Continuous Improvement Manager Jobs

About The Position

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.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package
• Opportunities for challenge and advancement