Senior Continuous Improvement Specialist

Onsite

Tualatin, Oregon

Salem, Oregon

Vancouver, Washington

Full time

Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.

Xylem is seeking a Senior Continuous Improvement Specialist to serve as a key change agent responsible for driving operational excellence and deploying the Xylem Production System (XPS) across the site. This role is ideal for an experienced Lean leader who is passionate about transforming operations, developing people, and delivering measurable business results.

You’ll partner closely with site leadership, functional teams, and frontline employees to eliminate waste, improve flow, increase productivity, and build a culture of continuous improvement. As the site's Lean expert, you’ll lead strategic improvement initiatives while coaching teams on Lean principles, structured problem-solving, and operational excellence methodologies.

• Lead the deployment, sustainment, and continuous improvement of the Xylem Production System (XPS).
• Facilitate Value Stream Mapping (VSM) activities to identify waste and improve end-to-end process flow.
• Implement Lean methodologies, including Continuous Flow Manufacturing, Pull Systems, Kanban, Standard Work, Visual Management, and Managing for Daily Improvement (MDI).
• Partner with site leadership to assess operational maturity and develop improvement roadmaps.

• Plan and facilitate Kaizen events focused on breakthrough improvements and rapid problem-solving.
• Drive operational excellence initiatives that improve safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, and cost performance.
• Establish metrics and reporting systems to measure the impact and sustainability of improvement efforts.
• Ensure continuous improvement projects achieve measurable business outcomes.

• Train and mentor leaders, supervisors, engineers, and frontline employees on Lean principles and continuous improvement tools.
• Coach teams in structured problem-solving methodologies, including 8-Step Problem Solving and Root Cause Analysis.
• Build internal capabilities and foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous learning.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to stakeholders across all levels of the organization.

• Utilize data and KPI management systems to identify opportunities and drive performance improvements.
• Ensure corrective and preventive actions are effectively implemented and sustained.
• Promote standardization and best practice sharing across departments and value streams.
• Support behavioral and cultural transformation toward operational excellence.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Business, or a related field.
• 5-8+ years of experience in Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, or a related discipline.
• Proven success leading Lean transformations and driving sustainable operational improvements in manufacturing or industrial environments.
• Strong expertise in:
• Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
• Lean Manufacturing
• Kaizen Facilitation
• Root Cause Analysis
• 8-Step Problem Solving
• Standard Work
• Kanban and Pull Systems
• Plan for Every Part (PFEP)
• Visual Management
• Managing for Daily Improvement (MDI)
• KPI and Performance Management Systems
• Exceptional coaching, facilitation, communication, and…