Head of Operational Excellence
Shield AI · Dallas, TX
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Degree
- Required
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- Today
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level continuous improvement role at Shield AI (aerospace & defense) in Dallas, TX. Create, deploy, and actively manage consistent manufacturing KPIs and performance dashboards across both sites to drive visibility and accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
- They ask for
- degree required
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, Root cause, Automation, Casting
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 $80k–$127k.
Median of the low and high ends of 6 live postings that list pay, out of 22 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 21 other live lean / ci postings in Texas.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $80k–$127k, from 6 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 91%
- ✓ Six Sigma 68%
- ✓ Root cause 55%
- Kaizen 41%
- Value stream mapping 32%
- Cost reduction 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Casting, 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 Shield AI
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?
- 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: Shield AI in Dallas
15 other open roles at this site.
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- Director, Avionics Engineering, V-BAT · Manufacturing · Director+
- Staff Guidance & Controls Engineer (R4763) · Controls · Senior
Full description from Shield AIAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
What You'll Do
Create, deploy, and actively manage consistent manufacturing KPIs and performance dashboards across both sites to drive visibility and accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
Define, train, deploy, and continually improve operational standards across V-BAT manufacturing in Frisco and X-BAT manufacturing in Seattle, including 5S, root cause analysis, and visual management.
Develop and institutionalize the manufacturing budget process across both sites, including forecasting, controls, and performance tracking.
Set financial targets in collaboration with operations and finance teams and drive adherence to budget and cost goals.
Lead high-impact cross-functional improvement initiatives across both sites to improve quality, delivery, efficiency, productivity, and cost performance.
Prepare and coordinate senior and executive-level reporting packages for Manufacturing leadership reviews.
Partner with production, quality, and engineering teams to deploy Lean and continuous improvement practices, adapting execution to the needs of established production and prototype-to-rate manufacturing.
Own business office functions for Manufacturing across both sites, including goal tracking, KPI dashboards, and process governance.
Coach and train teams and leaders across both sites to elevate operational discipline, share effective practices, and sustain improvements.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field.
Experience leading operational excellence, Lean, or business office programs within a manufacturing environment, with the ability to lead improvement across multiple sites.
Demonstrated ability to design, roll out, and sustain structured operational standards and improvement systems.
Strong background in budgeting, reporting, and performance management at a senior level.
Excellent communication skills and experience preparing executive-level summaries and presentations.
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree or formal Lean Six Sigma certification.
Experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware manufacturing environments.
Proficiency with digital tools for KPI visualization, reporting automation, and business process tracking.
Track record of influencing change across large, cross-functional manufacturing organizations and multiple sites.
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Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.