Job Description

Continuous Improvement Manager
Join Plymouth Tube as a Continuous Improvement Manager and play a key role in driving operational excellence across our manufacturing operations. In this hands-on leadership position, you will partner with teams at all levels to implement Lean Management and Six Sigma principles, improve processes, and strengthen our culture of continuous improvement. Your efforts will help deliver measurable results in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and growth while developing the capabilities of our teams for long-term success.

Through the Continuous Improvement Department (CI), this position will be responsible for coordination of improvement activities using Lean Management/Six Sigma tools like 6S, Standard Work, TPM, and SMED and driving Visual Management and Daily Management to deliver continued improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Revenue Growth.
Essential Responsibilities
• Train, coach, and mentor local Mill team, at all levels, on Lean Management/Six Sigma principles to create competence deep and wide to drive the culture of continuous improvement. This is a hands-on role.
• Lead and execute Continuous Improvement transformation improvement initiatives, including annual plans and improved process methods and practices to improve operating performance.
• Lead, participate, and facilitate formal rapid improvement events to drive LEAN principles, leading to improved safety, quality, delivery, cost, and revenue growth.
• Coach and mentor / facilitate local teams in Problem Solving using the tenets of the Lean Management/Six Sigma.
• Support improvement activities that are consistent with the needs of the Continuous Improvement. Provide coordination and communication for change initiatives.
• Support an operating culture that promotes involvement, communication, mutual trust & respect, expectations and accountability and a passion for excellence.
• Own and role model Plymouth Tube values and behaviors to develop and transform the Company culture. Ensure that these values and behaviors are a part of everyday life at Plymouth Tube.
• Participate in safety related activities as requested or relied upon.
Core Responsibilities
•Model Plymouth Tube values and behaviors as outlined in the Mission Statement
•Represent Plymouth Tube in a professional manner
•Follow all company Environmental and Safety policies, procedures and standards
•Follow all company Quality Standards
Qualifications and Education Requirements
• A Bachelor’s degree in engineering or comparable technical degree. An MBA would be a plus. • Minimum of 5 years’ experience with Continuous Improvement preferred. • Must demonstrate the ability to get things done through others. • Must be self-motivated, have a high sense of urgency, be able to problem solve complex situations and be resourceful. • Experience in lean manufacturing/Toyota Production System. Travel is a requirement of the position and could reach a level of 25%.
Competencies/Desired Characteristics
Core Competencies
• Care & Commitment: Consistently reliable, follows work instructions, investigates any inconsistencies and looks ahead to next steps. Offers ideas for improvements (safety, operations, process, and quality) and actively participates in improvement processes. Accepts change as part of future state improvement and adapts with positive enthusiasm. • Team Player: Steps up to help the team even when it’s outside of normal duties or comfort zone, looks out for the safety of self and team. Cooperates with others without dominating the group, values team members for their contributions and professional abilities, and always treats people with respect. Communicates ideas respectfully, honestly and clearly, and considers the suggestions and opinions of others
• Customer Focus: Seeks out information on customer requirements, stops a process when an inconsistency is suspected, and reports inconsistencies to the right person. Involves customers and seeks best resource before moving forward with key decisions; follows through on promises made to internal/external customer. Delivers accurate product, services and paperwork to the next operation
• Initiative: Initiates problem solving to address issues, acts without being told or directed, actively participates in resolution, seeks best alternative even if it challenges the status quo. Does and says the right things for the right reasons even when it’s uncomfortable, speaks up immediately when seeing a safety hazard, a process error, or problem to resolve. Acts with sense of urgency: Gives immediate attention to tasks or issues that prevent organization from reaching goals, rethinks priorities and organizes work to achieve goals or get goals back on track.
Leadership Competencies
• Tenacity: Demonstrates consistent striving to achieve results regardless of roadblocks, generates new and creative approaches to problems. Adjusts quickly to changing priorities, flexes to new pressures from the environment (loss of talent, changes in team, new priorities, or changes in strategy). Brings new life to old systems, continuously challenging the status quo, includes others in vision, not rigid with others intellectually, emotionally or interpersonally • Leadership: Leads by Example as a model team player. Strategizes with peers to reach monthly and yearly goals, provides a clear, credible vision for staff and organization. Inspires people to participate in a team environment, encourages others to resolve conflicts, and builds quality relationships with other departments. Sets high standard of performance expectation, measures performance realistically, encourages personal and professional development, mentors and coaches for individual and team achievement.
• Communication: Exhibits excitement about the job and organization, demonstrates a “can do” attitude up and down the chain, demonstrates effectiveness in negotiations and collaboration. Highly effective in getting point across in an organized and easy manner, effective one on one or in groups, cognizant of impact of decisions on others, and helps other recognize the chain of communication. Adept at running meetings, keeps meetings on track with objectives, is specific in requests and timelines, successful in achieving meeting results, thorough in follow up and follow through. . . .Continuous Improvement: Consistent in performing standard work, problem solving, and plans and leads effective meetings. Follows up and follows through on action items, uses visuals and data to communicate changes, works with team to identify improvement opportunities. Audits lean improvements for sustainability, viability and validation, and maintains improvements.
• Safety: Participates in safety efforts enthusiastically, always with an eye for achieving the very best, approaches auditing with a commitment toward learning and improving equally. Consistently looks for opportunities to improve the safety culture, shows sincere interest in the improvement of safety in the organization above and beyond requirements. Actively drives culture where safety is more important than achieving numbers or reaching goals.
Job Specific Competencies
• Continuous Improvement: Active in leading, teaching and participating in problem solving throughout the organization to achieve improvements to KPI’s. Questions, challenges and coaches’ others. Constantly looking for new and innovative ways to move organization in the right direction. Coaches problem solving system and continuous improvement culture. Introduces new Lean Management/Six Sigma tools into organization, interprets tools for the current culture, and advises leadership in timing of CI improvements and in maintaining tools for best cultural impact. Develops and maintains strong working relationship with all team members.
Working Conditions/Physical Requirements
This job operates in both a professional office and in a manufacturing environment. This job is required to use standard office equipment such as computers, phones and copiers. Must Wear appropriate PPE on shop floor when in the mills.
The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Equal Opportunity Employer

Equal Opportunity Employer: Disability/Veteran