Senior Project Manager, Continuous Improvement & Lean Manufacturing
Enerflex · Houston, TX
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- Recently
The role in 30 seconds
A management continuous improvement role at Enerflex (industrial) in Houston, TX. Engineered-to-order, project-based manufacturing, fabrication/welding, assembly, or energy/industrial equipment experience strongly preferred.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Kaizen, 5S, Value stream mapping
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Continuous Improvement roles in Texas: typical posted base $92k–$135k.
Median of the low and high ends of 6 live postings that list pay, out of 28 continuous improvement openings in Texas, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Texas plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 27 other live lean / ci postings in Texas.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 5+)
Typical $92k–$135k, from 6 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 96%
- ✓ Six Sigma 82%
- ✓ Root cause 57%
- ✓ Kaizen 50%
- ✓ Value stream mapping 46%
- Cost reduction 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Kanban, 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 Enerflex
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: Enerflex in Houston
4 other open roles at this site.
- Controls Engineer, Power Generation · Controls
- Engineering Technician - Power Generation · Manufacturing
- Maintenance Technician II · Reliability · Technician
- Maintenance Supervisor · Reliability · Supervisor
Full description from EnerflexAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Education
- ✓Required: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial/Manufacturing preferred), Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related discipline.
- ✓Preferred: Master’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or MBA.
Experience
- ✓10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing, operations, engineering, project execution, or operational excellence.
- ✓5+ years leading significant Lean/CI initiatives, with demonstrated hands-on implementation and sustained results in an operating environment (not solely training or consulting).
- ✓Demonstrated experience teaching, facilitating, and coaching Kaizen events, and developing others to independently lead improvement activities.
- ✓Proven record leading complex cross-functional projects with frontline and executive stakeholders.
- ✓Engineered-to-order, project-based manufacturing, fabrication/welding, assembly, or energy/industrial equipment experience strongly preferred.
Requirements
Combination of office and manufacturing shop-floor environments; appropriate PPE required in operational areas. Many tasks have hi
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Department: Continuous Improvement & Lean Manufacturing
Referral Bonus: $500.00 USD
Summary
Leads and accelerates Enerflex’s Lean and Continuous Improvement (CI) journey across manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, project execution, quality, and supporting business processes. The role combines Lean leadership, structured problem solving, project/portfolio management, change leadership, data analysis, and hands-on Gemba engagement.
The purpose of the role is not to “do Lean” for the organization, but to build leaders and teams who identify and solve problems themselves . The Senior Project Manager teaches, demonstrates, facilitates, and coaches Lean practices — including structured Kaizen — while progressively transferring ownership so improvements are standardized, sustained, and continue after direct CI support is withdrawn.
Principle
Lean Transformation
- •Deploy the Enerflex CI/Lean roadmap across sites and functions, shifting CI from projects to a daily management system.
- •Lead cross-functional improvement projects in fabrication, assembly, material flow, engineering, procurement, quality/NCR, schedule, COPQ and margin.
- •Own charters, a prioritized project pipeline, benefit verification and executive status reporting.
- •Build and coach SQDC tiered huddles, visual management, Leader Standard Work, Gemba walks, escalation and layered audits.
- •Teach, coach, and facilitate structured Kaizen events and value stream assessments, developing leaders and employees to independently plan, lead, execute, and sustain Kaizen with implemented, measured results.
- •Build leader ownership of Lean by coaching leaders to identify problems at Gemba, develop people through structured problem solving, remove systemic barriers, and reinforce standards through daily leadership routines.
- •Lock every gain into standard work, visual controls, clear ownership and audits, verified at 30/60/90 days.
Capability Building & Change Leadership
- •Coach leaders, develop internal CI coaches, and deliver practical, learn-by-doing Lean training and projects.
- •Develop Kaizen capability at all levels by teaching a repeatable event method: scoping and preparation, current-state observation, waste identification, root-cause analysis, countermeasures, rapid implementation, standardization, follow-up, and sustainment.
- •Transfer capability progressively: demonstrate the method, co-lead events, coach leaders as they lead, and hand ownership to the operating organization.
- •Coach PDCA, A3, 5 Why, RCA, Pareto and VSM; apply DMAIC/FMEA where appropriate.
- •Build stakeholder alignment and employee ownership; recognize and communicate successes.
- •Set baselines and track SQDC outcomes (FPY, NCRs, COPQ, on-time delivery, labor hours, margin) and CI system-health measures.
Success Measures
- •SQDC, daily management, Gemba and Leader Standard Work embedded in site routines.
- •A3/PDCA is the default for complex problems; Kaizen results captured in standard work and sustained through follow-up.
- •Site and functional leaders independently sponsor, lead, and sustain Kaizen events, with CI operating as coach rather than event owner.
- •Internal CI coaches and leaders teach and reinforce Lean problem solving and Kaizen within their own areas.
- •Measurable KPI improvement, with gains holding after CI support is withdrawn.
Certifications
- •Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (ASQ CSSBB or equivalent) preferred.
- •Lean certification from a recognized Lean organization, PMP, and/or Prosci (or equivalent) change-management training are a plus.
Technical Knowledge
- •Strong practical command of Lean/TPS principles, PDCA, A3, Kaizen, VSM, 5S, visual and daily management, Leader Standard Work, Standard Work, Gemba, flow/pull/Kanban, setup reduction, error proofing, RCA/5 Why, Pareto, FMEA, Lean Six Sigma/DMAIC, and basic statistics.
- •Working mastery of the full Kaizen cycle: event selection and scoping, sponsor alignment, preparation, facilitation, implementation, standardization, benefit verification, and sustainment.
Leadership Competencies
- •Leads without authority — influences through credibility, coaching, and results.
- •Works at every level — equally effective at a fabrication-bay Gemba and an executive review.
- •Develops people, not dependence — coaches others through problems rather than solving them.
- •Teaches and transfers capability — uses Kaizen and daily improvement to grow leaders and internal problem solvers, not just deliver project results.
- •Makes problems visible — uses facts, data, and visual management; challenges systems while respecting people.
- •Builds sustainable systems — an improvement is complete only when standardized, owned, and sustained.
- •Connects Lean to business results — ties CI activity to safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer outcomes.
Physical
