What are the responsibilities and job description for the Operational Excellence Manager position at BlueWorx Staffing?
The Opportunity
Are you a change agent obsessed with eliminating waste and driving efficiency? Do you thrive on the shop floor just as much as you do in the boardroom?
We are a global leader in automotive lifecycle management, bridging the gap between traditional powertrain engineering and the future of electrification. We are seeking a dynamic Operational Excellence Manager to lead our continuous improvement initiatives at our Oklahoma City facility.
In this role, you won't just manage projects; you will define the culture of excellence. You will partner with plant leadership to transform complex manufacturing challenges into streamlined, world-class operations.
What You Will Do
As the Operational Excellence Manager, you will be the architect of our Continuous Improvement (CI) strategy. You will lead the charge in deploying Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles to improve quality, safety, delivery, and cost.
- Champion Cultural Transformation: Drive a culture of problem-solving and ownership across all levels of the organization, moving from reactive fire-fighting to proactive process improvement.
- Lead Strategic Initiatives: Facilitate high-impact Kaizen events, Value Stream Mapping (VSM) sessions, and 5S implementations to optimize workflow and plant layout.
- Analyze & Optimize: Utilize data-driven insights to tackle chronic production issues, focusing on OEE improvement, scrap reduction, and cycle time optimization.
- Mentor & Coach: Act as the primary trainer for Lean Six Sigma methodologies, mentoring Green Belts and developing the CI capabilities of front-line supervisors and operators.
- Standardize Best Practices: Ensure the rigorous application of standardized work and visual management systems to sustain improvements long-term.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operations teams to ensure OpEx strategies align with broader business goals.
What We Are Looking For
The ideal candidate is not just a theoretician but a practitioner, someone who has "gotten their hands dirty" in a heavy manufacturing or automotive environment and understands the nuances of high-precision assembly and remanufacturing.
Required Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing) or Business Operations.
- Experience: 5 years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations or continuous improvement.
- Automotive Heritage: Previous experience in the automotive industry (OEM or Tier 1/2 supplier) or heavy industrial remanufacturing is highly preferred.
- Certification: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is strongly preferred; Green Belt with significant project leadership experience will be considered.
- Technical Proficiency: Strong understanding of ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 quality standards, root cause analysis (8D, 5 Whys, Fishbone), and statistical process control.
- Soft Skills: Exceptional ability to influence without authority, strong communication skills, and the emotional intelligence to navigate organizational change.
Why Join Us?
- Innovation: Work at the intersection of legacy automotive excellence and the future of EV battery lifecycle management.
- Impact: This is a high-visibility role where your improvements directly impact the bottom line and the daily lives of our workforce.
- Growth: We are a growing global organization with opportunities for advancement and professional development.
- Competitive Compensation: We offer a robust salary package, performance bonuses, comprehensive health benefits, and retirement savings plans.