Manufacturing Process Improvement Manager

Manufacturing Process Improvement Manager
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Job Type: Direct Hire
Starting Salary: $85,000/year; higher based on experience
Position Summary
We are looking for a Manufacturing Process Improvement Manager to lead continuous improvement efforts across a manufacturing operation. This position will work closely with operations and production leaders to improve productivity, reduce waste, strengthen quality, and optimize manufacturing processes.
The ideal candidate has hands-on experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, root cause analysis, and structured problem-solving and can turn improvement opportunities into measurable results.
Success in this role will be measured through improvements in productivity, labor efficiency, cycle time, quality, safety, and on-time delivery.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead and manage continuous improvement initiatives aligned with operational goals.

- Identify opportunities to improve processes, productivity, workflow, and cost efficiency.

- Facilitate Kaizen events, process improvement workshops, and root cause analysis .

- Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, value stream mapping, and change management methodologies.

- Analyze processes and operational data to identify bottlenecks, waste, and improvement opportunities.

- Develop and implement practical, sustainable process improvements on the manufacturing floor.

- Train, coach, and mentor employees on CI tools and techniques.

- Establish and monitor KPIs to measure improvement results and program performance.

- Track labor efficiency, cycle time, quality, safety, and delivery improvements.

- Present project results, recommendations, and progress to plant and senior leadership.

- Partner with multiple departments to build engagement and accountability around improvement initiatives.

- Support all shifts as needed to implement and sustain improvement projects.

- Evaluate workflow and capital investment opportunities that can improve labor efficiency.

- Ensure improvement activities support safety, quality, and customer satisfaction.

Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Business Management, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field ; equivalent experience may be considered.

- 5+ years of experience leading or implementing continuous improvement programs in a manufacturing environment.

- Experience in engineer-to-order, fabrication, industrial, or manufacturing operations preferred.

- Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement certification strongly preferred.

- Proven ability to lead improvement projects with measurable operational results.

- Strong knowledge of Lean principles, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, Kaizen, and change management .

- Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret operational data.

- Strong leadership and ability to influence teams across departments and organizational levels.

- Excellent presentation, communication, facilitation, and training skills .

- Strong project management, organization, and time management skills.

- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office .

- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

- Self-motivated, analytical, and committed to safety, quality, accountability, and operational excellence .

Work & Physical Requirements

- Regularly walk the production floor and interact with manufacturing teams.

- Ability to stand, bend, and move throughout manufacturing areas during assessments and improvement activities.

- Occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.

- Ability to support multiple shifts and work flexible hours when improvement initiatives require it.

- Comfortable working in both office and manufacturing environments .

This is an opportunity to take ownership of manufacturing improvement initiatives, work directly with operations teams, and deliver measurable gains in efficiency, quality, safety, and overall plant performance.