Director, Enterprise Lean Champion

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Canada.

📋 Description

• Develop and implement Smardt's enterprise Lean strategy and global roadmap that aligns with business priorities, growth objectives, and customer value.

• Design, launch, and continuously enhance the Smardt Lean Operating System, which encompasses governance, operating cadence, maturity assessments, and enterprise performance reviews.

• Act as the CEO's strategic advisor regarding Lean transformation, operational excellence, and overall performance improvement across the enterprise.

• Establish accountability for Lean outcomes among business and functional leadership teams.

• Oversee strategy deployment (Hoshin Kanri), the cascading of KPIs, and disciplined performance-review routines.

• Drive Lean transformation initiatives across global manufacturing sites, collaborating with Plant and Operations leaders to enhance safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, throughput, OEE, inventory management, and lead time.

• Lead enterprise Value Stream Management, focusing on current and future state design, removing constraints, eliminating waste, optimizing flow, pull, capacity, and reducing customer-focused lead times.

• Implement Daily Management, Gemba, Visual Management, Standard Work, and Leader Standard Work in prioritized operations.

• Apply Lean methodologies such as 5S, Kaizen, SMED, Kanban, TPM, cellular/flow manufacturing, and error-proofing to improve business performance.

• Standardize and replicate effective practices across various sites while accommodating local operational requirements.

• Lead global Kaizen events across multiple functions.

• Utilize Lean principles across Engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, HR, Customer Service, Project Management, Sales, IT, and other support functions.

• Identify bottlenecks and redesign workflows to simplify tasks, minimize handoffs, enhance quality, and increase customer value.

• Decrease decision cycle times, expedite engineering releases and new product introductions, enhance quote-to-cash performance, and shorten problem-resolution cycles.

• Establish an enterprise continuous improvement system that integrates daily improvements, Kaizen, A3, PDCA, root-cause problem-solving, and tiered accountability.

• Cultivate organizational skills to identify root causes, eliminate recurring issues, and sustain improvements.

• Drive cultural transformation while coaching executives, directors, managers, supervisors, and frontline teams.

• Build and lead a global Lean Champion network, developing internal practitioners, facilitators, and future operational leaders.

• Create Lean learning pathways, leadership workshops, mentoring programs, certification processes, and succession planning initiatives.

• Define and maintain visual enterprise performance systems and dashboards that connect Lean activities to business outcomes.

• Drive measurable enhancements in productivity, manufacturing costs, throughput, OEE, quality, first-pass yield, on-time delivery, lead time, inventory turns, capacity utilization, customer responsiveness, working capital, cash conversion, and safety.

• Collaborate with Finance and business leaders to validate financial impacts and maintain improvements.

• Support new factory launches, manufacturing footprint expansions, and significant operational growth initiatives.

• Lead cross-functional and multi-regional improvement priorities, promoting the transfer of best practices across Smardt locations.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.

• A Master's degree (MBA, Engineering, or related field) is preferred.

• Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt or an equivalent advanced Lean/Operational Excellence certification.

• Experience with Toyota Production System, Shingo, Danaher Business System, or similar business-system transformations is an asset.

• Over 15 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, operations, and/or operational excellence, including substantial global or multi-site responsibilities.

• A strong foundation in manufacturing leadership, ideally including Operations, Manufacturing, or Plant leadership roles.

• A proven track record of achieving significant operational and financial improvements through Lean, impacting cost, cash flow, working capital, quality, delivery, and productivity.

• Experience in strategy deployment / Hoshin Kanri, linking executive priorities to operational execution.

• Experience in extending Lean and process excellence beyond manufacturing into enterprise business processes.

• Strong executive presence and credibility, with the ability to influence the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, Plant Managers, and frontline teams across diverse cultures and geographies.

• Extensive practical expertise in Lean Management Systems / Toyota Production System principles, Daily Management, and Leader Standard Work.

• In-depth practical knowledge of Value Stream Management, flow, pull, constraint removal, and waste elimination.

• Proficient in structured problem-solving techniques, including A3, PDCA, root-cause analysis, and DMAIC/8D as applicable.

• Deep practical expertise in operational performance systems, KPI design, visual management, and fact-based decision-making.

• Strong practical knowledge in Business Process Excellence, change management, and enterprise transformation.

• Familiarity with ERP / manufacturing analytics environments and the ability to leverage data to identify, prioritize, and sustain improvements.

• All job offers are contingent upon successful background and reference checks.

• Medium proficiency in both French and English is required; French is necessary for communication with the team in Quebec, while English is essential for interactions with clients, partners, suppliers, and technical documentation.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary plus annual performance bonus.

• 100% employer-paid medical and dental benefits from day one.

• Tele-Health services covered by the employer.

• Retirement savings plan with employer contributions of up to 6%.

• Monthly OPUS subsidy for employees using public transportation to commute.

• A dynamic team within a rapidly growing company.

• Company events and team-building activities.

• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities.