Lean and Continuous Improvement Director

About Piston Group

Piston Group is a leading privately held automotive and mobility enterprise founded by Vinnie Johnson. Headquartered in Michigan, Piston Group includes Piston Automotive, Detroit Thermal Systems, and Piston Interiors. With 11,500 employees across the U.S. and Mexico, the Group delivers integrated manufacturing, assembly, and supply-chain solutions for major OEMs. The organization combines engineering excellence with commitment to people, performance, and community.

Position Summary

The Lean & Continuous Improvement Director provides enterprise-wide leadership for the company’s Lean transformation and continuous improvement strategy. This role serves as a senior change agent, responsible for developing and deploying the Piston Production System (PPS), coaching leaders, facilitating improvement events like Kaizen and value stream mapping, and embedding a sustainable culture of continuous improvement across plants and corporate functions. The role requires acting as an expert, mentor, and change agent to achieve operational excellence and sustainable growth. The Director partners closely with executive leadership to align CI initiatives with strategic priorities, operational performance, cost reduction, and quality outcomes.

Responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Enterprise Lean Strategy & Governance

• Develop and deploy a company-wide Lean and Continuous Improvement strategy aligned to business objectives and the Piston Production System (PPS).
• Provide leadership and strategic direction to the continuous improvement process through the development, deployment and measurement of PPS.
• Establish CI roadmaps, annual priorities, and governance mechanisms to ensure consistency and impact across all facilities.
• Lead annual corporate CI assessments across all sites to track maturity, progress, and priority focus areas.
  
  

Operational Excellence & Value Creation

• Lead Kaizen events, value stream mapping, problem-solving workshops, and other Lean activities to eliminate waste and improve performance.
• Own SCI cost savings goal-setting, project identification, execution tracking, and results reporting.
• Ensure CI metrics, customer scorecards, and KPIs remain above expectations and support critical, new business sourcing.
• Ensure internal continuous improvement objectives, processes, and metrics are aligned with corporate policies and strategic goals to deliver maximum business impact and sustained competitive advantage.
  
  

Change Management & Culture

• Drive organizational change by embedding continuous improvement behaviors at all levels of the organization.
• Serve as a mentor, coach, and educator to leaders, CI practitioners, and cross-functional teams.
• Interpret Lean philosophy and PPS principles for executive leadership and key stakeholders.
  
  

Cross-Functional & Executive Partnership

• Partner with COO, Sr. VP of Engineering, Plant Leadership, and Corporate Functions (HR, IT, Sales, Program Management, Engineering) to drive continuous improvement initiatives and improve product quality.
• Establish and manage relationships with external CI/Lean consultants and organizations.
• Participate in executive management reviews related to performance, quality systems, and CI effectiveness.
• Participate in management review meetings to ensure strong understanding of current business and opportunities for improvement.
• Establish initiatives with executive staff to improve organizational continuous improvement performance.
• Develop a collaborative environment of continuous improvement across the entire company that fosters improvement in plant operational results as well as across functional areas of the business (IT, sales and Program Management, HR, engineering, etc.).
• Periodically review the suitability and effectiveness of the Business Management and Quality Management System with executive leadership.
  
  

People & Capability Development

• Lead, coach, and develop CI personnel across the organization.
• Ensure training, mentoring, and coaching practices equip employees with industry-standard Lean, continuous improvement tools and methodologies. Empower employees, project teams, and other leaders in their Lean journey.
• Build internal CI capability and succession.
  
  

Budget & Program Management

• Establish and manage the continuous improvement budget.
• Ensure CI initiatives deliver measurable business impact and competitive advantage.
  
  

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Strategic Mindset: Anticipates future operational needs and translates Lean principles into enterprise-wide strategies and roadmaps. Aligns continuous improvement initiatives with long-term business objectives and value creation.
• Manages Complexity: Applies structured methodologies (e.g., root cause analysis, Lean problem-solving) to diagnose issues, navigate ambiguity, and implement sustainable solutions across systems.
• Tech Savvy (with Manufacturing Depth): Applies deep technical and operational knowledge to optimize manufacturing processes, improve system performance, and support data-driven decision-making.
• Builds Effective Relationships : Actively listens to understand perspectives, builds trust, and fosters open dialogue across teams and functions to support collaboration and improvement. Develops strong, trust-based relationships that enable collaboration, alignment, and sustained improvement across the organization.
• Persuades (Influences Others): Uses data, logic, and relationships to influence decisions, gain alignment, and drive adoption of Lean initiatives across stakeholders.
• Action Oriented: Takes initiative and actively engages in execution, facilitating Lean events and driving improvements directly at the operational level.
• Drives Vision and Purpose: Inspires and aligns teams around a shared vision of continuous improvement, fostering commitment and engagement at all levels.
• Optimizes Work Processes: Continuously seeks opportunities to improve processes, eliminate waste, and enhance efficiency using Lean methodologies.
• Communicates Effectively: Delivers clear, structured, and impactful communication to ensure alignment, understanding, and engagement across stakeholders.
• Plans and Aligns: Establishes clear priorities, metrics, and execution plans. Aligns resources and stakeholders to ensure disciplined delivery of improvement initiatives.
• Drives Results Manages Change: Leads transformation initiatives that deliver measurable business impact while ensuring adoption and sustainability of change
  
  

Qualifications

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in Lean / Continuous Improvement leadership roles.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Products (at an intermediate level).
• Deep expertise in Lean methodologies (Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, problem solving).
• Proven ability to lead enterprise change and influence leaders at all levels.
• Strong facilitation and coaching skills.
• Experience in developing and executing strategic plans.
• Ability to assess organizational maturity and create tailored improvement plans.
• Experience in a role that involves both providing lessons and hands-on support. Additional experience in areas such as Quality, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Operations or Engineering are preferred
• Experience aligning CI initiatives to business strategy, KPIs, and financial outcomes.
• Willingness to travel extensively (typically 1–2 weeks at a time; ~12–24 weeks annually).
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA preferred.
• Lean Sensei certification, Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Certification, CMQ/OE, and CQE preferred.
• Background in Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, or Manufacturing.