Operational Excellence Project Manager

Lehi Valley Trading Company is a family owned business based in East Mesa. We specialize in snack food wholesale, private labeling and retail brands. We have nearly 30 years of experience in the food industry and manufacture many of our items such as granola, popcorn, brittle and trail mix at our facilities.

The Operational Excellence Manager (Op Ex) is responsible for leading the transformation of the organization towards a Lean enterprise and build and sustain a culture of continuous improvement and company’s business processes efficiently and effectively to meet or exceed expectations. They will act as a Change Agent and Champion where the scope will cover Production Systems, Quality Systems, LEAN Manufacturing and other Continuous Improvement initiatives. The manager will develop tools, implement designs, and integrate continuous improvement strategy throughout the organization, to achieve goals in cost, quality, safety, velocity and delivery improvements.

* Owns and drives continuous improvement programs and best practices around quality, service, safety, yield, performance, costs, and productivity targets to gain efficiencies in equipment, staff or facilities. Prioritizes, manages and monitors these activities to gain financial, staff and facility resources efficiencies. Includes improvement initiatives with supply chain, production, warehousing and distribution of products. * Develops and leads formalized training in Lean concepts and methodologies, as well as training on event roles using applications of Lean principles such as Value Stream Mapping, Single Piece Flow, 5S, Visual Factory Management, Total Productive Maintenance, Continuous Improvement Process, Kaizen, Six Sigma, Communication Tools, Statistical Problem Solving. Implement continuous improvement activities to support site strategies. * Manages the funnel of continuous improvement events and other related projects. managing all facility quality programs, and implementing Continuous Improvement (CI) methods to drive out waste and improve productivity. * Sets the direction for CI and will take the lead in fostering the professional development of facility Leads, Supervisors, and Managers by being a leading, proactive change agent that drives a Continuous Improvement culture. * Works with the employee population to derive Lean improvements in manufacturing and transactional processes/technologies to reduce waste, variation and cost. * Coaches, trains and consults with plant leadership/personnel on all aspects of the following; Standardized work, production leveling, Kaizen, 5S, SMED, TPM, JIT, automation, value stream * Evaluates new product of processes for appropriate 'lean' application * Creates and implements an effective method of measuring and communicating results * Assists functional areas in identifying key metrics and validating savings related to events. * Coaches, mentors and supports colleagues in achievement of improvement activity and targets. * Develops training materials and effectively deliver those materials in a team environment to ensure employees * Develops constructive and cooperative relationships with other senior leaders. Acts as a liaison with Sales to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction in helping to address customer concerns. * Encourages and motivates the workforce towards a positive work environment by building mutual trust, respect and cooperation among team members.

* BA/BS in business, industrial management, engineering, or quality management; or a 4-year technical degree in related discipline. Lean training and/or Six Sigma Black, Green, Yellow Belt certifications are very helpful * 3+ years’ experience leading or driving Continuous Improvement/Lean initiatives in a manufacturing environment. * Experience in a manufacturing environment, with some of those years in a leadership/supervisory role * Strong background in problem solving, planning, and organization. * Highly developed problem solving and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. * Experience with change management principles and demonstrated ability to drive and manage the change process * Capability to develop and coach individuals to higher performance * Must have food safety knowledge and experience in areas such as FDA, GMP, SQF, and HACCP. * Must have excellent communication skills both oral and written to convey information or ideas effectively and the ability demonstrate active listening skills. Must have excellent communication delivery and technique to present information or changes to the masses. * Must demonstrate critical thinking skills using logic and reasoning skills to identify the challenges and opportunities of alternative options. * Must have strong skills in negotiation, persuasion, and influence to facilitate large teams. * Must have excellent judgement and decision making skills to be successful in considering relative costs and benefits of actions and take positive financial decisions. * Must have excellent interpersonal relationships to be able to develop constructive and cooperative working relationships across the business. Be able to deal calmly, and effectively with high stress situations. * Must have experience in motivating, developing and directing people. Must be able to encourage and build mutual trust, respect and cooperation among team members. Must have the successful experience in creating an environment that brings employees together and reconcile differences. Must also have some training/instructional experience appropriate to mentor and provide guidance to staff. * Must have excellent time management skills. * Must have advanced knowledge and skills in computers Excel, Outlook, Internet browsing and practical application of mathematics to solve problems. * Must have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record.