Operational Excellence Manager

Location: Sedro-Woolley, WA - Ferry St 222 Ferry St, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284, USA

• Pay or shift range: $115,000 USD to $140,000 USD
  . The estimated range is the budgeted amount for this position. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, location, qualifications and other job-related reasons.

Janicki Industries is an innovative, family-owned aerospace company located at the foot of the Cascades. We focus on engineering and manufacturing complex projects for companies in the aerospace, defense, and space industries.
We are looking for an Operational Excellence Manager to join our growing team.

The Operational Excellence (OE) team partners with every part of Janicki to drive improved documentation, training, and standardization in support of our engineering and manufacturing processes. We identify inefficiencies, build scalable solutions, and equip teams across the organization to do their best work as Janicki continues to grow. As the OE Manager, you will lead a team focused on optimizing documentation, delivering ongoing training, and partnering with internal customers to build new training programs that scale with our growing portfolio.

You'll coach and develop a high-performing team, manage a portfolio of improvement projects from intake through delivery, and help shape the OE strategy alongside the Director. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, manufacturing, and operations — and we're looking for a leader who brings technical credibility alongside strong people and program leadership skills. If you enjoy leading people, building strong cross‑functional partnerships across operations, engineering, and administrative teams, and creating a better tomorrow — you've found the right place.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

This position is located on‑site in Sedro‑Woolley, Washington State.

The following essential job functions are performed as an Operational Excellence Manager
:

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of OE professionals, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, regular 1:1s, and career development planning.
• Build team capacity and capability over time by identifying skill gaps, providing stretch opportunities, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Set clear expectations, provide timely feedback, and recognize team contributions.

Program & Project Delivery

• Manage the OE project portfolio, ensuring milestones are met while actively managing scope, budget, and risks to delivery.
• Own the OE program budget, including forecasting, tracking, and reporting against plan.
• Establish and track key performance indicators (e.g., training completion and effectiveness, documentation adoption, project cycle time) to measure team and program impact.
• Drive change management activities to support adoption of new documentation, processes, and training across the organization.

Stakeholder Partnership

• Partner with engineering, manufacturing, operations, and administrative leaders to understand technical and operational pain points, identify trends, and prioritize improvement opportunities.
• Solicit and refine requirements from internal customers to shape the OE delivery roadmap.
• Routinely review priorities with stakeholders to ensure the team is executing against the highest‑value work.
• Communicate program status, risks, and outcomes clearly and consistently to team members, peers, the Director, and executive leadership.

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum 3 years of direct people management experience, including hiring, performance management, and team development.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross‑functional projects or programs from concept through delivery.
• Prior experience working in or directly supporting an engineering, manufacturing, or other technical operations environment, with the ability to engage credibly with engineering and manufacturing leaders on technical topics.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging from technician to executive audiences.
• Proven ability to navigate ambiguous environments and translate organizational vision into clear direction and priorities for a team.
• Embodies and fosters a…