Director of Operations Excellence -USA

Director of Operations Excellence -USA for thyssenkrupp OnlineMetals, LLC, in Bolingbrook, Illinois . 20% domestic travel. Duties include: work with plant managers and operations employees to improve current process efficiency, material flow, labor productivity, quality, safety, and space utilization; measure and monitor performance to identify performance, customer service, and competitive weaknesses; develop solutions using improvement and analysis methods, including strategic planning, operations research, Value Stream Mapping, Lean Thinking, Six Sigma, facility and work cell design, product slotting, IT systems integration, benchmarking, and financial analysis; recommend expenditures, specify equipment, source vendors, and support contracting for capital projects; document processes and practices and ensure integration systems and equipment; manage multiple projects and improvement initiatives across multiple facilities, including tracking status and results; lead meetings with plant personnel to understand current processes and challenges, to encourage input, jointly develop solution options, provide training, and manage change; and share best practice documentation, tools and key learning, and develop team members. Work from home allowed one day per week. Req's: Master degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering field of study, or foreign equivalent degree +3 years of experience in an Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Quality Engineering, or Engineering Leadership role or Bachelor degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering field of study, or foreign equivalent degree +5 years of experience in an Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Quality Engineering, or Engineering Leadership role. Must have 3 years of work experience with each of the following; Lead Operational Excellence initiatives by applying Lean methodologies, including Kaizen facilitation, Rapid Improvement Events (RIEs), and continuous flow deployment to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost; design, implement, and sustain Standard Work and Leader Standard Work, supported by 5S, visual management systems, and tiered accountability processes to ensure consistent execution; develop and optimize pull systems using Kanban, takt time analysis, and WIP controls to improve flow, balance workloads, and meet customer demand; drive structured problem-solving through A3 thinking, PDCA cycles, and root cause analysis methods (5 Whys, Ishikawa) to eliminate recurring issues; utilize data-driven decision making, including process capability analysis, bottleneck analysis, SMED, and throughput optimization to enhance operational performance; and embed quality at the source by implementing poka-yoke and error-proofing techniques within production and quality management systems.

Salary range: $151,466 to $165,183 per year. Apply online: email [email protected] with any questions. EOE.