Continuous Improvement Manager - Centralia, MO

About the Role

The Continuous Improvement Manager will lead the development, execution, and sustainment of Lean initiatives across the Centralia campus, supporting the Lineman Tools & Equipment and Civil & Construction product lines. This role collaborates closely with Operations, Materials, Engineering, Maintenance, and Supervisors to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost through structured problem‑solving and process optimization. The manager is responsible for building a strong continuous improvement (CI) culture, developing standard work, supporting model areas, and driving measurable improvements aligned with Hubbell Manufacturing System (HMS) expectations. • Lead Lean and CI strategy development across all three factories on the Centralia campus. • Identify, prioritize, and manage improvement projects tied to plant goals such as safety, quality, output, overtime, cost, and inventory. • Establish and maintain CI standards, templates, tools, and documentation for use across departments. • Teach and coach the organization on Lean principles including 5S, value stream mapping, standard work, visual management, and problem‑solving. • Build and sustain model areas, including 5S, red‑tag programs, min/max systems, and visual factory displays. • Partner with department leaders to create and maintain standard work in all production areas. • Facilitate kaizen events, root‑cause investigations, and cross‑functional workshops. • Develop and manage CI metrics, ensuring performance is tracked, reviewed, and communicated clearly. • Support Operations and Materials teams by evaluating flow constraints, capacity gaps, waste, and bottlenecks. • Coach supervisors and leads on daily management practices, tier boards, and continuous improvement behaviors. • Provide data analysis, time studies, and process mapping to support improvement recommendations. • Assist in planning equipment layout improvements, process changes, and workflow redesign. • Partner with the Training Supervisor to incorporate core Lean concepts into new‑employee onboarding. • Develop training materials, workshops, and hands‑on exercises to strengthen CI knowledge plant‑wide. • Support employee engagement through problem‑solving coaching, suggestion systems, and recognition of improvement wins.

Key Responsibilities

• ▸lean strategy
• ▸kaizen events
• ▸ci metrics
• ▸process mapping
• ▸standard work
• ▸visual management

What You Bring

Expected outcomes include stronger daily management routines with clear visibility of departmental performance, measurable improvements in safety, quality, output, overtime, and material flow, and reduced waste through standard work and visual management. Sustainable 5S and model areas will set plant‑wide performance expectations, while increased engagement from supervisors, leads, and operators will drive ongoing problem‑solving and continuous improvement. The role prefers a Bachelor’s degree and requires 3–5+ years of manufacturing experience with a proven Lean or continuous improvement background. Candidates must have strong facilitation and coaching skills, the ability to implement CI tools such as 5S, standard work, kaizen, A3, and root‑cause problem solving, and strong analytical abilities to use data for decision‑making. Experience collaborating with Operations, Materials, Engineering, or Maintenance teams is essential, and CI/Lean certification (HMS, Six Sigma, or equivalent) is preferred.

Requirements

• ▸bachelor's
• ▸lean
• ▸5s
• ▸kaizen
• ▸six sigma
• ▸analytical

Work Environment

Onsite