Operational Excellence Manager at CIRCOR International, Inc

Operational Excellence Manager

BUSINESS: Pumps North America, LLC

LOCATION: Monroe, NC

DIRECT REPORTING: Director of Operations

CIRCOR International is one of the world’s leading providers of mission critical flow control products and services for the Industrial and Aerospace & Defense markets. The Company has a product portfolio of market-leading brands serving its customers’ most demanding applications. CIRCOR markets its solutions directly and through various sales partners to more than 14,000 customers in approximately 100 countries. The Company has a global presence with approximately 3,200 employees and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. The Company was recently acquired by KKR, a leading alternative investment firm, and has increased its focus on continuous improvement. For more information, visit the Company’s investor relations website at

POSITION DETAILS

Position Summary

The Operational Excellence Manager position will lead and manage the lean transformation journey and is responsible for promoting and facilitating the successful implementation of the Circor Operating System (COS), allowing the site to meet its yearly performance targets. You will cultivate and maintain a lean culture using various continuous improvement tools to achieve world class manufacturing performance. You will draw on your experience in lean manufacturing, improvement projects, and operations management experience.

This includes development and maintenance of a prioritized LEAN Improvement Roadmap, facilitation of Kaizen training and events, and the development of site associates to increase overall LEAN knowledge and leadership skills. The ideal candidate will have a strong sense of ownership and will be driven by results.

Principal Activities

• Lead the Pumps Americas team in its pursuit of improved lean manufacturing via continuous Kaizen activities
• Drive targeted, sustainable improvement in Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and Productivity performance by leveraging COS tools, demonstrating effective facilitation skills, and leading others through the change management process.
• Through leader that will be responsible for creating an innovative atmosphere
• Leverage cross functional skills and expertise to rapidly address questions and issues that they find out on the floor (preventing nonconformances before they occur)
• Support operations in the creation and management of Standard Work Instructions
• Lead and support a continuous improvement team
• Be an active participant in Strategic and Daily Management reviews
• Work with supervisors to identify and prioritize improvement initiatives to achieve business results using best practice Process Management tools
• Serve as an internal change agent to institutionalize Lean methodology to support the business strategy plan
• Ensure successful kaizen events by installing and ensuring compliance to the kaizen process (includes: (1) planning of kaizens with a dynamic funnel process tied to prioritized objectives (2) kaizen execution and (3) sustainment of kaizens.
• Lead and support problem-solving sessions using the appropriate tools for sustainable results
• Benchmark and incorporate best practices from other CIRCOR locations
• Support the Operations team in coaching individuals in key roles to develop proficiency by leveraging formal training, improvement events, and mentoring. Manage portfolio of certified event leads to gain organizational self-sufficiency
• Other duties as assigned

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Lean manufacturing (related) training required.
  Solid knowledge and demonstrated understanding of Six Sigma, Toyota Productions System and Lean Process Improvement tools and methodologies such as: A3 Development and Management, Process Flow Mapping, Value Stream Mapping, 5S/Visual Factory, TPM, Change-over / SMED, Standard Work, Process Problem Solving, Built In Quality, Just In Time, and Kaizen/Continuous Improvement.
• Strong analytical skills and applied knowledge of Problem Solving
• Designing and facilitating Manufacturing projects
• Ability to compile data, analyze data, and formulate improvement initiatives
• Strong team building skills and the ability to facilitate team-based initiatives
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, business process improvement knowledge
• Proficiency with personal computer applications, required (Excel, Word, Visio, MS Project and Power Point)
• Superior and demonstrated leadership, team building, communication, presentation, interpersonal, and coaching skills
• Manufacturing operations, process, and tools
• Communication—must be able to effectively communicate in both written and verbal forms, and at all levels in the organization.
• Humble and self-aware
• Excellent active listening skills
• Independence and good judgment, positive attitude, and an innovative spirit

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in any Engineering Discipline (Mechanical, Science, Technology, Electrical, Chemical, or Industrial Engineering) or equivalent experience of 5 years or more
• 5+ years leading cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization

CIRCOR is an EEO Employer of Females / Minorities / Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities