AOS - Lean Improvement​/Expert

Company Overview

Airbus Americas, Inc. is seeking a AOS - Lean Improvement Expert to join our team based in Kinston, NC. The position is a direct hire, on-site role, with a professional experience level and a focus on improvement and performance management.

United States, North Carolina, Kinston.

US - Direct Hire, On-site.

• Financial Rewards: Competitive base salary, incentive compensation (potential profit‑sharing), retirement savings plan, and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
• Work/Life Balance: Paid time off, personal time, holidays, and a generous paid parental leave program.
• Health & Welfare: Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical (including high‑deductible plans), prescription, dental, vision, life, disability, and Employee Assistance Plan (EAP).
• Individual Development: Upskilling and development opportunities through Airbus Global Leadership University, unlimited access to 10,000+ e‑learning courses, accelerated development programmes, and both national and international mobility.

Deployment – 50%

• Contribute directly to the Airbus industrial strategy by defining and deploying ways of working within operational teams and influencing plant management teams.
• Improve business efficiency and results by advising plant stakeholders at managerial levels on business priorities and optimal use of standards, methods, and associated behaviors.
• Identify and trigger new Lean/AOS standards or deploy existing ones that best match manufacturing area needs.
• Pilot lean/AOS standard implementations with a "we do, you do" approach.
• Set up governance and steering at all levels, securing deployment roadmaps and a consolidated AOS architecture strategy.
• Contribute to key projects on ad hoc top‑management requests, ensuring tangible benefits and sustainable long‑term performance.
• Facilitate workshops on topics such as vision, Hoshin Kanri, macro VSM, business VSM, kaizen, etc.
• Run and facilitate Gemba and shop‑floor exercises coaching senior management.

Development, Industrial Assessment and Diagnosis – 20%

• Support the development of Lean/AOS standards through the six‑phase methodology (Stake, Standard way of working, Pilot, Learning solution, Deployment plan, Assessment).
• Assess standard implementation levels via an implementation checklist.
• Lead industrial maturity assessments integrating operations performance and AOS standard adherence.
• Lead industrial task forces for diagnosis, solution definition, implementation, and results achievement.
• Advise managers on performance improvement through specific AOS diagnoses (macro‑VSM, shop‑floor observations, etc.).

Coaching, Influencing and Training – 30%

• Design and deliver on‑the‑job coaching for the AOS deployment architecture strategy with operational and local teams.
• Develop strategies for coaching, mentoring, and training regarding change management, lean, and AOS standards/tools.
• Transfer knowledge to manufacturing areas and stakeholders, building autonomy and continuous improvement capability.
• Facilitate or co‑lead training development and deployment.
• Identify and escalat competence gaps to top management.
• Promote internal best practices and external benchmarking across extended manufacturing communities.

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering.
• 7–10 years of lean/continuous improvement experience with tangible results.
• Solid knowledge of manufacturing processes, production management, and industrialization principles.
• Experienced in project management, including multi‑functional teams and financial aspects.
• Demonstrated operational experience in implementing and optimizing industrial systems.
• Strong communication, active listening, proactive problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Proven coaching and training competencies, leadership, assertiveness, and influence.
• Fluency in local language mandatory / English at negotiation level.
• 10% domestic and international travel.
• Eligible for employment in the US.

• APICS basic level, Six Sigma/Lean Black Belt, Kepner‑Tregoe or equivalent certification preferred.
• Ability to train managers, technicians,…