Howmet Hiring for Senior Manager, Continuous Improvement at Cleveland, OH  Full Time

Under the direction of the VP of Continuous Improvement, this position supports and assists the Continuous Improvement Organization (Business Unit and Manufacturing Plants) in the organization, planning, implementation, and follow-through of manufacturing improvement initiatives. The individual is responsible for accelerating our lean transformation and leading a group of “boots on the ground” manufacturing engineers to achieve manufacturing improvement in various constrained locations across North America.

In addition, the role will work with Human Resources leadership to administer operations management development programs. Using their experience in operations, the Senior Manager CI will take the lead to design and develop the programs that will accelerate learning, experiences and readiness for operations leadership roles at various levels of the organization. The individual will provide coaching and guidance to participants in the program and their managers, and guide the creation of development actions and implementation of action plans for participants.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: This is not intended as a comprehensive list; it is intended to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities.

• Lead and supervise the “boots on the ground” scrap reduction teams assigned in various locations. Provide coaching and mentorship to Manufacturing Engineers on the team.
• Lead the continued development and enhancement of the Howmet Business System journey, including accelerating the Lean Execution Systems Assessment process and progress, working with plant teams on gap closure plans.
• Facilitate the Howmet Business System “HBS” journey best practice sharing across locations and teams in the BU through a sustainable electronic system that allows users to search for common issues or problems.
• Lead OEE improvement actions deep dive with locations and leaders and provide avenues for best practice sharing.
• Travel to various locations to participate in the Howmet Business System implementation of continuous improvement initiatives and drive waste reductions utilizing Lean principles (JIT, Autonomation, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, 5S, Standard Work, Line/Cell Design, Single Piece Flow, Material Flow, Visual Management, SMED, TPM, Root Cause Problem Solving, etc.)
• Facilitate successful kaizen, problem solving, and rapid improvement process events with both internal and external consultants, customers, and suppliers. This includes providing support to sustain all follow-throughs required to sustain the improvements initiated during those events, especially those concentrated on local improvement.
• Lead and administer the plant manager development program for future operations leaders including identification of candidates, administration of skills assessments from various inputs, and development of action plans to accelerate readiness for higher level operations roles.
• Partner with HR to evaluate talent and guide the development and advancement of candidates in their career advancement. Ensure programs and practices are aligned and in compliance with HR practices, policies and employment laws.
• Act as coordinator and champion of the steering committee supporting the plant manager development program and coordinate regular sessions to review candidate progress and experiential needs.
• Work directly with development program participants and their managers to ensure development goals are actioned and provide counsel as needed.
• Lead development of a comprehensive Supervisory Excellence Training program which will provide foundational leadership and business skills necessary to lead in the Howmet environment. Program will include leadership and conflict resolution learning, HBS fundamentals, diversity and inclusion, and experience with key operational metrics and standard processes.
• Drive the process to digitize the HR Journey to drive standardization in Segments and Plants (mirror current CI led programs such as CI Digital journey, LESA, OEE, etc)
• May lead other roles in the BU CI team, as defined by the VP.

Job Dimensions:

The incumbent will possess:

• Demonstrated experience in manufacturing improvement techniques, including flow principles, Kanban, and plan for every part (PFEP).
• Expertise in value stream mapping and associated improvement methodologies.
• Understanding of pillars of Toyota production system (JIT, Autonomation).
• Experience evaluating TAKT time vs. cycle time, determining work area constraints (i.e. cycle time constraint, periodic work constraints, downtime constraints).
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with Human Resources leadership to develop talent and development programs.
• Experience on shopfloor, working with employees, and enhancing manufacturing processes.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills requiring the ability to resolve conflicting interests and obtain cooperation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills: able to develop and use structured approaches to identify root causes and recommend resolutions.
• Demonstrated experience in project leadership and project management skills, with ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously to meet objectives and key deadlines.
• Must be willing to spend time on the manufacturing shopfloor to learn and interact with employees.
• Exhibit teamwork and go-getting attitude.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution in Engineering, Continuous Improvement, or Supply Chain Management
• Seven (7) years of experience in manufacturing environments in areas such as: Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, or Operational Excellence.
• Minimum of 5 years in leadership roles in operations or Continuous Improvement.
• Must have experience in an aerospace manufacturing environment.
• Must have knowledge and understanding of Continuous Process Improvement methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma.
• Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters Degree from an accredited institution in Business or Engineering field.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Project Management certification or earned certificate
• Experience developing operations leadership development programs in a manufacturing environment