Director, Lean Supplier Excellence

At GE Appliances, a Haier company, we come together to make “good things, for life.”  As the fastest-growing appliance company in the U.S., we’re powered by creators, thinkers and makers who believe that anything is possible and that there’s always a better way.  We believe in the power of our people and in giving them the freedom to explore, discover and build good things, together.  

The GE Appliances philosophy, backed by three simple commitments defines the way we work, invent, create, do business, and serve our communities: we come together, we always look for a better way, and we create possibilities. 

Interested in joining us on our journey? 

The Director – Lean Supplier Excellence is a senior leadership role within GE Appliances’ Supplier Quality Organization, with dotted-line collaboration to the Central Lean Manufacturing Team.
This position leads a team focused on creating the best processes and supply chain designs for our incoming purchased materials; specializing in Molding Excellence, Labor Excellence, Material Flow Excellence, Advanced Manufacturing, and Supplier Productivity and is also responsible for guiding enterprise initiatives, including incorporating AI into Supplier Quality.
This role is critical to GE Appliances’ success in supplier capacity, cost competitiveness, operational growth, and lean maturity, and offers frequent engagement with senior leadership across GE Appliances and key suppliers.

Position

Director, Lean Supplier Excellence

Location

USA, Louisville, KY

How You'll Create Possibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Leadership

• Develop a multi-year Hoshin plan to advance supplier capabilities and sustain a culture of continuous improvement across all Lean Supplier Excellence disciplines.
• Set and align strategic priorities for supplier performance improvement with enterprise goals for cost, quality, delivery, and productivity.
• Partner with Sourcing, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Product Management to define and execute strategies for:
  • Expansion of the Container Management Center strategy.
  • Operationalization of Packaging Engineers and integration into NPI and supplier support processes.
  • Supplier-Held Equipment strategy development and governance.
  • Sub-assembly development programs.
  • Standard work creation and tolling enablement across suppliers.
  • Acceleration and tracking of productivity initiatives across the supplier network.
• Leverage the Appliance Production System (APS) roadmap to guide both su/pplier-facing and internal SQ initiatives.

Internal Process & System Improvement

• Lead the design and deployment of SQ processes, tools, and systems that improve efficiency, standardization, and performance visibility.
• Lead the AI initiative across SQ organization to generate and implement use cases for SQ process improvements and efficiencies.
• Develop dashboards, reporting mechanisms, and knowledge-sharing platforms to monitor and communicate progress on supplier productivity and lean transformation.
• Ensure process improvements are institutionalized across the Supplier Quality organization and connected functions.

Supplier Engagement & Lean Execution

• Oversee lean-based improvement activities across key suppliers to drive measurable results in cost, quality, delivery, and capacity.
• Ensure consistent use of best practices such as SMED, OEE measurement, TPM, PFEP, standard work, and value stream mapping.
• Drive transformation at supplier sites through coaching, APS assessments, and best practice deployment.

Education & Capability Development

• Create and implement structured training and education programs to raise lean IQ across Supplier Quality, Sourcing, and supplier teams.
• Mentor Senior Managers and their teams to deepen expertise in lean thinking, problem solving, and change leadership.
• Document and share best practices and lessons learned across all excellence areas.

Stakeholder & Change Leadership

• Influence and guide senior leaders within GE Appliances and supplier organizations to align on improvement priorities and investments.
• Represent Supplier Quality in enterprise-level forums, capital investment boards, and cross-functional transformation initiatives.

Champion a culture of innovation, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

What You'll Bring to Our Team

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply