What are the responsibilities and job description for the Continuous Improvement Coordinator position at Wheeler Machinery Co.?
Coach, teach, and mentor frontline employees and leaders on CI methodology within an assigned area of the business — Service, Parts, or HQ/Rental. The CI Coordinator owns continuous improvement support for their area at every Wheeler location and is the primary CI partner for the branches assigned to that area. Working alongside area leadership, the Coordinator ties improvement work to the department’s own priorities, playbook, and KPIs, so CI is part of how the area runs rather than a separate program.
The Coordinator spends most of their time at the Gemba, using Lean and Wheeler tools to build an engaged culture that solves problems and to sustain the Wheeler Way Forward. Branch managers lead and are accountable for CI at their branches; the Coordinator equips them to do so.
Duties And Responsibilities
Each Coordinator is assigned areas of focus. The area defines the department partners and the branches where the Coordinator is the primary CI contact. Execution overlaps — every branch has multiple areas — but accountability for an area’s CI support rests with that area’s Coordinator. Assignments may be adjusted as circumstances evolve. Branches are all located within driving distance of Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c).
The Coordinator spends most of their time at the Gemba, using Lean and Wheeler tools to build an engaged culture that solves problems and to sustain the Wheeler Way Forward. Branch managers lead and are accountable for CI at their branches; the Coordinator equips them to do so.
Duties And Responsibilities
- Support implementation of the Wheeler Way Forward Strategic Framework within the assigned area and branches.
- Serve as the CI partner to the area’s department leadership; facilitate kaizen and problem-solving on priorities in the department’s own playbook and KPIs.
- Own CI support for the assigned area at every branch, coordinating with the Coordinator assigned to each branch for on-site execution.
- Support the managers of assigned branches in leading CI with their whole team through a recurring, predictable visit cadence, coaching, and Gemba habits.
- Coach leaders and teams in Daily Management, tiered huddles, KPI trees, and Leader Standard Work, and help sustain them.
- Mentor frontline employees to drive change in their work areas, improve key business indicators, and simplify operations.
- Lead and coach problem-solving activities using PDCA, 5 Whys, A3, and other Lean tools, matching the tool to the problem.
- Support and drive the CI Card system: timely responses, recognition of participants, and closing the loop on every card.
- Facilitate the Wheeler Way Forward training class on a rotating basis with the other Coordinators, and coach participants from the assigned area on their improvement projects.
- Develop and share One-Point Lessons and standard work with the people who do the work.
- Partner with other departments on cross-area business needs at assigned branches — for example, working with Marketing to gather data and improve customer experience.
- Track and report area and branch engagement, flagging locations that have disengaged or lost momentum so follow-up support can be prioritized.
- Capture and share improvement wins across branches and areas.
- Unwavering commitment to working safely.
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent.
- Minimum 2 years of full-time CI role experience.
- Proficient with application of Lean tools (people development, mapping, problem-solving methods, standards, 5S, error proofing, Daily Management, KPIs).
- Excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills; comfortable in front of groups comprising employees from all levels.
- Able to build credibility with frontline teams and leaders without direct authority.
- Willingness and ability to travel independently and regularly to assigned branch locations, including maintaining a valid driver’s license and following safe driving practices, including Wheeler’s Goal 360 program. Travel frequency varies by area of focus.
- Trustworthy and comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy across multiple locations.
- Experience in a technical or logistics environment.
- Background in service, parts, or dealership environment
- Experience implementing Daily Management or tiered huddle systems.
Each Coordinator is assigned areas of focus. The area defines the department partners and the branches where the Coordinator is the primary CI contact. Execution overlaps — every branch has multiple areas — but accountability for an area’s CI support rests with that area’s Coordinator. Assignments may be adjusted as circumstances evolve. Branches are all located within driving distance of Salt Lake City, Utah.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c).