Continuous Improvement Sr. Manager

Opportunity

19641

Structurals Division

Quality

Hybrid

Full Time

Structurals

United States of America — Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma;
Cities include Carson City, Covina, Groton, Phoenix, Port St. Lucie, San Leandro, Tulsa

The Sr. Manager, Continuous Improvement is a key strategic leader—not an individual contributor role. This position will:

• Partner with senior facility leaders, directors, and functional heads to define the long-term CI vision.
• Lead the creation and governance of a multi-year Continuous Improvement Roadmap outlining priorities, sequencing, resource allocation, and targeted operational areas.
• Drive both the strategic planning and tactical execution of Lean, Six Sigma, and operational excellence initiatives across multiple manufacturing departments.
• Influence, coach, and align cross-functional teams at all levels to accelerate performance improvement and operational discipline.

• Strategic Leadership & Roadmap Ownership — Develop, maintain, and communicate a comprehensive multi-year CI Roadmap, including: types of CI events (Kaizen, 5S, VSM, SMED, etc.); prioritization, sequencing, and expected impact; targeted departments, functional areas, and KPIs.
• Facilitate annual CI planning cycles with senior leadership to ensure alignment to business goals, growth plans, and customer commitments.
• Identify high-value opportunities through data-driven analysis and present recommendations to executive leadership.

• Operational Excellence Execution — Lead the design and implementation of a scalable, structured Continuous Improvement Program tailored to Cherry Aerospace's high-volume aerospace fastener production processes.
• Conduct time studies, bottleneck analysis, and process mapping to identify inefficiencies. Drive implementation of standardized work, line balancing, waste elimination initiatives, and cycle-time reduction strategies.
• Lead structured root-cause investigations using 5 Whys, Fishbone, DMAIC, and other methodologies to address recurring quality and operational challenges.
• Implement in-process inspection systems, operator training programs, and mistake-proofing measures to reduce scrap and improve first-pass yield.

• Lean & SMED Deployment — Utilize SMED principles to reduce tooling and machine changeover times; redesign tooling layouts, material flow, and quick-change fixtures to improve uptime. Drive improvements in throughput, equipment utilization, lead time, and labor productivity.

• Cross-Functional Leadership & Coaching — Facilitate Kaizen events, problem-solving workshops, and cross-functional CI activities. Provide ongoing coaching to supervisors, engineers, operators, and managers to build Lean capability and a culture of continuous learning. Act as an internal consultant to guide major transformation efforts and ensure sustainment of improvements.

• Tracking & Reporting — Establish performance dashboards and regularly report CI progress, savings, and KPI impacts to senior leadership. Ensure all initiatives deliver measurable and sustainable results aligned with the Continuous Improvement Roadmap.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 7-10+ years of experience in operations, manufacturing, or continuous improvement roles, with increasing leadership responsibility.
• Lean Six Sigma certification required (Black Belt strongly preferred).
• Proven success designing and leading enterprise-level CI programs or multi-site improvement initiatives.
• Strong capability in Lean tools, Six Sigma methodology, process optimization, and structured problem solving.
• Exceptional leadership, facilitation, project management, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and drive change across all levels of the organization, including senior executives.

• Experience in aerospace, precision machining, high-volume fasteners, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Experience leading major transformation initiatives (Lean conversions, turnaround work, greenfield startup support, or similar).
• E…