Continuous Improvement Manager

We’re Watts. Together, we’re reimagining the future of water.

We feel proud every day about what we do. We're all part of the same crucial mission, no matter what function we support -- it's to provide safe, clean water for the world, and to protect our planet's most valuable resource.

What we do:

For 150 years, Watts has built best-in-class products that are trusted by customers in residential and commercial settings across the world. We are at the forefront of innovation, working with cutting-edge technology to provide smart and connected, sustainable water solutions for the future. Watts is a leading brand with a quality reputation — and we have a dynamic future ahead.​

This highly motivated and results-driven individual, as part of the Operations/CI Leadership team, will be responsible for leading and driving Continuous Improvement (CI) thinking and behaviors across an entire Watts site. The Continuous Improvement Manager enables lean transformation at all levels by training, coaching, and directly applying lean principles and tools to all business functions within Watts value streams.
This position is responsible for supervision of 4 Direct Reports: 2 CI Techs and 2 Moonshiners.
This position reports to the Plant Manager. This role is onsite and based in St. Pauls, NC.

Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Act as a change agent, systematically driving a CI culture.
• Lead and manage all standardized CI activities across the site, aligned with the Watts CI business system.
• Facilitate strategy deployment and goal deployment across all site functions and multiple value streams.
• Maintain a site-wide lean roadmap aimed at meeting site business goals and evolving CI culture, with an ongoing focus on improving productivity, quality, delivery and customer allegiance.
• Champion, measure and report on site productivity savings to meet AOP goals.
• Lead kaizen and lean workshops for site leaders and associates, effectively training on and employing techniques such as VSM, daily management, standard work, problem solving, 3P/layout, cell design, material flow, TPM, SMED, 5S and visual management.
• Identify and prioritize business opportunities for improvement.
• Identify internal and external best practices and share across the site and Watts.
• Lead site CI steering committee and facilitate the development and maintenance of an ongoing improvement project funnel, being filled from all areas of the business.
• Facilitate the ongoing development of a healthy cross-functional group of qualified CI practitioners and lean leaders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree; technical engineering discipline or equivalent experience.
• Formal CI training and certification – Black Belt preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing processes with a focus on hands-on lean kaizen, including VSM, daily management, standard work, cell design, material flow, TPM, SMED, Six Sigma, 3P/layout, 5S and visual management.
• Solid understanding of lean principle and lean technical/tools skills, project management experience and decision-making capability.
• Working knowledge of multiple business functions, including operations, quality, logistics, finance, sales, customer service, engineering, IT and human resources.
• Experience leading strategy deployment and goal deployment and developing a site-side lean roadmap with demonstrated results.
• Proven track record training and coaching a formal problem-solving methodology and leading and coaching a variety of kaizen teams with an emphasis on execution.
• Ability to influence cross-functional site leadership, with excellent written and verbal communication skills; well respected by leadership and associates.
• Proven leadership skills to coach and lead teams to fully deliver chartered objectives and projects.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills and the ability to be a self-starter and handle multiple tasks concurrently.
• Advanced problem-solving capabilities, attention to detail and numerical aptitude.
• Advanced computer proficiency in Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• The ability to travel less than 25% of the time.

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
• Experience with multi-site CI leadership or enterprise-level lean initiatives.
• Exposure to both office and manufacturing environments, with proven ability to drive change in both.

General Applicable Company Competencies

• Commitment to Watts’ values of integrity, accountability, continuous improvement and innovation, and transparency.