Continous Improvement Senior Manager

Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.

As a Continuous Improvement Senior Manager at Xylem, you will play a key strategic role in driving continuous improvement across the organization. You will lead a team of analysts and specialists, shape improvement strategies, and help optimize processes, reduce waste, and increase efficiency.

In this role, you will analyze current practices, lead improvement initiatives, and foster a culture of innovation and excellence. You will collaborate closely with leaders across the organization to ensure all improvement activities align with business goals. Your leadership will be essential in sustaining long-term growth and competitiveness.

What you will do

Strategic Impact

• Support the definition and implementation of the Continuous Improvement (CI) corporate strategy and the overall site operations plan

• Help develop the local business and strengthen connections across site functions

• Build and support methods, systems, and metrics to achieve strategic goals

• Work with functional leaders to create a clear vision and drive successful deployment

• Promote and celebrate achievements to engage and motivate the organization

Process Improvement & Optimization

• Lead and coordinate improvement projects, facilitating cross-functional (and when needed cross-site) collaboration

• Identify and address bottlenecks and inefficiencies across processes

• Guide team members in solving challenges related to productivity, quality, and lead time

• Promote standard work to simplify operations and improve output quality

• Ensure alignment and integration across improvement initiatives

Project Management

• Coordinate projects of varying size and complexity, ensuring delivery within scope and timelines

• Support teams with Lean problem-solving methodologies and foster strong teamwork

• Build business cases and perform financial analyses to measure impact and benefits

• Communicate effectively with stakeholders and proactively manage risks

• Track progress and results to meet the annual operating plan

• Identify new improvement opportunities and prioritize initiatives based on business value

Training & Development

• Identify and develop future project team members within the organization

• Train colleagues in Lean Six Sigma (LSS) tools to expand CI capabilities

• Coach colleagues leading improvement initiatives and support their certification journey

• Capture and share best practices to scale successful improvements

What you bring

• A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field

• 6–8 years of leadership experience in manufacturing or operations (automotive experience is a plus)

• 8+ years of hands-on Lean experience, including process and material flow improvements

• Proven success in leading value stream transformations with measurable business impact

• Experience with mapping tools such as VSM, process mapping, and swimlane diagrams

• At least 4 years of experience with Pull Systems, PFEP, TPM, and SMED

• Exposure to digital transformation, Industry 4.0, and data-driven decision-making (AI tools are a plus)

• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate across all levels

• Solid project management and leadership capabilities

• Fluency in English (written and spoken)

• An agile mindset, positive energy, and a people-oriented approach

• Strong skills in change management, conflict resolution, and business thinking

• A willingness to take on challenges and drive results

Preferred qualifications

• Lean certification from a recognized organization

• Project Management certification

Everyone’s Equal Value

At Xylem, we believe diversity, equality, and inclusion are essential to who we are and how we grow. We want you to feel welcome, respected, and empowered to d