Panasonic

Sr. Manager, Continuous Improvement

Panasonic$100K — $130K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Accredited Black Belt with a Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering or equivalent.
  • Minimum 6+ years in operational excellence/continuous improvement; 2+ years as a Black Belt/Lean practitioner.
  • Proven ability to drive organizational change and productivity improvements.
  • Expertise in Lean Manufacturing tools like FMEA, Kaizen, and value stream mapping.
  • Strong project management skills in high-volume manufacturing environments.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and data analysis software (e.g., Minitab).
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Responsibilities

  • Lead complex improvement projects with significant savings across Business Units.
  • Collaborate with leadership to identify and act on organizational opportunities.
  • Facilitate lean and continuous improvement methodologies to enhance processes.
  • Train all levels in PPS (PECNA Production System) and Lean Six Sigma concepts.
  • Document and track all continuous improvement projects meticulously.
  • Motivate cross-functional teams using Lean/Six Sigma techniques for better outcomes.
  • Assess workstreams to identify and close performance and resource gaps.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, and vision plans.
  • 401(k) plan with company matching and immediate vesting.
  • Generous paid time off including vacation, holidays, and parental leave.
  • Tuition reimbursement for job-related education after six months.
  • Employee recognition program with various awards.
  • Annual performance-based bonus potential.
  • On-site food options with cafes and regular events.
Full Job Description
Responsibilities

Sr. Manager, Continuous Improvement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tMgKm_71qs

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Meet the Recruiter: Amber Smallwood

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Snr Director of Operational Excellence, The Lean Six Sigma (LSS)Black Belt/I.E Professional will serve as a subject matter expert in the PPS methodology for the corporation and lead improvement projects utilizing the Lean Six Sigma skillset. The candidate will be responsible for working with internal business partners and LSS Black Belts/I. Es to drive productivity improvement throughout the corporation.

Leading the business in achieving and sustaining operational excellence, through teaching, coaching & deployment of the PECNA Production System. Serve as a facilitator of continuous improvement implementation and functional colleague to create and sustain culture change to achieve long-term business strategies and systems thinking approach.

People: Develop and enable employees to become self-sustaining teams that surface and solve problems.

Process: Drive standard practices and reduce inefficiencies across operations.

Performance: Deliver tangible results from process improvements, 6S etc. that impact SQCDP goals.

Essential Duties:
  • Manage projects with average savings of $250k per black/ green belt. Will coach concurrently 4+ projects of this magnitude. Expected to deliver 1 significant project 500k plus as a project lead. Most of these projects will be complex and will typically involve efforts across many functional areas within a Business Unit and sometimes across multiple Business Units. Projects should typically range from three to six months.
  • Coordinate with Snr Director of OpEx and rest of Leadership Team to identify and prioritize targeted areas of opportunity across the corporation through Hoshin process.
  • Facilitate value stream mapping, kaizen, continuous improvement, lean thinking, cycle time reduction, SMED activities etc. to simplify and perfect targeted areas.
  • Provide PPS training (YB, RCA A3, GB, BB, etc.) and leadership of kaizen events, across all levels of the organization.
  • Maintain detailed records of all PPS projects.
  • Motivate and direct cross-functional teams to desired results through skillful application of the PPS/LSS methodology.
  • Train and Mentor Black Belts/ Green Belts and Sponsors in their application of Lean and Six Sigma tools, techniques and principles.
  • Facilitate kaizen events for problem solving and continuous process improvement.
  • Strive to become Master Black belt, responsible to lead aspects of the Continuous Improvement Program. The individual must be Black Belt Certified and actively training towards an officially recognized MBB certification.
  • This individual will train a small core of employees as Green Belts/Black Belts to help support the MBBd with improvement projects. The MBBd will work with various teams to plan and schedule projects to address cost and schedule drivers on programs with the goal of driving Realized Cost and Schedule Savings.
  • The MBBd must be a self-motivated individual who possesses the ability to analyze, organize, plan and prioritize assignments/tasks to achieve positive results. This position requires effective interaction with a broad spectrum of people to successfully support operations, customer requirements and the corporate strategic vision
  • Participates as a strategic thought partner with workstream / business leadership teams
  • Aligns overall productivity project pipeline with annual financial plan and leadership objectives
  • Ensures workstream / functional areas are resourced in alignment with their expected annual business and financial contribution
  • Assess workstreams to develop gap analysis and plan to close the gaps. (Better resource management, training needed, identify process gaps)
  • Provide support for Black Belts, Green Belts and operational SME leads to ensure principles of the PPS & Lean Six Sigma are understood, utilized and implemented in project work.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:
  • To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Qualifications

Requirements - Required and/or Preferred

Education:
  • Required: Accredited Black Belt. Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or relevant Engineering discipline
  • Preferred: Master's Degree in Engineering or a related field

Essential Requirements:
  • Proven track record in operational roles in a Production/Manufacturing environment
  • Minimum of 6+ years of Operational excellence/continuous improvement experience with 2+ years as a full time Black Belt/Lean practitioner or Industrial Engineering.
  • Ability to lead and drive organizational and systematic change
  • Knowledge and experience with quality concepts and tools such as value stream mapping, business process re-design, kaizen, continuous improvement, lean thinking, cycle time reduction, etc.
  • Lean Manufacturing knowledge required and ability to implement lean manufacturing tools and methodologies I.E. FMEA (Failure Mode Effects Analysis), Kaizen/A3 (continuous improvement and problem solving) Process mapping, value stream mapping, and Poka Yoke (error proofing) techniques
  • Strong technical background, including high volume manufacturing environment and project management skills
  • Competent in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Visio and Minitab (or other similar software)
  • Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
  • Ability to learn and understand complex equipment capabilities, operation/material flow, and data flow
  • Ability to successfully manage multiple projects

Preferred:
  • Implementation/Management of Production System I.E: Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Toyota Production System (TPS)

Preferred License(s):
  • None

Preferred Certification(s):
  • None

Physical Activities: (Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to)
  • Sit: 20%
  • Walk: 40%
  • Stand: 20%
  • Lift: 20%

Tools and/or Equipment: (Required frequency is: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%, Continuous (67-100%)
  • Keyboard/Computer: Continuous
  • Office Equipment: Continuous
  • Phone Continuous

Required Lifting and Carrying: (Required frequency is: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%, Continuous (67-100%)
  • Up to 10 lbs.: Frequent
  • Up to 20 lbs.: Frequent
  • Up to 35 lbs.: Frequent
  • Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Frequent

Benefits & Perks - What's In It For You:

Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:
  • Health Benefits - Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
  • Voluntary Benefits - Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
  • Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) - 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
  • Paid Time-Off Benefits - Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
  • Educational Assistance - Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
  • Health Management and Wellbeing Programs -Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources. Available to eligible employees starting the first day of the month following your start date. Eligibility for each benefit may vary based on employment status, location, and length of service.
  • Employee Recognition Program - High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
  • Annual Bonus Program - Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.
  • On-site Food Options: Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on-site vendor visits and employee events.

Where You'll Be:

For our onsite roles, Panasonic Energy is committed to fostering an ideal working environment that goes beyond the conventional. We understand the significance of moments that matter in your onsite experience, and we prioritize creating a workspace that not only promotes productivity but also ensures a fulfilling and positive work atmosphere. Join us at Panasonic Energy, where your onsite presence is valued, and we strive to make each moment count in your professional journey.

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About Panasonic

Panasonic Corporation is a multinational electronics company based in Osaka, Japan. The company was founded in 1918 as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Panasonic Corporation in 2008. Panasonic produces a wide range of products, including televisions, home appliances, cameras, audio equipment, and automotive electronics. The company also provides business solutions, such as security systems, communication systems, and energy solutions. Panasonic has operations in over 160 countries and employs over 259,000 people.
Learn more about Panasonic
Size
240,198 employees
Industry
Founded
1979
NASDAQ

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