Strategic Continuous Improvement Specialist

4 weeks ago

Chicago, United States Imec Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center Full time

*This position requires residency in the state of Illinois. The ideal candidate will live in the Northern part of the state.

**Regular travel required within the state of Illinois.

The Strategic Continuous Improvement Specialist initiates and maintains relationships with manufacturers, discovers their operational challenges and opportunities, develops, and executes long-term countermeasures in consultation with the manufacturers' teams. The candidate will also work with the Client Engagement team to develop and promote IMEC's manufacturing improvement capabilities and resources.

Essential Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include:

  • Provide direct consultation to manufacturers within the area of Transformational Strategic Lean and Continuous Improvement.
  • Manage project engagements, which may include the following:
    • Lean Policy Deployment
    • Lean Daily Management
    • Lean Tools such as 5S, Value Stream Mapping, etc.
    • Root Cause Analysis
  • Work with third party resources.
  • Participate in IMEC's solution development and process improvement teams.
  • Assist in proposal development.
  • Participate in sales presentations.
Education/Experience:
  • Bachelor's degree with 3+ years' experience working with manufacturing companies with a career progression that includes leadership responsibility. Master's degree preferred. An emphasis in Engineering, Technology, Marketing, or Operations Management is preferred.
  • Job-related experience in strategic lean and continuous improvement.
  • Strong problem-solving, project management skills, and decision-making skills.
  • Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
  • Proven skills in coaching and mentoring others.
  • Strong relationship management skills.


Candidates should be sincerely interested in helping manufacturers implement new manufacturing techniques and processes. Must have good computer skills and be a strong written and verbal communicator. An IMEC Technical Specialist will need tact and diplomacy in dealing with manufacturers, professional associations, government stakeholder representatives, and other service providers.

Consideration will be given to candidates with the proven ability to lead companies down a path of continuous improvement, with the demonstrated capacity to diagnose company needs and effectively communicate value to all levels of the company, from production personnel to top management. Experience in providing services in one or more of the following areas: strategic marketing, information technology, strategic and operational planning, lean manufacturing & waste reduction, plant layout, process optimization, product development, quality systems, Six Sigma, and supply chain development.

Candidates must demonstrate the ability to synthesize and present highly technical data succinctly to nontechnical business executives and interact effectively with all levels of a manufacturing organization.

Position requires a combination of virtual work and regular travel with occasional extended travel to remote facilities across the state. Driving is an essential function of the job. Applicants must be legally eligible to work in the U.S. This position has a lifting requirement of up to 70 pounds. Applicants must be capable of accessing manufacturing facilities which may not be ADA accessible. Please submit an electronic application, including (1) cover letter, (2) resume, and (3) the names and contact information for three references. The University of Illinois conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of contingent offer of employment. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. IMEC and its Subrecipient organizations, including Bradley University, SIU, NIU, and UIC are EOE/AA/M/F/Disabled/Veteran Employers.

About IMEC

IMEC is a team of improvement specialists dedicated to providing manufacturers in Illinois with the tools and techniques to excel and compete globally. The experienced hands-on team at IMEC works closely with its clients to plan critical business improvements in all areas of their organization from: Leading their Company, Planning for Success, Growing their Business, Improving their Operations, Focusing on their People, and Deciding with Data.

With more than 50 full-time staff and partners positioned statewide, IMEC delivers the local expertise to not only plan and strategize, but to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of client improvements. In fact, IMEC assists more than 1,500 companies each year with successful business improvement projects.

As a result, IMEC has demonstrated a return on investment that exceeds 19:1. This is made possible as organizations become more effective and efficient.

IMEC team members enjoy their jobs because of the challenge in working with a variety of organizations in a broad range of industries. They also gain satisfaction from providing assistance and advisement to help organizations succeed in a demanding marketplace. Click HERE to learn more about IMEC.

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