Continuous Improvement Manager

The Continuous Improvement Manager is responsible for driving operational excellence initiatives across the organization's aviation distribution, warehousing, and manufacturing network. This role serves as a change agent, partnering with operations, supply chain, quality, engineering, and leadership teams to improve safety, quality, delivery, inventory performance, productivity, and cost. The ideal candidate will be a hands-on Lean practitioner with experience leading cross-functional process improvement initiatives across multiple locations.

This individual will deploy Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving methodologies to eliminate waste, improve customer service levels, optimize inventory flow, and build a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organization.

This position is based at our Corporate Headquarters in Wood Dale, IL, with a planned relocation to the Merchandise Mart (Chicago) in early 2027.

What you will be responsible for:

* Develop and execute the company's Continuous Improvement strategy aligned with business goals.

* Lead Lean transformation initiatives across distribution, warehouse, and manufacturing operations.

* Facilitate Kaizen events, Value Stream Mapping workshops, Gemba walks, and root cause analysis activities.

* Drive measurable improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Inventory, and Productivity metrics.

* Serve as the organization's subject matter expert on Lean Manufacturing and Operational Excellence principles.

* Analyze operational processes to identify bottlenecks, waste, inefficiencies, and cost reduction opportunities. Improve warehouse layout, material flow, inventory management, receiving, picking, packing, and shipping processes.

* Partner with supply chain teams to improve forecasting, inventory accuracy, cycle counting, and replenishment strategies.

* Support facility expansions, automation projects, and process standardization initiatives.

* Develop and implement standard work and best practices across multiple sites.

* Establish and maintain operational KPIs and visual management systems.

* Utilize data analysis to identify trends, drive accountability, and prioritize improvement opportunities.

* Develop dashboards and reporting tools to measure project impact and financial savings.

* Present performance updates and recommendations to executive leadership.

* Build Continuous Improvement capability throughout the organization through coaching and training.

* Lead employee engagement efforts supporting Lean culture adoption.

* Mentor managers and supervisors in problem-solving methodologies and leadership behaviors.

* Support organizational change initiatives and ensure sustainability of improvement efforts.

* Support improvement initiatives within aviation distribution and manufacturing environments.

* Ensure processes comply with applicable quality, safety, regulatory, and customer requirements.

* Collaborate with Quality and Supply Chain teams to improve supplier and inventory performance supporting aviation customers.

What you need to be successful in this role:

* Bachelors degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business, or related field.

* 5 years of Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, or Industrial Engineering experience.

* Demonstrated success leading multi-site process improvement projects.

* Strong knowledge of Lean principles, including:
Kaizen Value Stream Mapping 5S Standard Work Kanban Root Cause Analysis Visual Management PDCA

* Experience working in warehousing, distribution, manufacturing, or supply chain environments.

* Advanced Microsoft Excel and data analysis skills.

* Ability to travel up to 50%.

* Preferred

Experience with in aviation, aerospace, defense, MRO, or aviation distribution industries.

* Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification. AS9100, ISO
9001, FAA, or aviation quality system experience.

* Experience with ERP, WMS, and business intelligence tools such as Power BI.

* Foundational SQL knowledge.

* Multi-site operations experience.

* Performance Metrics Success in this role will be measured by:
Productivity improvements Cost savings…