Master Black Belt Shainin Red X

BAE Systems · Aiken, SC

Level: Black Belt
Team: Lean / CI
Base pay: $121k–$205k
Travel: 75%
Degree: Required
Certification: Black Belt preferred
Industry: Aerospace & defense
Posted: Today

The role in 30 seconds

A senior continuous improvement role at BAE Systems (aerospace & defense) in Aiken, SC. Implement a rolling top issues management strategy leveraging Red X, lean and six-sigma projects aligned with organizational objectives.

They ask for: degree required · Black Belt preferred
Tools it names: Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Green Belt, Kaizen, Root cause
Base pay: $121k–$205k
Day to day: about 75% travel

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Continuous Improvement roles in South Carolina: typical posted base $97k–$143k. This one lists $121k–$205k.

Median of the low and high ends of 7 live postings that list pay, out of 12 continuous improvement openings in South Carolina, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

South Carolina plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 11 other live lean / ci postings in South Carolina.

Base pay: About 36% above similar roles
Experience asked: Not stated

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Lean 75%
✓ Six Sigma 58%
Tooling 42%
Value stream mapping 42%
✓ Green Belt 33%
✓ Root cause 33%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for APQP, Minitab, Supplier quality, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

At a glance

Training program

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 BAE Systems
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 75% 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.

Full description from BAE SystemsAs posted on their careers site.Show

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

✓Typically requires a Bachelor's Degree in an Engineering or Science or related discipline with eight years of related experience, or the overall equivalent
✓Shainin Red X certification. Minimum Journeyman.
✓Subject Matter Expertise in Red X, Lean and Continuous Improvement concepts, systems, methodologies and tools.
✓Demonstrated experience leading complex issues and facilitating casual analysis tools to identify true root cause.
✓Experience with Quality, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Mechanical engineering departments and activities.
✓Proven Project Management skills
✓Requires innovative problem solving experience with Shainin, A3, 8D, PDCA, 6 Sigma, etc., and systematic thinking.
✓Highly effective communicator both written and spoken.
✓Training experience, both in one-on-one and group settings.
✓Experience presenting material and providing mentoring and coaching.
✓Pro-active experience influencing, directing, guiding, and driving change.
✓Liaison communication skills, in order to, interface with management and the customer pertaining to product and process issues.
✓Ability to work across multiple programs, system areas, and product development phases simultaneously.
✓Experience with APQP Core Tools.
✓Product life-cycle and systems understanding.
✓Must be comfortable in an operations environment, working in and around military vehicles.
✓Prior exposure working with fully integrated systems.
✓Proficient with MS Office applications, Minitab, Relyence or similar applications.
✓Must be able to travel up to 75% in support of our manufacturing sites in Aiken, South Carolina and Anniston, Alabama.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

✓Defense contractor experience.
✓Knowledgeable in contractual compliance and interpretation.
✓Ability to work with both with a mentor and independently.
✓Computer tools experience (Oracle, TIPQA, etc).
✓Practical application of Advanced Product Quality Planning (via Core Quality Tools).
✓Toyota Production System exposure.
✓Lean Transformation experience.
✓Kaizen Facilitator.
✓Lean Six Sigma.
✓Critical Thinking (Is, Is-Not Analysis).
✓Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical Engineer.

Pay Information

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employee

Show full description ↓

Job Description How does it feel to work on a team driven to make a big impact? Empowering.

The Quality Assurance organization of BAE Systems is seeking a seasoned Continuous Improvement - Business Transformation Leader to drive a culture of structured problem solving and continuous improvement within our Aiken, SC and Anniston, AL operations centers. We offer the flexibility of full-time remote work for this role. However, to ensure occasional collaboration and site access, we require candidates to be based within a reasonable commuting distance of any of our main CMS sites. (See below.)

As a principal level Continuous Improvement Subject Matter Expert, you will lead business transformation initiatives, facilitate change management, and support training programs to empower associates to drive improvement.

Business Transformation Initiatives

•Implement a rolling top issues management strategy leveraging Red X, lean and six-sigma projects aligned with organizational objectives.
•Lead teams to solve critical, urgent, or chronic technical problems, working closely with manufacturing, engineering, and supplier quality teams.
•Facilitate and coach end-to-end Red X, lean and six sigma transformation projects, including planning, implementation, and evaluation phases.
•Be accountable for project identification, prioritization, and achievement.

Change Management

•Act as a change agent to foster a culture of continuous improvement within the organization.
•Provide guidance and support to stakeholders at all levels to ensure buy-in and successful implementation of lean initiatives.

Training and Development

•Support training programs on Red X, Critical Thinking (Is, Is-Not Analysis), lean principles, tools, and techniques to build capability and empower associates to drive improvement at all levels of the organization.
•Coach and develop individuals to Green Belt and Black Belt proficiency with Red X, Critical Thinking, and lean methods.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

•Help establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of CI initiatives.
•Monitor progress and track performance metrics.
•Apply Project Management Tools to facilitate all projects within scope (Plant / Department or Area) while ensuring timeline and target accomplishment (which includes savings or additional impact calculation and approvals, projects documentation and 12 months tracking for sustainability).

Continuous Learning

•Stay abreast of industry best practices, emerging trends, and new technologies related to structured root cause, lean methodologies and continuous improvement.
•Apply insights to refine existing processes and drive innovation within the organization.
•Continuously focus on capabilities development and certifications related to CI knowledge and application as helping the development of others. Special focus on peers in Quality, Operations, Manufacturing, and Engineering.

Location & Schedule: We offer the flexibility of full-time remote work for this role. To ensure occasional collaboration and site access, we require candidates to be based within a reasonable commuting distance of any of our main CMS sites:

•Aiken, SC
•Anniston, AL
•York, PA
•Sterling Heights, MI
•Minneapolis, MN
•Phoenix, AZ
•Louisville, KY