Operations Improvement Manager

Location: Houston, TX

Schedule: Monday–Friday | Fully Onsite

Compensation: $124K–$150K + annual bonus. Bonus is paid out throughout the year and is approximately 10–12% of salary.

Benefits Overview and Costs:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• PTO
• 10 paid holidays
• Sick and vacation time
• Employees begin with 80 hours of sick time, accrued throughout the year

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an Operations Improvement Manager to lead continuous improvement and Lean initiatives across multiple manufacturing facilities. This is a high-impact opportunity for a hands-on Continuous Improvement professional who enjoys identifying operational inefficiencies, developing solutions, and driving measurable improvements across a manufacturing environment.

This position will serve as an internal change agent, partnering with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Safety, Sales, Administration, and Executive Leadership to improve productivity, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement.

This is currently an individual contributor position with no direct reports. The ideal candidate is comfortable working independently, influencing others without formal authority, and building the Continuous Improvement function from the ground up.

What You'll Do

• Lead the deployment and sustainment of a Lean Management System across multiple manufacturing locations.
• Develop and execute a multi-year Continuous Improvement strategy aligned with organizational objectives.
• Identify opportunities to improve plant productivity, quality, delivery, cost, and overall operational efficiency.
• Lead enterprise-wide Operational Excellence and Lean initiatives.
• Develop standardized Lean processes, systems, and best practices across manufacturing facilities.
• Facilitate hands-on Lean training for leaders and employees.
• Coach and influence cross-functional teams to drive sustainable process improvements.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Safety, and leadership to implement improvements.
• Analyze processes, identify root causes, and develop practical solutions that create measurable results.
• Help establish and grow the organization's Continuous Improvement function.
• As the function expands, provide leadership, coaching, and functional direction to Lean Coordinators supporting manufacturing operations.

What We're Looking For

Required:

• Bilingual Spanish/English required. A significant portion of the operations workforce is primarily Spanish-speaking.
• 5+ years of strong Continuous Improvement / Lean Manufacturing experience; approximately 10 years is ideal.
• Demonstrated experience driving continuous improvement initiatives within a manufacturing environment.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt required.
• Ability to work independently and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, facilitation, and change-management skills.
• Comfortable spending significant time working directly with manufacturing operations and plant personnel.

Preferred:

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
• SAP experience.
• Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) certification.
• Lean Manufacturing certification.
• OSHA 30 certification.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business, or a related technical discipline.

Ideal Background

The ideal candidate is a hands-on Continuous Improvement / Lean professional rather than a traditional Plant Manager. You may have managed people previously, but this role is specifically designed for someone who enjoys being the person who finds the problems, develops the solution, and works directly with the organization to implement the change.

The biggest focus will be driving continuous improvement across multiple plants and creating a leaner, more efficient operation. This is an opportunity to build the function and make a meaningful impact on how the organization operates.

Work Schedule

This is a fully onsite Monday–Friday position based in Houston, TX.

The schedule offers flexibility around:

• 7:00 AM–4:00 PM
• 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
• 9:00 AM–6:00 PM

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is a newly created role with significant visibility and the opportunity to build and shape the Continuous Improvement function across a growing manufacturing organization. You'll have the autonomy to identify opportunities, develop solutions, partner with leadership, and directly influence operational performance across multiple facilities.