Manufacturing Process Improvement Manager

Manufacturing Process Improvement Manager

Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Job Type: Full-Time

Salary: Starting at $85,000/year; higher salary available based on experience

Position Overview

We are seeking a Manufacturing Process Improvement Manager to lead continuous improvement efforts across manufacturing and operations. This position focuses on improving productivity, labor efficiency, cycle times, quality, safety, and on-time delivery through Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and structured problem-solving.

This is a hands-on leadership role that works directly with production teams and leadership to identify problems, improve processes, and establish sustainable solutions.

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.