Position Summary
As a key member of the Parts Fulfillment Leadership Team, the Continuous Improvement Manager will utilize engineering and problem-solving methodologies to implement automation and process improvements. The Continuous Improvement Manager will provide a range of engineering services, lead operations and projects teams to drive transformation through automation, continuous improvement, and Value Stream Mapping initiatives.
The Continuous Improvement Manager will operate within the outline defined by the Crescent Way’s 3 P’s:
While building on our Values to:
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Safety
- Drive the Crescent Safety culture to ensure a Work Environment which is safe and maintained where our people can safely grow and develop.
- Observe and improve all plant layouts and equipment upgrades to ensure production can operate safely.
- Evaluate and recommend standard work to ensure work can be performed safely.
- Always consider Safety as the first design priority on new solutions.
- Continually seek out and remove all forms of risk.
Quality
- Ensure Quality is built into the procurement of all new equipment, production floor and facility designs.
- We do what is right for our customers, company, and people.
- Ensure effective root cause and CAPA established for quality issues where applicable.
- Hold Crescent accountable to deliver the highest level of Quality.
- Drive Continuous Improvement making it foundational to our Culture.
Productivity
- Continuously explore the competitive use of technology and automation, providing Crescent and customers with flexibility and improved productivity.
- Be the expert on Lean manufacturing and overall continuous improvement concepts (Value Stream Mapping, kaizen, and process management) as well as providing learning opportunities to members.
- Facilitate Kaizens, brainstorming sessions, workshops, problem solving sessions and process mapping exercises to bring alignment, extract knowledge and improve performance.
- Improve the CI event tracking programs, ensuring ongoing improvements.
- Identify, drive and support CI projects across all site divisions.
- Develop control programs to maintain the achieved savings, to complete additional training, to detect further savings opportunities, as well as ensure the overall continuity of the project.
- Support the transfer of best practices across all sites.
- Be a "leader of change". Must be comfortable working with all levels within the organization, being a strong communicator, and questioning the status quo.
- Lead key Lean projects, providing leadership in developing practical solutions to complex analytical problems.
- Support plants by helping plan and implement continuous improvement projects.
People
- Support and training others in the Lean/CI/VSM, especially to process managers, supervisors, leads, and shop floor personnel.
- Train – Establish training as a core value within Crescent.
- Work collaboratively to guide, train, and create a culture of continuous improvement.
- Recognize to ensure each person feels appreciated for the value they provide.
- Utilize the Voice of the People (VOP) for insights and to ensure improvement projects are aligned with the Crescent Way.
- Ensure that SCARF is considered when making changes to the operation.
- Lead people to encourage maximum performance and dedication.
Customer Value
- Drive Solutions which ensure Crescent is branded as an innovative service provider and provide value to our customers.
- We strengthen our customers’ competitive advantage.
- Implement the Crescent Way, ensuring all customers choose Crescent as a long-term partner.
- Be accountable for being in-tune with the voice of our customer.
- Communicate with customers the status of projects, improvement ideas and issue resolution.
Financial
- Specify, source and select cost effective capital equipment capable of improving our ability to deliver the highest quality and a competitive price.
- Provide detailed benefit analysis of automation and capital projects.
- Provide insight on how we can strategically grow with customers.
- Optimize resources to meet or exceed annual, and individual project budget targets.
All other duties as assigned, including but not limited to identifying and training an individual capable of successfully completing all stated Essential Duties and Responsibilities as appropriate to maintain integrity of position for progression planning and coverage during times of absence.
Cultural Competencies
Do It Right
Doing what is right for our customers, doing what is right for our company and doing what is right for our People. Continually improving the quality of our products and services. Monitoring and measuring every key ingredient which could negatively impact our quality. Doing it Right ensures we are always becoming a Premier Service Provider.
- Identifies and counters resistance to change
- Advocates continuous improvement
- Forges teams and provides direction
- Provides constructive performance feedback
- Willingly adjusts the make-up of the team
- Plans, delegates, and follows up
- Guides others to improve collaboration
- Entrepreneurial initiative
Do It Safe
Creating a safe environment and supporting our People to reach their highest potential. A safe environment where all forms of risk are assessed and controlled. A safe environment open to new ideas, where our people’s opinions and overall well-being count. A diverse environment where everyone fits and can be successful.
- Able communicator—good clarity, balanced talker and listener
- Effectively assertive and able to handle conflict and confrontation
- Solution vs. blame oriented
- Mixture of firmness and flexibility
- Has energy and enthusiasm
- Holds self and others accountable
- Willing to take calculated risks
Do It Well
Optimizing all our resources to efficiently and effectively perform all tasks well. Our overall productivity as a company is a reflection of the thousands of activities performed well each and every day by everyone. At Crescent, our ability to Do it Well is a real source of pride valued by our customers.
- Systematic trainer, willing and able to develop people
- Good work ethic, task focused and willing to extend extra effort
- Able to follow structure where it exists and create structure where it does not
- Resilient—able to deal with the unexpected, not easily flustered
- Maintains sense of urgency
- Follows up to ensure quality task completion
Work Environment / Physical Demands
- Fast paced environment, requiring the ability to adapt to continuous changes in schedules, work and project volumes, and shifting priorities.
- Ability to frequently sit, stand, walk, reach with hands and arm’s length, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, and crouch.
Management Reasoning and Organizational Skills
- High average to above average general intelligence, good common sense and an ability to learn and apply lessons from direct experience
- Technical knowledge of automation and packaging equipment
- Ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize accordingly
- Results-oriented with good project management, organizational, and prioritization skills while being able to work effectively in a team-oriented environment.
- Experience in successfully managing kaizen events in production and/or non-production environments.
- Technical knowledge of the lean manufacturing systems and tools (i.e. 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Work Balancing, Standard Work, TPM, SMED, etc.)
- High level of interpersonal and leadership skills with capability to influence, coach, and partner across multiple levels of an organization and regions of the world.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to collaborate with all levels of organization
- Humble: respectful, receptive, agile, eager to learn
- Transparent: shares critical information, speaks with candor, contributes constructively
Systems Usage
- Microsoft Project or similar
- Microsoft Office Suite – strong Excel and Vizio
- Other analytical and equipment software applications
Performance Metrics and Trends
Qualifications
Education & Experience:
- 5 years minimum working in a Lean Environment working on Engineering Projects
- Capital Projects / Automation
- Problem Solving – A3, 5 Why
- Multiyear experienced in the design and implementation of engineering-based projects
- Knowledge of packing and packing equipment
We will absolutely know the Continuous Improvement Manager is successful if they can:
- Guardian of the Crescent Way: Protects the “The Crescent Way” and the financial health of the company.
- Improve productivity through the implementation of automation and process flow.
- Drive and maintain CI Pipeline, VSM and improvement projects
- Develops a community of Continuous Improvement Leaders through coaching, training and education of people at all levels.
- Targets 2-5% productivity improvements through CI and automation each year.
- Effectively lead project teams, holding accountable to key deliverables
- Conduct meaningful at point problem solving using appropriate tools (5 why, Ishikawa, etc.) and ensure effective CAPA.
- Collect feedback from people at all levels (VOP) and ensure that SCARF is considered when making key operational changes.
- Value Stream Mapping and Daily improvement are a source of projects and actions
- Cutting edge use of Engineered Solutions throughout the operating business units –
- Kaizen events / layout changes
By completing this application, you are acknowledging the following:
- I am at least 18 years of age of older
- I can perform the essential functions of this position, with or without accommodation
- I am a US Citizen or otherwise authorized to work in the US on an unrestricted basis
