operational Excellence techniques and subject matter expertise in one or more areas of operations. The role identifies opportunities and gaps in core business processes, aligns resources to priorities, and ensures teams use appropriate project charters and quality-improvement methodologies, tools, and techniques. It advocates for future operational improvements by partnering with and challenging the business and leadership on systems thinking and new ideas. This is an onsite role at the Junction City, Kansas Distribution Center; the description also refers to work supporting the Camp Hill distribution center.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Engineering, Statistics, or Supply Chain.
At least 5 years of experience in Distribution, Supply Chain/Logistics, or Manufacturing.
At least 2 years of Continuous Improvement experience.
Demonstrated leadership skills, including respectful coaching techniques and performance management of team members.
Cross-functional collaboration capabilities, including interviewing and hiring selection.
Results-driven problem-solving and conflict-resolution ability.
Detail-oriented and thorough, with the ability to manage time.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Business or Supply Chain.
Lean certification, Six Sigma Green Belt, or Six Sigma Black Belt.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement operational strategic projects, including Continuous Improvement, Change Management, cost optimization, and Operational Excellence Training.
Create and maintain site value stream maps for key process flows and the Hoshin planning model for strategic initiatives, supporting the continuous improvement roadmap.
Develop and execute a Lean certification program for site exempt employees and monthly training sessions for non-exempt employees.
Help lead large-scale and complex improvement projects within operations or across facilities, coordinating programs with project teams.
Lead quarterly site Kaizen events to deliver cost savings aligned with site strategic objectives.
Mentor and develop site front-line leaders in leadership practices, verbal and visual communication, and change management.
Promote adoption of continuous improvement practices to improve morale, quality, delivery, and cost.
Lead projects from opportunity identification and financial justification through resource negotiation, team launch, project management, Lean coaching, problem solving, status and results tracking, barrier removal, and team development.
Align projects with business activities, other improvement projects, and business strategy, coordinating with project and process owners where possible.
Communicate best practices and key learnings across the organization.
Support employee engagement through performance-based recognition programs, critical thinking, and innovation.
Use Continuous Improvement tools and methodology to conduct root cause analysis.
Lead risk identification and risk-mitigation planning.
Plan and execute change management for projects, ensuring effective, accurate, and timely communication with partners.
Use negotiation, facilitation, meeting management, and conflict-resolution skills to enhance cross-functional team performance.
Facilitate project post-mortems with key partners and identify process improvements.
Act as liaison between site operations and functional engineering subject matter experts to translate project requirements.