Head of Lean Management

Job Description

1. Strategy Deployment & Governance

• Lead the development and deployment of Plant Strategy through Hoshin Kanri (Policy Deployment).
• Facilitate strategic processes including Vision setting, Plant Strategies, Deployment Plans, Lean project pipelines, and follow‑up mechanisms.
• Conduct periodic Project Reviews and ensure alignment with SAM, ASC, PSS, and India-level management inputs.
• Track and report progress of initiatives including Lean Projects, Kaizens, Quality Circles, and CI activities.

2. Lean Management Leadership

• Consult, drive, and implement the Lean Management Strategy across the plant.
• Ensure improvement activities and resources are correctly aligned and deployed.
• Identify difficulties faced by Plant Coaches and plant management and provide coaching/support to overcome them, Lead Lean governance as the Plant Lean Coach and track LM budgets.

3. Lean Competency Development

• Develop Lean capabilities in the plant through structured training, certifications, and competency development programs.
• Identify training needs and develop an annual CBS (Corporate Business System) training calendar.
• Organize harmonization workshops for all Plant CBS Coaches.

4. Operational Excellence & KPI Improvement

• Drive improvements in:
  • LDC (Labor Direct Cost) through cycle time reduction, SMED, HC optimization
  • Quality indicators such as NCC, Scrap, FPY, rework reduction
  • Cost optimization in process, material, and quality
• Facilitate workshops on cycle time reduction, Standard Work creation, Headcount optimization
• Coach teams at the Gemba to build Lean mindset, behaviour, and problem‑solving culture, Provide regular feedback and validate compliance to shop‑floor standards during Gemba reviews.

5. Systems, Procedures & Audit Readiness

• Support creation and improvement of procedures, policies, and standards for shop‑floor activities.
• Ensure systems meet accreditation requirements aligned with Quality Management Systems, Review adherence to standards and support sustaining improvements.

6. Stakeholder Collaboration

• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive performance.
• Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams including Production, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, HR, and Engineering.
• Support international teams and collaborate with multicultural groups (NAFTA, Asia, Europe).