Continuous Improvement Manager

Position Description

The future of transportation is here. Our industry is going through a once-in-a-generation evolution as we push to zero emission mobility, and the Modine Advanced Thermal Systems team is helping to drive that cleaner future. Are you excited by fast-moving projects as part of a highly collaborative team?

We are looking for team players who are curious enough to ask questions and explore new ideas, passionate enough to serve our customers, and ready to take ownership of challenges and grow with us. We are a team, first and foremost, and we take pride in our collaborative efforts; everyone is accountable for achieving our goals.

In this position, you will have a critical support role in our Advanced Thermal Systems team, as we work closely with our customers to define the future of commercial electric vehicles. The Continuous Improvement Manager is responsible for developing and implementing the Continuous Improvement strategy for our Advanced Thermal Systems business serving Bus, Truck, Specialty Vehicle and Last Mile Delivery.

This role is both strategic and tactical – strategic in that the CI strategy is aligned with and a key input to achieving the overall business strategy for the organization; and tactical in that the incumbent is also the chief Lean practitioner within Advanced Thermal Systems. The CI Manager will engage the value stream leaders and support staff in the development of current and future state value stream maps – from supply chain to the customer, will lead the Lean project identification and target setting process, will manage the Lean/Kaizen project funnel and selection process, and deploy the appropriate Lean tools to drive meaningful improvements throughout the value stream.

The CI Manager is responsible for leading and teaching best Lean practices and tools, including but not limited to 8 Waste identification/elimination, VS Mapping, Continuous Flow, Kanban/Pull Systems, 5S, Visual & Daily Management. Kaizen events will be a key vehicle for driving rapid improvement and engaging/developing the capabilities of the teams.

The CI Manager will establish, track, and publish KPI’s to monitor the effectiveness of CI activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of short, intermediate, and long-term Lean strategies.
• Develop and maintain current state and future state value stream maps
• Serve as the subject matter expert with respect to Lean practices and tools. Develop the playbook/matrix for the application of such tools. Training, mentoring, and guiding team members in the use of Lean processes. Staying up to date with developments in Continuous Improvement and Lean principles.
• Manage the CI project list and Kaizen funnel. Define key criteria for the selection and prioritization of Kaizen projects. Ensure the establishment of and stakeholder commitments to meaningful and measurable targets for all Kaizen activities.
• Collaborate with and provide guidance to key stakeholders in the development of KPI’s.
• Build a culture of engagement at all levels of the business to provide a highly energized team which is flexible to meet the changing needs of the business
• Prepare and manage the annual CI budget and forecasts.

Required Education & Qualifications

• 7-10+ years’ experience in a similar role in a Lean manufacturing environment
• A bachelor’s degree is required for this role
• Experience leading Kaizen events 
• Demonstrated proficiency in Lean development and implementation
• Extensive training and application of Lean tools
• An excellent communicator with top-notch presentation and mentoring skills.
• Dynamic thinking and problem-solving abilities.