Operational Excellence Specialist

Operational Excellence Specialist

Position Summary

The Operational Excellence Specialist is a salaried (support) leader responsible for developing and sustaining a highly skilled, self-directed hourly workforce in an automotive seat manufacturing environment. This position bridges union hourly (Core) employees and plant leadership by providing hands-on training, coaching, and continuous improvement support.

Drawing on prior experience as a union hourly team member, this role ensures employees are trained to build high-quality seats efficiently, fosters strong team ownership through self-directed work teams, and drives engagement and visual management on the plant floor.

Key Responsibilities

1. Hourly Workforce Training & Development

• Train      new and existing hourly employees on:
  • Standardized       work instructions
  • Quality       requirements and defect prevention
  • Safe       and efficient seat assembly processes
• Certify      employees on job tasks and maintain training records
• Identify      skill gaps and coordinate targeted retraining

2. Onboarding Support

• Lead      structured onboarding for new hires including:
  • Safety       protocols
  • Plant       processes and expectations
  • Hands-on       production training
• Partner      with HR and production leadership to accelerate time-to-productivity

3. Team Leader Development

• Train      and coach hourly team leaders on:
  • Leadership       fundamentals (communication, accountability, conflict resolution)
  • Production       tracking and escalation processes
  • Continuous       improvement principles
• Serve      as a mentor and resource for emerging leaders

4. Self-Directed Work Team (SDWT) Leadership

• Facilitate      development of self-directed teams by:
  • Teaching       problem-solving tools (root cause analysis, 5 Whys)
  • Promoting       ownership of quality, safety, and productivity
  • Supporting       team-led decision making and accountability

5. Visual Management & Shop Floor Excellence

• Lead      implementation and sustainment of:
  • Visual       work instructions
  • Production       boards (SQDC: Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost)
  • Andon       systems and escalation processes
• Audit      adherence to visual standards and drive improvements

6. Employee Engagement & Culture

• Strengthen      engagement through:
  • Daily       interaction and coaching on the floor
  • Recognition       of employee contributions
  • Support       of team-based initiatives and feedback loops
• Act as      a trusted liaison between hourly employees and leadership

7. Continuous Improvement Support

• Participate      in Kaizen events and process improvement initiatives
• Assist      in reducing waste, rework, and inefficiencies
• Reinforce      lean manufacturing principles

Qualifications

Required

• Previous      experience as a union hourly employee in automotive or similar      manufacturing
• Direct      experience building automotive seats or similar assemblies
• Strong      understanding of plant operations and production processes
• Demonstrated      ability to train and mentor others
• Excellent      communication and interpersonal skills

Preferred

• Experience      with lean manufacturing principles
• Experience      leading or participating in self-directed work teams
• Knowledge      of quality systems (e.g., error-proofing, standardized work)

Key Competencies

• Leadership      without authority
• Coaching      and facilitation
• Process      discipline
• Problem-solving
• Employee      engagement
• Change      management

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Training      certification completion rate
• Time-to-productivity      for new hires
• First-Time      Quality (FTQ)
• Scrap      and rework rates
• Labor      efficiency / throughput
• Employee      engagement scores
• Internal      promotion rate for team leaders

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL ABILITIES:

Work performed in an office and manufacturing plant environments. Normal mobility to move around an office environment, able to conduct normal amount of work at a computer. Continuously walks and stands. Frequently performs fine finger movements, grips/grasps, push/pulls, bends/stops, and lifts and carries parts up to thirty (30) lbs. Must be available to work any shift as well as weekends and holidays as needed.

Training Requirements:

Orientation Sign-off

LM Compliance Policies

Safety Training

Department Training Requirements:

Training Checklist

This job description reflects management’s assignment of essential duties and responsibilities; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.