Continuous Improvement Leader - Thermatech

Howmet Aerospace · Whitehall, MI

Level: Manager
Team: Lean / CI
Degree: Required
Experience asked: 3+ years
Industry: Aerospace & defense
Posted: 7 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management continuous improvement role at Howmet Aerospace (aerospace & defense) in Whitehall, MI. Influence --compels others without direct authority; provides business case and data-driven justification for events; appreciates the use of other leaders’ resources and people, holds those things in trust; creates a favorable brand for ABS and CI.

They ask for: 3+ years · degree required
Tools it names: Lean, Kaizen, 5S, TPM, OEE, Root cause
Day to day: some off-shift / weekend coverage

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026

Continuous Improvement roles in Michigan: typical posted base $89k–$136k.

Median of the low and high ends of 8 live postings that list pay, out of 21 continuous improvement openings in Michigan, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

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

How this role compares

Against 20 other live lean / ci postings in Michigan.

Base pay: Not listed in this posting
Experience asked: Less than usual (3+ vs 5+)

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Lean 95%
✓ Kaizen 57%
✓ Root cause 52%
Six Sigma 48%
Value stream mapping 48%
✓ 5S 43%

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

Stands out: this posting asks for Painting / coating, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 3+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Off-shift / weekend coverage

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 Howmet Aerospace
We found 3 people at this company and state: 3 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See 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.
Write to Michael → (free)
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?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- 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: Howmet Aerospace in Whitehall

38 other open roles at this site · 3 people we found in lean / ci roles at Howmet Aerospace.

Manufacturing Manager · Manufacturing · Manager
Operations Manager · Production · Manager
Facilities Engineer - Plant 4 - Thermatech · Reliability
Tool & Die Maker / Moldmaker · Manufacturing · Technician
Manufacturing Engineer - Plant 10 · Production
Senior Controls Engineer · Controls · Senior

All 39 roles at Howmet Aerospace →

Full description from Howmet AerospaceAs posted on their careers site.Show

Qualifications

✓Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
✓Minimum 3 years experience in leading CI projects in a manufacturing environment
✓Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Preferred Qualifications

✓Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Logistics or related discipline from an accredited institution.
✓Minimum of three years’ experience in a Continuous Improvement role.
✓Demonstrated ability to lead managers and employees to drive major change initiatives with diverse groups.
✓Solid understanding of ABS and/or Toyota Production System and be able to teach/coach and mentor others.
✓Proven results facilitating continuous improvement activity
✓Strong computer and relationship skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office.
✓Ability to speak and present effectively to personnel at all levels of the organization
✓Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
✓Lean manufacturing experience in aerospace, defense, or automotive industry.
✓Hoshin framework, TPM/OEE, 5S, Kaizen, visual factory management, work design and A3 thinking and improvement plans improvement atmosphere.

Show full description ↓

The Continuous Improvement Leader is an expert in continuous improvement processes who teaches and facilitates implementation of standard operational excellence methods and tools to deliver results in throughput, productivity, cost, and inventory and delivery performance.

This position will be located in Plant 4, supporting the Thermatech Coatings and Titanium Ingot businesses.

Job Roles include

•Improvement agent --provides expertise and guidance while contributing substantively to implementation and solutions; serves with both strategic and tactical implementation assistance; listens well to ensure the right interventions occur; maintains focus as an internal partner versus outside observer
•Sustainability support --understands plant and enterprise level strategy and prioritizes accordingly; creates follow up plans, support and accountability to ensure adoption and independent implementation
•Educational implementer --conducts planned events and responds to operational needs to create efficiencies that support strategies; enables next steps for the business and creates virtuous cycles of feedback and performance at a local level; manages projects and events efficiently and maximizes allocation of resources under time pressure
•Business acumen --creates compelling business case for events and interventions; understands and communicates the “why” behind efforts; measures success based on business performance
•Analysis and synthesis --seeks first to listen and understand; determines root cause with contributions from others; translates based on observation and input; technical expert in ABS
•Influence --compels others without direct authority; provides business case and data-driven justification for events; appreciates the use of other leaders’ resources and people, holds those things in trust; creates a favorable brand for ABS and CI
•Creativity and innovation --challenges the status quo; networks internally to gather information; offers ideas and potential solutions based on observation and direct feedback from operators and supervisors
•Strategic perspective --driven to improve the plant to improve the business; prioritizes based on hoshin and collaboration with other leaders; identifies areas of greatest potential return and adds value at the decision making level; evaluates effectiveness of events and interventions based on performance metrics in addition to CI and ABS metrics; thinks about the business as it will be in the future when deciding what to do today

Basic

Our Story

Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE: HWM), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a leading global provider of advanced engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries. Our primary businesses focus on jet engine components, aerospace fastening systems, titanium structural parts and forged wheels. With $8.3 Billion in revenue in 2025, our products play a crucial role in enabling fuel efficiency and lightweighting, contributing to our customers’ success and making a positive impact on the world. To learn more about the way Howmet Aerospace Inc. is advancing the sustainability of our customers, markets, and communities where we operate, review the 2025 Environmental Social and Governance report at www.howmet.com/esg-report . Follow: LinkedIn , Twitter , Instagram , Facebook , and YouTube .