Continuous Improvement Manager

• Location 4971 Millennium Drive,Winston-Salem, NC, 27107,United States
• Industry Manufacturing
• Employee Type FT Exempt
• Required Degree 4 Year Degree
• Travel 10%
• Manage Others Yes

With over 100 years’ accumulated experience, ZIEHL-ABEGG is the world leading fan and motor manufacturer. We are the proven leader in the fan and ventilation market, providing innovative and energy efficient solutions to our business partners and customers.

The Continuous Improvement Manager is responsible for leading and scaling enterprise-wide operational excellence initiatives across manufacturing and business functions. This role drives the design, implementation, and sustainability of Lean methodologies, process optimization, and performance management systems to improve productivity, quality, cost efficiency, and delivery performance. Building on established Continuous Improvement practices, this role elevates the function from project-based execution to a structured, data-driven operating system embedded across all departments.

• Develop and execute the Continuous Improvement (CI) roadmap aligned with business objectives and operational strategy.
• Lead the expansion and maturity of the company’s Lean system (e.g., ZAP – Ziehl-Abegg Process System) across all functions.
• Partner with senior leadership to identify enterprise improvement priorities and value capture opportunities.

• Champion Lean manufacturing principles including 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, and waste elimination across the organization.
• Establish standard work, visual management systems, and KPI frameworks to drive accountability and transparency.
• Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives that impact production flow, lead time, and cost optimization.

• Lead, coach, and develop the Continuous Improvement team; expand capability across departments through training and mentorship.
• Build a CI culture by identifying and developing site-level champions and functional leaders.
• Facilitate workshops, kaizen events, and problem-solving sessions at all organizational levels.

• Drive data-driven decision-making through analysis of production metrics, labor performance, and capacity utilization.
• Oversee time studies, line balancing, and workforce planning to optimize efficiency and throughput.
• Lead value stream mapping and end-to-end process redesign to improve material and information flow.

• Lead change management initiatives to ensure adoption and sustainability of new processes.
• Collaborate with department leaders, engineering, supply chain, and leadership teams on transformation initiatives.
• Present performance insights, project results, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Establish CI governance, project prioritization frameworks, and benefit tracking mechanisms.
• Standardize documentation, reporting, and benchmarking practices across sites.
• Ensure alignment with corporate operational excellence standards and global initiatives

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, or process improvement roles, including leadership experience. (Manager-level expectation based on role progression)
• Demonstrated expertise in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Master Black Belt or similar methodologies.
• Experience leading large-scale improvement initiatives across multiple departments or sites.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a data-driven mindset.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders and drive changes in a…