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Senior Operational Excellence Black Belt

MiniMed · Northridge, CA

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Level
Black Belt
Team
Lean / CI
Base pay
$109k–$185k
Degree
Required
Experience asked
7+ years
Certification
Black Belt required
Industry
Medical devices
Posted
4 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A senior continuous improvement role at MiniMed (medical devices) in Northridge, CA.

They ask for
7+ years · degree required · Black Belt required
Tools it names
Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Kaizen, Value stream mapping, Control plans
Base pay
$109k–$185k

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

How this role compares

Against 19 other live lean / ci postings in California.

Base pay
About 15% above similar roles

Typical $107k–$149k, from 13 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Typical (7+ years)

Similar roles usually ask 7+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Lean 85%
  • ✓ Value stream mapping 70%
  • ✓ Six Sigma 60%
  • ✓ Kaizen 60%
  • Root cause 50%
  • New product launch 40%

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

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

It asks for 7+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

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. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at MiniMed

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 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. 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. 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. 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: MiniMed in Northridge

7 other open roles at this site.

All 8 roles at MiniMed →
Full description from MiniMedAs posted on their careers site.Show

About the Role

This is a senior individual-contributor Operational Excellence / Lean Six Sigma Black Belt role focused on leading complex manufacturing improvement work with significant autonomy and cross-functional influence.

The role is responsible for delivering measurable savings and operational improvements through Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, VSM, flow, pull, line balancing, standard work, statistical analysis, capacity modeling and process simulation. It also includes coaching teams, sustaining improvements through management systems, and using tools such as Minitab, Power BI, automation and AI-enabled analytics.

The ideal candidate is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with 7+ years of experience, strong hands-on Lean manufacturing capability, proven financial results, advanced analytical skills, and the ability to lead major projects and influence stakeholders without direct authority. Simulation experience is strongly preferred; AI/digital experience is preferred.

This role is full-time on-site in Northridge, CA.

Responsibilities

may include the following and other duties may be assigned.

  • ◆Develops, implements and sustains process improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma and other Operational Excellence methodologies.
  • ◆Leads large, complex improvement projects that deliver measurable financial and operational results, including Labor, Scrap/MUV and Burden savings.
  • ◆Plans and facilitates Kaizen events and rapid-improvement activities from opportunity identification through implementation and sustainment.
  • ◆Applies Lean methods including Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Leader Standard Work, Gemba, visual management, line balancing, flow, pull systems, production leveling, takt-time analysis and waste elimination.
  • ◆Leads current-state and future-state analysis of manufacturing processes, material flow and information flow and translates findings into executable improvement plans.
  • ◆Applies statistical analysis, data analytics and digital tools to identify opportunities, understand process variation and support fact-based decision making.
  • ◆Uses capacity analysis, process modeling and simulation tools to evaluate manufacturing scenarios, staffing, layouts, material flow and production-system performance.
  • ◆Establishes performance metrics, control plans and management systems to measure results and sustain improvements.
  • ◆Facilitates and coaches cross-functional teams and builds Lean Six Sigma and structured problem-solving capability across the organization.
  • ◆Partners with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance and other functions to prioritize and execute improvement opportunities.
  • ◆Identifies opportunities to leverage automation, AI-enabled tools and other emerging technologies to improve productivity, analysis and operational decision making.
  • ◆Supports Operational Excellence governance, project reviews, communications, training and certification activities.

Must Have

To be considered for this role, please ensure the minimum

requirements

are evident on your resume.

  • ✓Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience.
  • ✓Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification from a recognized organization is required.
  • ✓Experience leading complex Lean Six Sigma projects with measurable financial and operational results is required.
  • ✓Experience leading Kaizen events and implementing sustainable Lean improvements is required.
  • ✓Lean manufacturing, including Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Leader Standard Work, Gemba, line balancing, flow, pull systems, production leveling and visual management is required.
  • ✓Experience in applying statistical analysis, data visualization and analytical tools to process improvement is required.
  • ✓Proficiency with statistical software such as Minitab or equivalent is required.
  • ✓Experience with business intelligence and data visualization tools such as Power BI or equivalent is required.
  • ✓Experience with manufacturing capacity analysis, material-flow analysis, line design and production-system optimization is required.
  • ✓Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders without direct authority is required.

Requirements

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required

responsibilities

and skills of this position.

The physical demands described within the

Responsibilities

section of this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. For Office Roles: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be independently mobile. The employee is also required to interact with a computer and communicate with peers and co-workers. Contact your manager or local HR to understand the Work Conditions and Physical

requirements

that may be specific to each role.

MiniMed offers a competitive salary and flexible benefits package

At MiniMed, we put people first. A commitment to our

Show full description ↓

At MiniMed, you can begin a lifelong career of exploration and innovation, while helping make a difference in the lives of people living with diabetes around the globe. You'll lead with purpose, breaking down barriers to innovation for a more connected, compassionate world.

Nice to Have

  • +Experience with process simulation, capacity modeling or manufacturing-system modeling tools is strongly preferred.
  • +Experience applying AI-enabled analytics, generative AI, automation or other emerging digital technologies to manufacturing or business-process improvement is strongly preferred.

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