Continuous Improvement Specialist

The Continuous Improvement Specialist is the site’s primary problem solver and source of continuous improvement expertise. The role applies structured continuous improvement methods and data driven analysis to close gaps in safety, quality, throughput, delivery, and cost, and owns improvement work end to end rather than executing tasks handed down. The role is also the site owner of the digital performance platform, L2L or Redzone per site standard, and is accountable for the integrity of the data that platform produces.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is the primary measure of site performance and the common language this role is expected to establish, teach, and defend.

The expectation is analysis and countermeasure, not data entry and reporting. Where a number is entered, the CI Specialist is accountable for what that number means and what is being done about it.

The CI Specialist also works closely with site leadership and the CI Director to ensure site CI projects align with broader Novus CI strategy and standards.

• Work with site and CI leadership to plan and facilitate the rollout of new or revised CI processes at the site, supporting adoption through training, coaching, and follow up.
• Support and maintain (or create, if absent) the CIL and daily huddle owner training program at the site, including keeping materials current as equipment and standards change, retraining owners as turnover requires, delivering refresher sessions, and tracking completion and effectiveness.
• Build and maintain visual management boards and aids with operators and supervisors, keeping content current as products, lines, and standards change.
• Coach, teach and mentor system owners on principles of Lean manufacturing emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement, how CI practices can influence and improve daily production, and create efficiency in workflow
• Serve as the site owner of the digital performance platform, L2L or Redzone per the site standard set by the Director of Continuous Improvement, including configuration, user access, and daily use as the plant’s operating language.
• Partner with site and CI leadership to determine the appropriate level of platform administrative access for each user group, and maintain user access in line with that direction.
• Own the accuracy and integrity of the data inside the platform, including downtime coding, standard and theoretical rate settings, and shift level completeness; including auditing on a defined cadence and correction at the source of error.
• Own Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) at the site, including the Availability, Performance, and Quality components, and be able to explain and defend what each number represents at line, shift, and site level.
• Partner with site leadership and Engineering to determine which lines and assets are included in the site OEE calculation per enterprise standard.
• Govern the standard and theoretical rates that OEE is calculated against, and lead the initial review when a rate is challenged, changed, or newly established, build the supporting case, and present the recommendation for final approval by the CI Manager or Sr. CI Specialist where one is in place, or by the Site Leader and the Director of Continuous Improvement where one is not.
• Build, track, and publish site KPIs including OEE, downtime, quality, delivery, and cost, through the site standard platform and through floor owned visual boards.
• Provide the site level OEE number and the supporting detail behind it to the CI Manager or Sr. CI Specialist where one is in place, or to the Site Leader and the Director of Continuous Improvement where one is not, and remain accountable for accuracy at the line and…