What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lean Consultant position at VDS Consulting Group?
Lean Consultant
Value Driven Solutions (VDS) is looking for a Lean Consultant to join our interim executive bench, with this engagement deploying on-site at our PE-backed manufacturing client in the [Location] region. The Lean Consultant is the engine of the VDS Value-Driven Approach® — teaching, coaching, and leading structured continuous improvement that produces measurable impact in days and weeks, not months and quarters.
The ideal candidate will enjoy being on the shop floor every day and have the ability to dig into a process, weigh kaizen and countermeasure options, and deliver the best possible safety, quality, delivery, and cost outcome. The ideal candidate will apply their command of Lean tools and adult learning and communicate effectively with operators, supervisors, managers, and directors.
Responsibilities:
- Lean leadership – Lead kaizen events, value-stream mapping, and structured problem-solving on the client floor. Drive measurable improvement in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and inventory. Quantify and document financial impact and partner with Finance to validate savings.
- Daily management systems – Build and stand up daily management systems, tier meetings, and visual management. Coach client leaders — supervisors, managers, directors — on Lean leadership behaviors.
- Capability transfer – Train client teams on Lean tools (5S, SMED, TPM, standard work, A3, 8D, DMAIC). Transfer capability so the client sustains improvement after VDS exits.
Requirements:
- 10 years of hands-on Lean or OpEx implementation experience
- Track record of leading 20 kaizen events with documented financial impact
- Strong floor presence and ability to coach across all levels of an organization
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt strongly preferred
- Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent OpEx pedigree (Toyota, Danaher, ITW, Parker, GE) considered
- Prior consulting or interim Lean leadership experience preferred
- Multilingual capability (Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese) a plus for international engagements
About Value Driven Solutions
Value Driven Solutions (VDS) is a management consulting firm dedicated to Operational Excellence for middle-market and private equity-backed manufacturers. Senior executives and PE investors worldwide rely on VDS to enhance enterprise value, expand margins, improve capital efficiency, reduce working capital, optimize supply chains, and prepare companies for sale. Our network of 10,000 Interim Executives and Experts is fully vetted, with an average of 20–30 years of experience — the top 1% of operating talent globally.
Our experts enjoy a work culture that promotes hands-on impact, executive-level autonomy, and meaningful results. VDS engagement benefits include competitive contract rates commensurate with experience and seniority, structured engagement support through a dedicated VDS Engagement Partner, proven methodology and toolkits including the Value-Driven Approach® and Everything OpEx® frameworks, and continued business development between engagements.
Experts can also take advantage of access to our 360° Client Alignment® process, deployment within days of engagement start, exposure to diverse industries (aerospace, food, consumer goods, industrial products, medical device, semiconductor, and battery manufacturing), and a structured Contract-to-Hire path that lets both Expert and client validate fit before conversion. All positions are Contract-to-Hire engagements; VDS facilitates the transition to permanent employment if and when the client and Expert elect to convert.
Value Driven Solutions is an equal-opportunity employer.