Associate Director Continuous Improvement (Lean)

Location: Remote within the United States, managing on-site production teams in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth, Maine; Sacramento, California; and Gainesville, Florida. Up to 50% domestic travel may be required.

Salary: $121,924–$176,790 annually.

Company

Independent nonprofit biomedical research institution advancing genomic solutions and biomedical research across the United States, Japan, and China.

What you will do

• Set the multi-year Continuous Improvement and Lean strategy for operations in partnership with the VP of Operations.
• Lead and develop Continuous Improvement Specialists and Senior Specialists across multiple US production sites.
• Coach teams on Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Daily Management, Problem Solving, 5S, and 3P.
• Manage the Kaizen funnel and sustainment process to institutionalize operational improvements.
• Lead initiatives improving safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost performance.
• Partner with operational managers, analyze financial and performance data, and report project progress to senior leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a scientific field; equivalent education and experience may be considered.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience and 6 years of supervisory experience.
• Extensive experience in operational excellence, Lean methodologies, process improvement, and facilitating improvement events.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams, enterprise-wide improvement programs, and geographically dispersed teams across multiple sites.
• Strong analytical, statistical, project management, change management, facilitation, and reporting skills.
• Ability to manage a remote role supporting US-based production sites and travel domestically up to 50%.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• 12 or more years of relevant experience and 8 or more years of supervisory experience.
• Experience with a mature Lean management system such as Toyota Production System or Danaher Business System.

Culture & Benefits

• Remote management role supporting a distributed operational excellence team.
• Work with a nonprofit biomedical research institution focused on improving human health.
• Exposure to complex operational environments across multiple US sites.