Continuous Improvement Manager

Join a team of industry professionals who value your skills and talents. At OGI Process Equipment, our goal is to hire talented and motivated people. We offer a friendly work environment with competitive wages and benefits. From engineers to welders, salespeople to sandblasters, OGI has some of the best talent in the industry. Check out our job openings, and we look forward to working with you.

Summary/Objective The Continuous Improvement Manager will work across Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, Safety, and other business functions to identify process constraints, eliminate waste, improve productivity and flow, strengthen operating discipline, and help OGI make better use of its people, systems, equipment, and resources.

The initial emphasis will be on manufacturing operations, with significant time spent on the production floor understanding how work gets done. As priorities evolve, the role will also lead cross-functional improvements affecting the entire order-to-delivery process.

Essential Functions

• Identify operational constraints, inefficiencies, delays, rework, unnecessary handoffs, and other barriers to effective execution across OGI.
• Lead improvement projects that increase productivity, throughput, quality, safety, cost effectiveness, and schedule performance.
• Work directly with employees and department leaders to understand current processes, identify root causes, and implement practical solutions.
• Analyze operational data, ERP information, direct observations, and employee input to identify improvement opportunities.
• Improve workflows, processes, material and information flow, workplace organization, standard work, visual management, and operating discipline.
• Analyze actual-versus-expected performance and help determine the underlying causes of significant variances.
• Lead root-cause analysis, Kaizen activities, process mapping, pilot projects, and other structured improvement efforts.
• Partner across Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, Safety, and Administration to address problems that cross departmental boundaries.
• Help eliminate recurring problems caused by unclear processes, communication gaps, delayed information, material availability, rework, or inefficient handoffs.
• Develop practical performance measures and establish reliable baselines before major improvement initiatives.
• Develop and maintain a prioritized continuous-improvement pipeline based on business impact, operational risk, resource requirements, and alignment with company objectives.
• Identify and address capacity constraints across people, equipment, processes, information flow, and departmental handoffs that limit throughput or reliable execution.
• Partner with Finance and department leaders to quantify and validate the financial impact of major improvement initiatives, including labor efficiency, cost avoidance, scrap and rework reduction, capacity improvement, and other measurable benefits.
• Help establish practical operating reviews, visual performance measures, accountability processes, and follow-up mechanisms that allow leaders to identify problems early and sustain corrective actions.
• Build ownership of improvements with the employees and leaders responsible for the process, ensuring changes are practical, understood, adopted, and sustained after implementation.
• Evaluate opportunities to improve operations through automation, equipment, tooling, fixtures, digital tools, ERP capabilities, and other technology where a practical business case exists.
• Document the baseline, problem, root cause, action, owner, expected benefit, actual result, and sustainment plan for major projects.
• Help employees and department leaders establish standard work and controls necessary to sustain improvements.
• Major improvement initiatives should not be considered complete until results have been verified and appropriate controls are in place to sustain the improvement.
• Provide leadership with concise reporting on improvement priorities, progress, verified benefits, and barriers requiring management decisions.

Supervisor Responsibility This position has supervisory responsibilities.

Work Environment Non-temperature controlled environment with loud noises, dust, dirt, and metal particles that are usually associated with metal fabrication shops. All employees are required to wear personal protective equipment to include noise/hearing protection, safety glasses with side shields, and OSHA compliant safety boots/shoes within the manufacturing facility.

Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee in this position is regularly required to sit and stand for long periods of time. This position requires walking. The employee occasionally will lift and/or move up to 50 pounds

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Additional work hours and weekends may be required as job duties demand.

Travel Minimal travel is required for this position.

Education and Experience Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combinations of education and relevant manufacturing experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in continuous improvement, manufacturing operations, industrial/manufacturing engineering, operational excellence, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading improvements from problem identification through implementation and sustained results.
• Working knowledge of Lean principles, standard work, 5S/6S, process mapping, root-cause analysis, Kaizen, and structured problem solving.
• Strong analytical ability with experience using operational data to identify problems and measure results.
• Ability to understand processes across departmental boundaries and identify where handoffs, information, systems, or workflows are creating problems.
• Strong communication, facilitation, coaching, and change-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively with production employees, supervisors, engineers, support functions, and senior leadership.

Preferred Experience

• Engineered-to-order, high-mix/low-volume, or project-based manufacturing.
• Welding, fabrication, pressure equipment, or industrial equipment manufacturing.
• Cross-functional process improvement involving Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, or Supply Chain.
• ERP-driven process improvement, preferably Epicor.
• Labor-efficiency, capacity, throughput, scheduling, or cost-improvement initiatives.
• Shop layout, material flow, tooling, fixtures, or workplace-organization improvements.
• Automation, digital tools, equipment justification, or technology-enabled process improvement.
• ASME/API or other quality-controlled manufacturing environments.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.

Measures of Success

• Increased productivity and throughput
• Improved actual-to-estimated labor performance
• Reduced cycle and lead times
• Improved on-time execution
• Reduced waiting, rework, and unnecessary processing
• Improved material and information flow
• Better coordination between departments
• More consistent and reliable processes
• Improved use of ERP and operational data
• Sustainable 6S and workplace-organization practices
• Reduced operating costs
• Greater employee participation in problem solving
• Documented operational and financial benefits

Major initiatives should demonstrate a clear progression:

Problem → Baseline → Root Cause → Improvement → Measured Result → Sustainment

Specific performance targets will be established after appropriate baselines are validated, with major initiatives expected to demonstrate measurable operational or financial improvement. Improvements must not come at the expense of safety, quality, regulatory/code requirements, delivery, or customer commitments.

The ideal candidate is curious about how the entire operation works, not just one department.

They are comfortable spending time on the production floor understanding why work is not flowing as expected but are equally willing to follow a problem upstream or downstream into Engineering, Purchasing, Quality, systems, processes, or communication when the root cause lies elsewhere.

They work collaboratively with the people closest to a problem, challenge established processes constructively, distinguish symptoms from root causes, and implement practical, sustainable solutions. They use data to measure results and determine whether improvements are delivering the intended outcomes.

They understand that in an engineered-to-order manufacturing environment, continuous improvement does not mean making every job identical. It means developing more reliable, efficient, and repeatable ways of executing custom work.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance None required for this position.

AAP/EEO Statement OGI is an equal employment opportunity employer. OGI recognizes and embraces federal legislation on equal employment opportunity and is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination. All applicants for employment and all employees will be afforded equal opportunity and treatment, regardless of age, race, religion, gender, national origin, disability status or other protected status. All employees are responsible for complying with all applicable Federal, State and Local Laws, rules, and regulations regarding non-discrimination practices.

Other Duties Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!

OGI is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, order of protection status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law.