Continuous Improvement Leader

Position Summary

The Precision Components Group (PCG) within HBD has two factories in southern California located in Valencia (TPT-1 hour north of Los Angeles) and El Cajon (PMP-20 minutes east of San Diego). These facilities forge and machine metal parts for the defense, aerospace, and medical industries.

The Continuous Improvement Leader will teach, coach, and facilitate the factory teams through process improvements that significantly impact site performance. It will be accomplished utilizing the HBD business system.  It’s a role that requires technical, continuous improvement, and team facilitation experience. It also requires “getting dirty” working alongside the stakeholders to implement the improvements. This role is a work from factory role, based at the TPT facility in Valencia, CA.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

• Teach, coach, and facilitate efforts at both sites to deploy the HBD business system. Start with the foundational elements of 5S, daily visual management, standard work, structured problem solving, and total productive maintenance.
• Partner with plant managers to develop & execute their continuous improvement roadmaps. 
• Drive the execution of these C.I. roadmaps by (a) delivering training, (b) facilitating formal kaizen events, (c) “getting dirty” alongside the stakeholders to implement improvements, and (d) auditing sustainment of prior improvements.
• Work with site leadership to develop a future factory vision, incorporating its execution in the site’s C.I. roadmap.
• Create in-house business system expertise through the training and engagement of associates.
• This role will manage their frequency and duration of time spent at the two factories in PCG. The role is based at TPT as the site with the most immediate focus for process improvements. Thereafter, the improvement opportunities and levels of C.I. activity should drive the balance of time spent across the two sites.

Experience and Education 

• B.S. Degree in a technical field of study
• 5 years’ experience in manufacturing environment
• Hands-on experience running a department/value stream/plant
• Demonstrated experience utilizing lean tools (value stream mapping, SMED, TPM, Standard Work)
• Metal forming, metal cutting experience preferred

 Technical Skills 

• Ability to develop and communicate key performance indicators for a manufacturing business.

• Demonstrated expertise in complex data analysis using advanced Excel functions.  Skilled in transforming raw data into actionable insights to support strategic decision-making 
• Experience with formal root cause analysis and problem-solving methodologies
• Proficient in teaching and deploying the C.I. foundational tools of value stream mapping, SMED, TPM, and Standard Work
• Baseline proficiency in statistical process control.
• Ability to identify safety hazards and implement cost effective solutions to mitigate risks
• Excellent communications and work-related instruction skills
• Clear writing skills and proficient computer skills.

Organizational Relationships 

• Reports to VP Operational Excellence, with matrix reporting to the two plant managers.

Travel Required 

The role is based at TPT. However, there will be occasions where multi-day visits are required to the PMP site (three hour drive). Not frequently, but during peak activity at PMP the travel to El Cajon could be two weeks per month.

HBD Industries is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.