Continuous Improvement Manager

Tenneco · Manitowoc, WI

Level: Manager
Team: Lean / CI
Degree: Required
Certification: Black Belt preferred
Industry: Automotive
Posted: 21 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management continuous improvement role at Tenneco (automotive) in Manitowoc, WI. With a product portfolio as expansive as it is innovative, an obsessive commitment to quality and excellence, and a global presence, we’re all about getting stuff done, so we can win.

They ask for: 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.

How this role compares

Against 16 other live lean / ci postings in Wisconsin.

Base pay: Not listed in this posting
Experience asked: Not stated

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Lean 82%
✓ Root cause 53%
✓ Six Sigma 53%
✓ Kaizen 47%
✓ Value stream mapping 47%
✓ Black Belt 41%

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

Stands out: this posting asks for OEE, 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 Tenneco
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: Tenneco in Manitowoc

4 other open roles at this site.

Automation Engineer · Controls
Electrical Maintenance Technician (3rd Shift) · Reliability · Technician
Quality Engineer · Quality
Value Stream Manager · Lean / CI · Manager

Full description from TennecoAs posted on their careers site.Show

Responsibilities

◆Overall understanding of the Lean manufacturing systems and visual controls in the plant, identifying opportunities for improvement
◆Ensure that pull systems exist in all areas of the plant.
◆Ensure that constraint management techniques are being used to drive improvement throughout the plant
◆Work closely with the Value Streams to develop new and improve existing Lean manufacturing systems
◆Work closely with the Value Streams to improve the visual systems throughput the plant ensuring that the current conditions in each area are clear to all
◆Provide CI training and coaching at all levels of the Plant, including 6S, SMED, Standard Work, and TPM
◆Facilitate TiPS aimed at the resolution of quality and safety issues and concerns.
◆Support Value Streams and Production Control material improvement projects relating to scheduling inventory management and raw material flow and tracking.
◆Coordinate Production Reporting in Value Streams, both manual and digital, including Films, Andons, Hour by hour reporting, and OAE reporting.
◆Support the plant by pursuing Lean Certification and Six Sigma Black Belt
◆Work to standardize the data used and format for each tier of the multi-tier reporting meetings
◆Coordinate/perform Audits of Lean and 6S performance throughout the plant

Qualifications

✓Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or related discipline
✓Prior experience in automotive supplier environment preferred
✓Shows good morale, openness, and highly collaborative approach
✓Effective interpersonal skills, including both oral and written communications
✓Ability to influence individuals at all levels of the organization.
✓Energetic, self-starter with a passion for problem solving and implementing corrective actions
✓Ability to lead cross functional teams to drive improvement and find solutions
✓Strong time management skills, with the ability to stay effectively organized
✓Ability to work with data sets and analyze such in Microsoft Excel
✓Interviewing and observation skills to determine patterns, root causes
✓Ability to write SOPs, Standard Work, and Guides using Microsoft Excel/ PowerPoint
✓Good team player – ability to coach and mentor others
✓Familiarity with lean and continuous improvement tools (5 why, 5/7 wastes, RCCA, SMED, OEE)
✓Possess or working towards Grean Belt, Black Belt, or Master Black Belt certification preferred.

Show full description ↓

At Tenneco, we don’t follow industry standards; we set them, and we don’t settle for being best-in-class because we hustle to be better than best-in-class. Whether it’s our Core Values – radical candor, simplify, organizational velocity, tenacious execution and win – or our Get Stuff Done (GSD) mindset, we’re determined to become the most trusted partner and best manufacturer and distributor to the transportation industry.

With a product portfolio as expansive as it is innovative, an obsessive commitment to quality and excellence, and a global presence, we’re all about getting stuff done, so we can win.

How do we make it happen? Through the Tenneco Way. Fueled by our Core Values, a winning mindset and a relentless commitment to excellence, the Tenneco Way is how we win. It’s what keeps Team Tenneco bold, driven, and unapologetically focused on pushing past limits and redefining success.

Here, you’ll work alongside a team of relentless problem-solvers who are committed to making a tangible impact. If you’re ready to break boundaries, deliver results, and enjoy the ride along the way, you’ll thrive here.

Want to learn more about who we are? Check out our website to discover the Tenneco Way

Primary function

The continuous improvement team at Tenneco works together with the operations team to deploy lean tools and approaches across the shop floor. The Continuous Improvement Leader is under the guidance of the Plant Manager, responsible to identify and implement improvement opportunities to support efficiency and productivity gains across the plant.

The Continuous Improvement Manager is expected to develop and implement shop floor systems and conduct Kaizen events to rapidly identify and execute targeted improvement projects. This may include such items as Kanban, 5S, Standard Work Maps, SMED, and P3 Operating System.

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