
Continuous Improvement Manager
Dana · Gordonsville, TN
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Travel
- Includes overnights
- Degree
- Required
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- 3 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management continuous improvement role at Dana (automotive) in Gordonsville, TN. Poke-yoke designs and implementations for customer expectations of less than 15 ppm.
- They ask for
- degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Black Belt, Green Belt, Kaizen, 5S, Welding
- Day to day
- overnight travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Continuous Improvement roles in the US: typical posted base $103k–$147k.
Median of the low and high ends of 125 live postings that list pay, out of 382 continuous improvement openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Tennessee plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 10 other live lean / ci postings in Tennessee.
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Similar roles usually ask 4+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Kaizen 64%
- Lean 64%
- Six Sigma 45%
- ✓ 5S 36%
- Tooling 27%
- Root cause 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Green Belt, Welding, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with 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 Dana
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 mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 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: Dana in Gordonsville
3 other open roles at this site.
- Assembly Technician Tier II · Manufacturing · Technician
- Production Supervisor 2nd Shift · Production · Supervisor
- Maintenance Supervisor · Reliability · Supervisor
Full description from DanaAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Monitor and proactively work to improve plant safety and maintain a safe work environment
- ◆Support and deploy Dana Henderson’s Operating System system initiatives through various programs including; Black Belt and EIM
- ◆Maintain Measurables on team performance and continuous improvement activities to supply customers with on-time deliveries
- ◆Lead efforts to reduce cost and improve efficiency to meet Dana and customer objectives
- ◆Ability to learn and implement all elements of The Dana Operating System (DOS), Lead Kaizen & Zero Defect Teams
- ◆Implement DOS throughout the plant
- ◆Support New Program Projects
- ◆Coordinate Kaizen Projects and Implementations
- ◆Poke-yoke designs and implementations for customer expectations of less than 15 ppm.
- ◆Ability to support, implement, and teach Dana Henderson’s Lean initiatives
- ◆Proactive approach to unplanned downtime
- ◆Cost estimating, cost control and cost savings
- ◆Maintaining facility and production capacity
- ◆Lead and support production activities
- ◆Support Production line improvements as needed
- ◆Continuously support 5S’s program to achieve and maintain world class housekeeping
- ◆Track and improve in process buffer quantities
Requirements
- ✓Safety and Quality oriented
- ✓Green Belt Certification preferred
- ✓Experience with the Toyota Production System and the ability to implement
- ✓Experience in Manufacturing, MIG welding, training and team member involvement teams
- ✓Experience in equipment and process set up
- ✓Excellent computer skills (MS Office, frame works, lotus notes)
- ✓Ability to travel, overnight, for one or more weeks at a time
- ✓Ability to effectively lead and direct teams
- ✓Good communication skills, verbal and written
- ✓Good organizational and time management skills
- ✓Good interpersonal skills
- ✓Positive attitude
- ✓Ability to establish and reach work goals
- ✓Prior leadership experience
- ✓Knowledge of prototype management
- ✓Proven track record of continuous improvement initiatives
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or a related technical or scientific field and several years business experience in Supply Chain and/or Operations function.
- ✓5 or more years of experience in manufacturing leadership/ management
- ✓Knowledge of Toyota Production System
- ✓Self-starter, organized, and driven to deliver on key tasks and accountabilities. Attentive to detail and results-oriented and capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously.
- ✓Strong report-writing, technical presentation and communication skills.
- ✓Strong interpersonal skills, capable of working both independently and in a team environment.
Unsolicited Resumes from Third-Party Recruiters
Please note that as per Dana policy, we do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters unless such recruiters were engaged to provide candidates for a specified opening. Any employment agency, person or entity that submits an unsolicited resume does so with the understanding that Dana will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion without any fee owed to the submitting employment agency, person or entity.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Dana is a global leader in the supply of highly engineered driveline, sealing, and thermal-management technologies that improve the efficiency and performance of vehicles with both conventional and alternative-energy powertrains. Serving two primary markets – passenger vehicle and commercial truck – Dana provides the world's original-equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket with local product and service support through a network of nearly 100 engineering, manufacturing, and distribution facilities.
Job Purpose
Responsible for driving and overseeing initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, reduce waste, and improve overall performance within an organization.
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