Continuous Improvement Manager

Kimball Electronics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

No sponsorship is available for this position.

The Continuous Improvement Manager will improve the KEJ's facility's Lean/6 Sigma improvement activities and oversee the ESD program. The focus will be to maintain personal safety, quality and manufacturing reliability while reducing waste and improving efficiencies, yields, and costs. Working under the direction of the Quality Manager, you will be the leader for process improvement and lean implementation throughout the operations and manufacturing facility. You will be a necessary driver of business process improvement and waste elimination focused on the customer. You are someone with the skillset to facilitate cross functional teams at all levels of the organization to drive sustainable process improvements.

Basic Background Requirements

• Experience with Minitab
• Lean manufacturing methodologies with a Six Sigma Master Black belt
• Lead the use of continuous improvement methodologies and tools such as Lean and Six Sigma in all work streams by teaching others
• Manage important resources to support continuous improvement activities including standard work, 5S, SMED, TPM, Kaizen events, and Yellow/Green/Black Belt projects
• 3+ years of manufacturing practices within the environment is key
• Mechanical and electronics experience preferred
• Use statistical and financial analysis to determine and prioritize improvement opportunities
• Strong problem solving experience and ability to train across all plant employees
• Disciplined techniques and processes including project management
• B.S. degree in Industrial, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience

Key Performance Objectives

Short Term: (0 to 3 months)

• Develop overall continuous Improvement strategy for KEJ
• Learn the Customer Requirements, Quality procedures and KEJ systems and controls
• Develop Measurements to communicate continuous improvement progress; benchmark KEJ with other KE facilities
• Develop and implement site CI training projects
• Join the Global Lean Six Sigma Council and actively participate in monthly meetings
• Analyze production documentation, Measurements and associated performance documents to identify opportunities for manufacturing operating expense and loss reduction

Midterm: (3 to 12 months)

• Manage Continuous Improvement (CI) assessment and programs. Partner with functional leaders and facilitate strategy deployment
• Partner with functional leaders to train and deploy 6 Sigma and Lean Manufacturing tools, methodologies and practices, including MDI (Managing By Daily Improvement), visual management systems, "6 S",, one piece flow and value stream mapping
• Challenge organizational leaders to take CI to the next plateau; remove organizational barriers to continuous improvement process
• Facilitate Kaizen, blitz, workshop CI events
• Coordinate automation system integrations for controls and office reporting projects
• Mentor and coach continuous improvement champions
• Implement data-driven actions/poke a yokes to improve operational metrics
• Actively report out on the KEJ CI status to all levels of management
• Document implement new processes while improving current processes and documentation
• Coordinate with engineering to review customer documentation (process/flow/equipment/tooling requirements for CI Projects