Director Continuous Improvement

Description

About Justrite Safety Group

At Justrite Safety Group, we're more than just a collection of industrial safety companies; we're a dynamic organization dedicated to protecting people, property, and the planet. Our ever-growing portfolio of companies collaborates to deliver advanced industrial safety solutions that set the standard for excellence.

As our business continues to grow, we continue to look for top talent to join our team as we lead the charge in revolutionizing industrial safety, ensuring that every worker returns home safe, every workplace remains secure, and our environment thrives for generations to come. With Justrite Safety Group, safety isn't just a priority-it's our passion.

The Contribution You'll bring to this Role:

The Continuous Improvement Director will focus on driving and facilitating lean transformation throughout the North American Justrite organization. This position will serve as a strategic leader and mentor for continuous improvement efforts across the organization. This position will be hands-on with production teams and back-office staff to facilitate CI events, projects, and post-event sustainment activities.

This leader will create a culture of continuous improvement and sustainment while providing strategic thinking with respect to improvement activities. This role will collaborate with all levels of management, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders to identify and facilitate key projects to improve customer metrics and financial performance.

They will be responsible for training production teams in Lean initiatives, including Value Stream Mapping, Kanban, Daily Management, Policy Deployment, Continuous Flow Manufacturing, 5S, TPM, SMED, and more.

In this role, you will report directly to the Chief Operating Officer, setting the stage for your career to soar! This role is your gateway to opportunities for advancement, with the potential to grow within the organization in 3-5 years as you make meaningful contributions to our organizational goals.

About the Team:

As a member of our Continuous Improvement Team, you'll be at the forefront of driving operational enhancements that set new standards in the safety industry. Justrite, as an innovator and industry leader, is committed to pushing the limits of efficiency and quality, continuously refining processes to meet the changing demands of our customers. In this role, you'll have the opportunity to shape the future of operational excellence by leading initiatives that deliver measurable improvements. You'll collaborate with top professionals, drive change, and play a crucial role in ensuring Justrite stays at the forefront of safety and protection.

What You'll Do at Justrite:

Leadership and Strategic Vision:

• Develop and implement a company-wide continuous improvement strategy aligned with business objectives.

• Drive a culture of operational excellence, accountability, and sustained improvement.
• Lead the Lean/Continuous Improvement transformation across all BUs and provides training and consulting in areas such as planning, facilitation and completion of projects to support improvements in product velocity and waste elimination/reduction for the Business Unit.

Plant Operations Experience:

• Leverage prior experience in running a manufacturing plant to understand and address operational challenges.

• Use hands-on experience to mentor and train plant teams on best practices in Lean and continuous improvement.
• Conducts reviews and research on more effective processes and equipment to diversify production, enhance safety measures, and gain versatility; prepares reports and recommendations to operations management.

Lean Training and Implementation:

• Drives change management initiatives according to Lean strategies and initiatives; promotes culture change toward a Lean philosophy and making Continuous Improvement a way of life. Advances the organization through training in process redesign, Lean tools and other CI initiatives.
• Lead workshops, training sessions, and hands-on implementation of Lean principles to foster a culture of continuous improvement. This training includes developing cross-functional teams on all Lean tools and methodologies, such as 5S, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and Root Cause Analysis.

Cost Savings and Productivity Enhancement:

• Utilize Lean continuous improvement strategies to drive significant cost savings and enhance productivity across operations.

• Analyze current processes and identify opportunities to streamline operations, reduce waste, and optimize resource allocation.

Lean Methodology Expertise:

• Conduct Value Stream Mapping, Process Mapping, and Product Mapping to identify inefficiencies and develop plans to improve flow and reduce lead times.

• Apply Lean methodologies to enhance the efficiency of the factory floor, reducing cycle times, inventory levels, and operational costs.

Project Management:

• Lead complex continuous improvement projects from inception to completion, ensuring timely delivery within budget and scope.

• Develop project plans, set milestones, and manage project resources effectively to achieve desired outcomes.

Your Skills and Expertise:

To ensure your success from day one in this role, Justrite requires the following qualifications at a minimum:

• Bachelor's degree preferred
• Minimum of 10 years' experience in a manufacturing environment including training and facilitating and 5 years in a leadership role
• Proven track record of leading Kaizen events and developing improvements plans to achieve business results, effective leadership and mentoring skills.
• Proficiency in Lean and Six Sigma principles, tools, and techniques (e. g. , DMAIC, 5S, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping). Experience with Harris Lean 12 Step Process or similar.
• Strong project management skills to plan, execute, and monitor improvement projects effectively. Experience moving facilities or equipment, opening or closing a plant a plus.
• Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data to identify improvement opportunities and measure results.
• Ability to travel up to 50% to each location to implement and manage CI programs.

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Experience working in a team environment and is a self-starter
• Capability to align continuous improvement initiatives with the organization's strategic goals.
• Expertise in managing change, including stakeholder engagement, communication, and overcoming resistance.
• Ability to manage resources effectively, including budget, personnel, and time.
• Strong leadership skills to inspire and motivate teams to embrace continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication skills to articulate vision, share results,.