Director, Operations Excellence

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Job description

Director, Operations Excellence

Location: Stuttgart, Arkansas

Reporting to: General Plant Manager

1. Position Responsibilities

The Director of Operations Excellence is responsible for driving process improvements for all value streams and service processes within the Lennox Commercial manufacturing site in Stuttgart, AR. This position is the catalyst for all Lean improvement processes and will partner with operational process owners to establish strategic goals, Lean initiatives, Lean engagement, and define process analytics for the organization. This position will work directly with senior leaders to define linkages between strategic objectives and process improvements, using both analytical tools and project management techniques. This position will facilitate the establishment of the Lean Continuous Improvement Strategy and drive the deployment of that strategy through tactical planning and execution. The position will influence change management, employee engagement and lead project management related to process improvement.

Key responsibilities include:

• Development and implementation of large-scale business transformational programs.
• Provide hands on project management and coordinate multiple projects with the leadership stakeholders that may have many internal and external dependencies, complex scope, higher levels of risk and involve cross-functional highly matrixed areas.
• Create project plans, timelines, critical paths, and milestones. Perform cost-benefit evaluation for all assigned projects to define potential financial, business, and industry impacts of initiatives.
• Apply Lean Six Sigma tools or other continuous improvement methodologies to complex business processes and implement solutions which provide positive performance and financial impact.
• Provide Lean "Change Management" leadership to be proactive in anticipating, assessing, and addressing the needs of the factory
• Create end-to-end Value Stream Mapping and data collection plans to scope and identify opportunities that positively impact up-stream and down-stream partners.
• Advisor to senior leadership on the continuous improvement strategy and transformation to tactically deploy Lean transformation.
• Manage the hiring, direction, assessment and development of Op/Ex team members.
• Champion the Commercial culture, driving an environment of accountability, open communication, and high ethical standards
• Support the Vision and Mission statement of the Commercial business segment

2. Key organizational relationships

The success of the Director of Operations Excellence will be dictated largely by the effectiveness of their relationship with the following:

• The Stuttgart General Plant Manager is the key business partner to the Director of Op/Ex and works in close and collaborative partnership to assess immediate, mid-term and long-range continuous improvement needs. Relies on the Director as a key confidant in making critical continuous improvement decisions affecting the performance of the factory.
• The Stuttgart Leadership Team meets throughout the month to determine the course of the business. The Director of Op/Ex must have a strong working relationship with their peers on the Stuttgart Leadership Team to understand the direction of the business and how their priorities fit within that direction. The Stuttgart Leadership Team consists of:
• Operations Leaders
• Director, HR
• Engineering Team Leader
• Factory Materials Team Leader
• IT Manager
• Plant Controller
• Director of Quality
• Safety Manager

3. Success Criteria

The Director of Op/Ex is successful 3 Years from now if:

• The Stuttgart factory shows year over year improvement in financials and a culture of continuous improvement in which all employees at every level are clearly engaged.
• The 2023 Global Employee Survey shows significant improvement for both hourly and salaried employees in the key focus areas of the Manufacturing Culture, Communication, Leadership, and Ethics
• The Plant has achieved its cost, quality and delivery targets

4. Leadership Characteristics and Core Competencies

Decision Quality

• Creates an environment that promotes cross-functional analysis and decision making
• Holds leaders accountable to push decision making down to the most appropriate level
• Requires that organization-level decisions be based on data and sound reasoning
• Willingly makes tough decisions and difficult trade-offs on behalf of the organization

Customer Focus

• Creates a sense of urgency throughout the organization on the importance of meeting customer needs
• Ensures that organizational resources and support are focused on meeting customer needs
• Establishes organizational alliances to better understand the needs of key customers
• Fosters a customer-focused environment

Drives Results

• Creates an organization that pushes forward in difficult circumstances
• Eliminates obstacles that affect organizational performance
• Gets results that have a clear, positive impact on business performance
• Drives the organization to achieve results

Builds Effective Teams

• Guides the leadership team to drive the goals and success of the organization
• Helps establish a culture with systems and processes that enable cross-functional teamwork
• Instills a common mindset and team spirit across the organization
• Models teamwork by working effectively with others throughout the organization

Communicates effectively

• Creates venues for constructive dialogue within the organization
• Demonstrates candor and openness when discussing major organizational initiatives
• Communicates effectively to a wide variety of audiences at all organizational levels
• Promotes a free flow of information throughout the organization (e.g. upward, downward, and across)

Drives engagement

• Motivates others by appealing to deeply held values and goals
• Creates a climate that makes work gratifying and enjoyable
• Ensures that people in the organization feel their contributions are valued
• Energizes the organization by clarifying the broader purpose and importance of the work

Situational Adaptability

• Adapts leadership style in response to a broad range of different situations and challenges
• Brings an approach to flexibility that becomes ingrained in the organization's structures, systems, and culture
• Guides the organization to remain flexible in a changing, competitive environment by being a role model for adaptability
• Initiates change in response to the cues in the external environment

Instills Trust

• Acts in the best interests of others and the organization, even when it conflicts with self-interests
• Models dependability and expects others to live up to their agreements
• Shows consistency between words and actions, gaining people's trust and respect
• Is truthful and transparent, fostering a sense of trust in the organization and its leadership

Professional

• Significant Lean/ Six Sigma experience and knowledge of the associated analytics
• Strong experience developing and implementing continuous improvement programs.
• Self-motivated, resourceful and entrepreneurial, demonstrating willingness for learning and improvement
• Well-developed quantitative and qualitative analytical and critical thinking skills
• Skilled with the use of Microsoft and other business software applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SAP, etc.

Behavioral

• Outstanding cross-functional leadership skills; viewed as credible by business unit/functional leaders
• Able to motivate and lead teams to achieve goals.
• Strong influencing and communication skills; capable of securing management buy-in, sponsorship and investment through strong articulation of business benefits aligned to broader organizational objectives

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, or Finance, with an advanced degree preferred.
• Certification in Lean and/or Six Sigma. Black Belt certification is a plus