Lean Leader Materials Manufacturing

Job Description Summary

As the Materials Lean Leader for the Greenville factory and warehouse, you will lead the development, execution, and sustainment of a Lean Materials GE Vernova’s Gas Power business manufactures some of the most technically complex components in the energy industry — including turbine buckets, nozzles, shrouds, and coatings that operate under extreme conditions inside the world’s most advanced gas turbines. At our Greenville, SC facility, we’re building out a dedicated Center of Excellence (COE) model for our materials function, and we’re hiring a Materials Lean Leader to anchor the Hot Gas Path COE.

This is not a desk role. You will be a lean practitioner and coach who works shoulder-to-shoulder with materials planners, warehouse teams, and production operators to design and sustain the material flow systems that keep a high-complexity manufacturing floor running on schedule. You will own the lean materials roadmap for your COE, drive the bridge between materials planning and operations, and serve as the primary problem-solver when flow breaks down.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the lean materials roadmap for the Hot Gas Path COE, aligning improvement initiatives with site targets for inventory turns, line-side waste reduction, and schedule attainment
• Redesign material delivery processes using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to systematically eliminate non-value-added steps from dock to point of use
• Architect and implement Pull/Kanban systems — setting replenishment logic, sizing supermarkets, and configuring signals within the SAP/ERP environment
• Drive daily management routines for materials; serve as the first-call resource for material flow bottlenecks and schedule attainment issues
• Lead tactical improvement initiatives including warehouse layout optimization, water-spider route design, and Heijunka (level loading) of material deliveries
• Coach and develop warehouse staff and production planners on lean material disciplines — building the capability and standard work needed to sustain gains long after the kaizen event ends
• Create synergy between materials planning and operations — this role is a critical integration point, not a purchasing function
• Execute the site’s lean materials strategy, focusing specifically on increasing inventory turns and reducing line-side waste.
• Drive the redesign of material delivery processes using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to identify and eliminate non-value-added steps from the dock to the point of use.
• Architect and implement end-to-end Pull/Kanban systems. You will be responsible for setting the logic, sizing the supermarkets, and managing the replenishment signals within our ERP/SAP environment.
• Lead daily management routines for materials. You will be the point person for solving material flow bottlenecks and ensuring schedule attainment through standard work.
• Plan and deliver tactical initiatives, including warehouse layout optimization, water-spider route implementation, and Heijunka (level loading) of material deliveries.
• Provide hands‑on coaching to warehouse staff and planners on lean material disciplines, ensuring that new processes are standardized and sustained.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain, Operations, or related field (OR High School Diploma/GED with 10+ years of manufacturing experience).
• Minimum of 5 years of dedicated experience inLean Materials Manage mentor high-volume
  
  In-Plant Logistics.
• Hands‑on proficiency in SAP/ERP systems, specifically regarding material master data, inventory logic, and replenishment settings.

Desired Characteristics:

• Exposure to or experience in a supply chain environment supporting precision-machined components (e.g., turbine blades/buckets, nozzles, aerospace components, or similar high‑complexity parts)

• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt (or equivalent), with demonstrated application to supply chain or material flow projects

• Strong understanding of inventory control strategies and the relationship between material velocity and operational cost

• Experience influencing cross‑functional teams — this role requires the ability to bring warehouse, planning, and production…