Operational Excellence and NPI Manager

Operational Excellence and NPI Manager

As the Operational Excellence and NPI Manager, you will lead deployment of our operational excellence strategy with a bias toward action to drive the Molex Operating System performance and realize measurable continuous improvement cost savings. You will mentor and develop Operational Excellence leaders, drive the maturation of tiered daily management and standard work, and lead Lean initiatives that improve operational performance. In addition, you will lead and support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities to ensure rapid, robust transfer of processes to manufacturing and sustained launch performance.

Our Team

You will join a cross‑functional team dedicated to advancing Lean manufacturing principles and operational excellence. The team works closely with operations, engineering, maintenance, quality, and supply chain to remove waste, improve flow, and enable the successful launch and sustained operation of new products.

What You Will Do

·Lead deployment of the operational excellence strategy using the Molex Operating System with a bias toward action to drive measurable continuous improvement and cost savings across the site.

·Serve as a trusted leader reporting directly to the Site Director, influencing strategy, prioritizing initiatives, and representing operational excellence and NPI on the site leadership team.

·Mentor, develop, and empower Operational Excellence leaders and frontline teams through Principle Based Management, encouraging principled entrepreneurship, challenging the status quo, and creating sustainable value.

·Design, implement, and mature tiered daily management, visual controls, and standard work to create predictable, repeatable operations and long-term performance.

·Identify, prioritize, and lead Lean and NPI improvement initiatives (kaizen, VSM, SMED, TPM, 5S/6S, etc.) to remove waste, improve throughput, and ensure robust New Product Introduction readiness.

·Build and manage the improvement pipeline: quantify benefits, track forecast vs. realized cost improvement savings, close projects with sustainable countermeasures, and align outcomes to site business goals.

·Coach and deploy problem solving and rigorous root cause analysis across the organization; ensure verification, learning, and standardization of successful countermeasures.

·Partner with safety, quality, engineering, and business leaders to ensure all improvements preserve compliance and safety, surface risks early, and deliver measurable business value.

·Manage multiple large projects and kaizens concurrently—developing schedules, milestones, and contingency plans—while communicating status and results clearly to the Site Director and stakeholders.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

·Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

·7 years’ experience in Lean manufacturing, 5S methodology, and industrial engineering tools.

·Demonstrated, hands-on leadership of site-level Operational Excellence and NPI Programs

What Will Put You Ahead

·Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification or equivalent continuous improvement credentials.

·Experience in stamping, metal forming, or heavy manufacturing environments.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here.

Who We Are

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Our Benefits

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

Equal Opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information.