Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Operational Excellence Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Operational Excellence Manager leads enterprise or site-level continuous improvement programs to increase productivity, reduce cost, improve quality, and accelerate cycle times. This role partners with operations, engineering, supply chain, finance, HR and IT to identify improvement opportunities, prioritize high-impact projects, deploy Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, and embed new standards and behaviors into daily work. The manager acts as a coach, project manager, data analyst and change agent, driving sustainable results through structured problem solving, process re-design, and performance management.

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📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Continuous Improvement Specialist / Continuous Improvement Engineer
Operations Supervisor / Manufacturing Team Lead
Process Engineer / Industrial Engineer

Advancement To:

Director of Operational Excellence
Head of Continuous Improvement / VP Operations
Global Operational Excellence Lead

Lateral Moves:

Program Manager, Transformation Office
Supply Chain Improvement Manager
Quality Systems Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the end-to-end operational excellence program across one or more sites or business units, setting strategy, annual objectives, and measurable KPIs (OEE, cycle time, throughput, first-pass yield, cost-per-unit) to drive continuous improvement and deliver targeted savings.
Design, prioritize and sponsor high-impact Lean Six Sigma projects using DMAIC methodology; mentor and coach Green Belt/Black Belt resources to ensure timely delivery of project benefits and robust statistical validation.
Conduct process mapping, value stream mapping (VSM), and root cause analysis workshops with cross-functional teams to identify waste, bottlenecks and non-value-added activities and translate findings into concrete improvement plans.
Develop and implement standardized work, visual management systems, and operating rhythms (daily management boards, Gemba walks, and performance huddles) to ensure consistent execution and rapid issue escalation.
Lead cross-functional Kaizen events and rapid improvement workshops that deliver measurable reductions in lead time, defects, inventory and operating costs, and document lessons learned and new standards.
Use data analytics and performance dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, Excel) to monitor KPIs, detect trends, quantify opportunity, and provide executive-level reporting and recommendations for corrective action.
Manage capital and non-capital improvement initiatives including business case development, ROI analysis, cost/benefit modeling, project planning, resource allocation and post-implementation review to capture realized savings.
Drive change management for process redesign and system implementations by developing stakeholder engagement plans, communication strategies, training curricula, and coaching frontline leaders to sustain improvements.
Establish and maintain a formal continuous improvement governance structure—steering committees, stage-gates, project intake and prioritization criteria—to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and optimal use of resources.
Implement quality improvement programs (e.g., mistake-proofing, Poka-Yoke, SPC) to reduce variability and defects, and coordinate with Quality teams to sustain compliance with ISO, regulatory, or customer standards.
Partner with Supply Chain and Procurement to optimize inventory policies, supplier performance improvement plans, and lead-time reduction initiatives that improve working capital and service levels.
Identify and evaluate opportunities for automation and digitization (RPA, MES enhancements, workflow automation) to eliminate manual steps, reduce errors, and accelerate information flow across the value chain.
Lead capacity planning and throughput improvement projects, analyzing constraint points and developing mitigation plans to increase output without capital expansion where possible.
Coach and develop operational leaders and frontline supervisors in problem-solving tools (5-Why, A3, PDCA) and continuous improvement mindsets to create a self-sustaining improvement culture.
Design and track Operational Excellence scorecards that cascade strategic objectives into measurable local KPIs and include targets, owner accountability, and review cadences.
Facilitate cross-site best-practice sharing and standardization efforts, creating playbooks and toolkits so successful improvements are scaled across the organization.
Conduct cost-reduction and margin-improvement workshops, aligning improvement opportunities with financial controls, and working with Finance to ensure accurate tracking of savings and benefits.
Oversee compliance audits and internal process assessments to ensure adherence to improved processes, regulatory requirements, and documented procedures; recommend corrective actions and monitor closure.
Act as a change agent during mergers, site integrations, or major process transformations—assessing current-state variability, harmonizing operating models, and accelerating adoption of standardized processes.
Manage external consultants and third-party vendors engaged for transformation projects, ensuring deliverables meet scope, cost and timing expectations while building internal capability transfer.
Build robust training and certification programs (Lean, Six Sigma, Standardized Work) to upskill the organization, create career pathways for improvement practitioners, and maintain active belts and competency records.
Drive sustainability and operational resilience initiatives such as energy efficiency improvements, waste reduction, and contingency planning to improve long-term operational performance.
Lead incident and problem management for systemic operational issues, coordinate cross-functional corrective actions, and use lessons-learned to prevent recurrence and strengthen control systems.
Prepare and present monthly/quarterly operational performance reviews and improvement roadmaps to senior leadership with clear asks, risk mitigation plans and timelines for delivery.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests, perform exploratory data analysis, and collaborate with the analytics team to define the data model and KPIs for operational dashboards.
Contribute to the organization's continuous improvement roadmap by identifying scalable pilots and opportunities for center-of-excellence initiatives.
Collaborate with business units to translate process improvement needs into technical requirements for IT, MES, or automation projects.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies when deploying digital solutions related to operations and improvement initiatives.
Provide subject-matter expertise during supplier audits, new product introductions (NPI) or customer escalation processes to ensure operational readiness and quality outcomes.
Assist HR in defining competency models and hiring profiles for continuous improvement roles and help evaluate candidates for key roles.
Support corporate sustainability and ESG reporting by identifying operational initiatives that reduce energy usage, scrap and waste.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Lean methodology (Kaizen, 5S, standardized work, visual management) — proven practical deployment experience.
Six Sigma (DMAIC) with formal certification (Green Belt required, Black Belt preferred) and statistical process control (SPC).
Value stream mapping, process mapping and root cause analysis (A3 problem solving, 5-Why).
Advanced data analysis and performance measurement — strong Excel modeling (pivot, power query), metric design and trend analysis.
Dashboarding and visualization tools — Power BI, Tableau or equivalent for KPI reporting and executive dashboards.
Process automation and digital tools familiarity — RPA concepts, MES, ERP integration points, workflow automation.
Project and program management — project charters, stage-gate governance, Gantt, MS Project or equivalent tools.
Cost/benefit analysis and financial acumen — building business cases, ROI, and tracking realized savings with Finance collaboration.
Quality systems and compliance knowledge — ISO standards, corrective/preventive actions, quality improvement methods.
Statistical tools and software — Minitab, JMP, or Python/R for advanced analytics (preferred).
Continuous improvement training and curriculum design — developing internal capability and certification programs.
Supplier performance management and logistics/process optimization techniques.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people coaching — ability to influence leaders and develop frontline talent.
Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration across manufacturing, supply chain, finance and IT teams.
Clear written and verbal communication — able to present complex analysis and roadmaps to senior executives.
Strategic thinking with strong problem-solving and analytical orientation.
Change management and facilitation — driving adoption and sustaining behavioral change.
Resilience and adaptability in ambiguous, fast-paced transformation environments.
Facilitation and workshop leadership — skilled at running Kaizen, VSM and problem-solving sessions.
Time management and prioritization — managing multiple improvement projects with competing priorities.
Attention to detail and discipline in documentation, control plans and standard operating procedures.
Coaching orientation — ability to mentor continuous improvement practitioners to deliver results.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MBA or MS in Industrial Engineering / Operations Management) or equivalent professional education.
Formal Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification or equivalent transformational leadership program.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Industrial Engineering
Operations Management
Mechanical or Manufacturing Engineering
Supply Chain Management
Business Administration / MBA

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12 years of progressive experience in operations, continuous improvement, manufacturing or supply chain roles with demonstrable improvement project delivery.

Preferred:

7+ years leading cross-functional continuous improvement programs or operational excellence at the site or regional level.
Proven track record of delivering measurable savings, productivity improvements, and KPI stabilization.
Experience with Lean deployment in manufacturing, distribution, or service environments and experience scaling improvements across multiple sites.
Prior experience managing teams of improvement specialists, external consultants, and multi-disciplinary project teams.
Familiarity with digital transformation projects (MES/ERP upgrades, RPA, analytics) and the ability to partner with IT to operationalize solutions.