Continuous Improvement Director

JOB SUMMARY The Manufacturing Continuous Improvement (CI) Director provides strategic leadership for manufacturing excellence, standardization, operational performance, and continuous improvement across manufacturing facilities and support operations. This role partners with executive leadership, manufacturing operations, VDC, project teams, procurement, warehouse, logistics, and field operations to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and manufacturing utilization. The position establishes scalable standards, develops CI capability, and converts lessons learned and operational data into measurable, sustained improvement. ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES Strategic Manufacturing Leadership • Develop and implement a central manufacturing and continuous improvement strategy aligned with company objectives. • Establish standard manufacturing processes, governance, KPIs, workflows, and performance expectations across facilities. • Evaluate and sponsor opportunities to expand off-site manufacturing, prefabrication, kitting, and field support capabilities. • Advise leadership on facility capacity, technology, equipment, workforce, and operational investment priorities. Continuous Improvement and Standardization • Lead Kaizen events, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, A3 problem solving, Plan-Do-Check-Adjust cycles, and countermeasure development. • Create and maintain a system for lessons learned, standard work, visual management, pull systems, 5S, and improvement action tracking. • Ensure improvements are documented, trained, audited, and sustained rather than treated as one-time events. • Develop CI leaders and practical training for managers, foremen, planners, purchasers, warehouse teams, and production personnel. Operational Performance and Integration • Review safety, quality, delivery, cost, labor, throughput, capacity, waste, rework, and field installation feedback. • Partner with VDC, Advanced Construction Planning, procurement, manufacturing, project teams, and field leadership to improve constructability and work packaging. • Facilitate cross-functional problem solving for recurring constraints and enterprise-level performance gaps. • Establish reporting cadences and communicate priorities, results, risks, and recommendations to executive and operational leadership. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) CI Program Performance • Verified annual savings and cost avoidance from completed CI initiatives. • Percentage of improvement actions completed by committed date. • Standard work adoption and sustainment audit score. • Kaizen participation and completion rate. • Cycle-time, lead-time, and waste reduction attributable to implemented countermeasures. Manufacturing and Organizational Performance • Manufacturing throughput and capacity improvement. • Reduction in defects, rework, scrap, and field correction. • On-time manufacturing completion and delivery performance. • CI training completion and number of qualified CI leaders developed. • Employee improvement ideas implemented and replicated across operations. DAILY RESPONSIBILITIES Leadership and Performance Review • Review operational dashboards, active improvement projects, constraints, and implementation status. • Coach CI leaders and operational teams through problem definition, root cause analysis, countermeasure selection, and sustainment planning. • Engage manufacturing leadership on safety, quality, schedule, labor, material, equipment, and capacity risks. • Remove barriers and escalate cross-functional issues requiring executive sponsorship. Standardization and Communication • Review changes to standard work, SOPs, visual controls, and training materials. • Confirm actions, owners, due dates, and measurable outcomes are documented. • Communica e priorities and improvement results across affected teams. WEEKLY RESPONSIBILITIES Strategic Planning and Governance • Lead or participate in manufacturing performance reviews and CI steering meetings. • Review the improvement portfolio, validate benefits, prioritize resources, and close stalled actions. • Conduct facility observations, process audits, and leadership Gemba walks. • Coordinate enterprise lessons learned and replication of proven practices. Capability Development • Facilitate CI training, Kaizen preparation, and leader coaching. • Review succession, cross-training, and CI capability needs with operational and HR leadership. • Update executive summaries on performance, risks, decisions, and required support. LIVING OUR GUARANTEES As the Manufacturing Continuous Improvement (CI) Director Central, you will embody and champion our core guarantees that define our organizational culture: • Lessons Learned: Lead enterprise lessons learned and convert successes and failures into transparent, actionable standards that prevent recurrence and spread proven practices. Culture of Honesty. • Integration: Connect manufacturing, procurement, VDC, planning, warehouse, logistics, field operations, and leadership through shared processes and priorities. Culture of Collaboration. • High Risk Management: Establish disciplined risk identification, root cause analysis, corrective action, and sustainment practices that reduce safety, quality, operational, and delivery exposure. Culture of Wisdom. • Data Driven Decisions: Use KPI dashboards, verified benefits, trend analysis, and operational evidence to prioritize improvement and investment decisions. Culture of Intelligence. • Leadership Development: Coach leaders and develop CI capability so Partners can solve problems, share their Owner's Voice, and improve the work. Culture of Leadership. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES Technical and Operational Skills • Advanced working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, value stream mapping, A3 thinking, standard work, pull systems, 5S, visual management, and change management. • Strong understanding of electrical construction, manufacturing, prefabrication, material flow, quality systems, scheduling, and field installation needs. • Ability to develop KPIs, analyze operational and financial data, facilitate complex problem solving, and translate findings into practical action. • Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn company systems used for task, production, material, tool, and performance tracking. Leadership Skills • Executive-level communication, facilitation, coaching, organizational development, prioritization, and influence across functions. • Ability to lead change, establish accountability, build trust, and sustain standards across multiple teams or facilities. COLLABORATIVE DUTIES • Executive Leadership: Align CI strategy, investments, risks, and performance reporting with organizational priorities. • Manufacturing Operations: Support operations leaders, foremen, and shop teams with flow, quality, capacity, and productivity improvement. • VDC and Advanced Construction Planning: Align digital deliverables, constructability, production readiness, and field installation feedback. • Purchasing, Warehouse, and Logistics: Improve supplier performance, material availability, inventory flow, staging, and delivery reliability. • Safety and Quality: Integrate hazard prevention, quality controls, corrective actions, and audit discipline into standard work. • HR and Culture: Support training, leadership development, workforce engagement, and a respectful, inclusive workplace. WORKING CONDITIONS • Work is performed across office, manufacturing, warehouse, and active construction environments. • Regular trav