Operational Excellence Specialist - 2027 Leadership Development Program
Avient · Avon Lake, OH
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Travel
- 25%
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Chemicals
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management continuous improvement role at Avient (chemicals) in Avon Lake, OH.
- They ask for
- Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Kaizen, DMAIC
- Day to day
- about 25% travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Continuous Improvement roles in Ohio: typical posted base $113k–$165k.
Median of the low and high ends of 10 live postings that list pay, out of 34 continuous improvement openings in Ohio, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Ohio plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 33 other live lean / ci postings in Ohio.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $108k–$152k, from 8 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 8+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 88%
- ✓ Six Sigma 76%
- Root cause 56%
- Value stream mapping 44%
- ✓ Kaizen 44%
- 5S 38%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at Avient
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is CI run from the plant floor or from a corporate OpEx group?
- Which metrics does leadership actually watch: OEE, scrap, cost per unit?
- The posting says about 25% travel. Between which sites?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Avient in Avon Lake
4 other open roles at this site.
- Plant Manager · Production · Manager
- Maintenance Technician · Reliability · Technician
- Manufacturing Maintenance Technician (2nd & 3rd shift) · Reliability · Technician
- Quality Manager · Quality · Manager
Full description from AvientAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Essential Functions
- ◆Lead and participate in cross-functional project teams within operations and supply chain.
- ◆Assist in the creation of world-class internal processes in rotational areas such as strategic supplier management, contract management, operations, and operations planning.
- ◆Participate in Avient Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Kaizen Leader training and complete multiple DMAIC projects over the rotational period to earn Black Belt certification.
- ◆Interface with Operational Excellence department and all areas of the business units to ensure improvements are implemented and sustained.
- ◆Identify and develop key operational excellence metrics and measures to facilitate performance improvements.
- ◆Interact with senior management, gain exposure to Avient's most critical initiatives, build relationships with other high-potential employees across the globe, and make a difference in Avient's future success.
- ◆Gain an understanding of the various Avient businesses from a financial, operational, and strategic standpoint.
- ◆Application of change management and leadership capabilities with Avient customers through the “Customer First” program.
- ◆Other duties as assigned.
Education and Experience
- ✓MBA, Operations or Supply Chain Management focus and three years of work experience preferred.
- ✓Project management experience, team facilitation, data analysis, change management, best practice translation, and process improvement experience is ideal.
Qualifications
- ✓Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to acquire, assimilate, and analyze data from multiple systems and data sources using a variety of business intelligence and reporting tools.
- ✓Strong communication and presentation skills adaptable for engaging with multiple levels across the organization.
- ✓Ability to operate and take initiative in an environment of ambiguity; holds themselves and team members accountable for a high level of performance.
- ✓Required to travel by car or plane up to 25% of the time.
Our purpose at Avient Corporation is to be an innovator of materials solutions that help our customers succeed, while enabling a sustainable world.
Innovation goes far beyond materials science; it’s powered by the passion, creativity, and diverse expertise of 9,000 professionals worldwide. Whether you’re a finance wizard, a tech enthusiast, an operational powerhouse, an HR changemaker, or a trailblazer in materials development, you’ll find your place at Avient.
Join our global team and help shape the future with sustainable solutions that transform possibilities into realities. Your unique perspective could be the key to our next breakthrough!
We believe that all of our global employees are leaders and that the six most important behaviors for driving our strategy and culture are the same no matter if an employee is a leader of self, a leader of others, or a leader of the business.
By playing to win, acting customer centric, driving innovation and profitable growth, collaborating seamlessly across Avient, and motivating and inspiring and developing others and yourself you will accelerate your ability to achieve Avient’s strategic goals, to meet our customer needs, and to accomplish your career goals.
At Avient, we believe a wide variety of thoughts, ideas and backgrounds gives us the creativity to be successful in a rapidly changing world. In support of this, we stress equality of opportunity for all qualified individuals in accordance with applicable laws. Decisions on hiring, promotion, development, compensation or advancement are based solely on a person’s qualifications, abilities, experience and performance.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
The Operational Excellence Leadership Development Program accelerates professional development by placing recent MBA graduates on multiple Avient teams during a two-year, project-based leadership development program. These teams develop and support a wide range of applications and information systems that drive improvement of the critical processes of Avient businesses. Improvement activities may include focus in the following areas: distribution, supply planning, manufacturing, strategic sourcing, customer management, demand management, master scheduling & planning, inventory management, research & development, and network optimization. Individuals get hands-on experience through various assignments (Corporate, regional, and possibly international) to gain key operational excellence, leadership and change management competencies augmenting their historical work and academic experience. During each phase of their assignment, individuals will establish relationships with peers and leaders, learn fundamentals and receive coaching and performance feedback from Avient leadership. Upon completion of the program, individuals will be placed in a full-time role within Avient that best suits their personal and professional goals and matches company needs.
