Lean Six Sigma Sr Manager
Jabil · Guadalajara
At Jabil (NYSE: JBL), we are proud to be a trusted partner for the world's top brands, offering comprehensive engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing solutions. With 60 years of experience across industries and a vast network of over 100 sites worldwide, Jabil combines global reach with local expertise to deliver both scalable and customized solutions. Our commitment extends beyond business success as we strive to build sustainable processes that minimize environmental impact and foster vibrant and diverse communities around the globe.POSITION SUMMARY
This role is responsible for leading the strategy, deployment, and sustainability of Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and Operational Excellence through the division’s Lean/Operational Excellence teams. The core purpose is to deeply and systematically embed Lean principles, structured problem solving, and daily management systems into operations so that continuous improvement becomes an organizational capability rather than a set of isolated initiatives.
The role holder translates business strategic priorities into a disciplined portfolio of high-impact improvement initiatives, builds Lean capabilities across plants, accelerates sustainable results in safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, flow, and asset utilization, and acts as a change agent who elevates the organization’s operational maturity.
We seek a professional with proven experience in Lean transformation, deep practical mastery of tools and methodologies, and the ability to connect operational excellence with measurable, sustainable business results.
ALIGN – Lean Strategy, Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
The role ensures that Lean Manufacturing and Operational Excellence strategy is clearly aligned with business priorities and deployed coherently across all sites:
- Work closely with PLMs, Operations Managers, and Lean Deployment Managers at each site to design and implement visual management systems (Blue Walls, X-Matrix, KPI boards, and follow-up routines) that connect strategy to daily execution on the gemba.
- Translate business priorities into a plant-level Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement roadmap, prioritizing high-impact problems and value-creation opportunities that drive operational excellence.
- Provide tools, methodologies, standards, and coaching to strengthen value stream transformation, with special emphasis on waste elimination (muda, mura, muri), process stability, continuous flow, pull systems, standardized work, and operational performance improvement.
- Develop and support Lean Six Sigma training programs (Lean Champion, Bronze, Silver, and Black Belt), ensuring knowledge translates into practical application and measurable results on the shop floor.
- Act as a Change Agent, mobilizing leaders, process owners, and cross-functional teams so that continuous improvement becomes a line responsibility and an integral part of the operational culture—not an activity exclusive to the Lean team.
- Communicate to Senior Management, in a clear and business-oriented manner, the progress, results, barriers, and risks of the Lean and Operational Excellence transformation, using metrics that link process improvement to value created.
- Ensure alignment of local initiatives with the organization’s global Lean/Operational Excellence strategy, promoting methodological coherence and scalability of best practices.
DEPLOY – Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement Execution
The role leads disciplined improvement execution, converting analysis into concrete actions and sustainable results:
- Analyze operational and business metrics to identify losses, variation, bottlenecks, waste, and improvement opportunities; convert findings into actionable projects with clear problem definition, baseline, target, and sustainment plan.
- Lead the implementation of solutions using the PDCA/A3 cycle, DMAIC, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), 5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, structured Problem Solving, and other Lean Six Sigma tools, selecting the approach according to the nature and complexity of the problem.
- Build and govern a continuous improvement project portfolio linked to business objectives, ensuring problem definition, baseline, target, owners, milestones, follow-up indicators, and sustainment mechanisms.
- Partner with Site Controllers and finance teams to estimate, monitor, and validate the financial benefits of Lean and productivity projects, ensuring operational improvement translates into measurable economic value.
- Drive Kaizen events and improvement projects in manufacturing processes, seeking rapid results (quick wins) without sacrificing focus on standardization, process discipline, and long-term sustainability.
- Identify, document, and replicate best practices across plants, promoting scalable solutions and avoiding the reinvention of already developed capabilities; foster cross-learning and standardization of what works.
- Conduct internal and external benchmarking to continuously raise Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and Operational Excellence capabilities, identifying world-class references and adapting them to the organization’s context.
COACH / ENABLE – Capability Building & Lean Culture
The role develops people, systems, and culture so that operational excellence is sustainable and becomes a competitive advantage:
- Ensure the Lean training curriculum responds to the real needs of the plants and evolve materials, cases, and practices together with the Global Lean team, prioritizing practical application over theory.
- Conduct structured Site Assessments to evaluate Lean maturity, the effectiveness of the daily management system, and the plants’ capability to sustain improvement, defining clear and prioritized gap-closure plans.
- Support Annual Operating Plans (AOP) by identifying the highest-impact improvement priorities in safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and stakeholder satisfaction, ensuring the Lean roadmap feeds business planning.
- Provide regular coaching and development to Lean Deployment Managers and plant leaders, including structured onboarding and development of new Lean leaders, with emphasis on gemba leadership and structured problem solving.
- Strengthen a continuous improvement culture through visible shop-floor leadership, systematic gemba walks, structured problem solving, standardized work, suggestion systems, cross-training, and team skill development.
- Ensure improvements are sustained through clear standards, process audits, process indicators, and reaction mechanisms for deviations, preventing regression to previous practices.
- Promote continuous learning through benchmarking, seminars, specialized literature, and visits to companies with world-class Lean and Operational Excellence practices.
- Ensure compliance with corporate policies, safety requirements, and regulatory obligations in all improvement and transformation initiatives.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge and Experience Requirements
- Proven experience deploying Lean Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, and operational management systems (Daily Management, Visual Management, Standard Work).
- Deep practical mastery of Lean tools and problem solving: PDCA/A3, DMAIC, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, root cause analysis, and process stabilization tools.
- Demonstrated ability to connect process improvement with business results and rigorously validate operational and financial benefits.
- Outstanding leadership and communication skills; ability to influence, mobilize, and build commitment at all levels of a matrixed and multicultural organization.
- Analytical thinking, data orientation, and discipline to manage a project portfolio, prioritize resources, and ensure delivery of results.
- Experience leading organizational transformation and change in cross-functional and multicultural environments, with a focus on improvement sustainability.
- Results orientation and demonstrated ability to convert manufacturing problems into sustainable improvements that impact safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
Education and Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field (preferred).
- 8 to 10 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, operations, Lean/Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence.
- Minimum 5 years of experience working in global and cross-functional environments.
- Minimum Black Belt certification from a recognized organization (ASQ, SME, or equivalent). Preferable experience as Master Black Belt or as facilitator of large-scale Lean transformations.
- Solid experience in facilitation and project management in highly matrixed environments.
- Demonstrated experience in Change Management and in building Lean capabilities in teams and organizations.
- Or an equivalent combination of education, formal training, and practical experience in manufacturing environments.
WORKING CONDITIONS
- Regular working hours; additional hours may be required depending on business needs and improvement projects.
- Domestic and/or international travel: up to 50%, primarily for plant support, Kaizen events, assessments, and benchmarking.
- Climate-controlled office environment during normal hours, with frequent presence on the shop floor (gemba).
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Sitting, walking, standing, bending / squatting / stooping, reaching, balancing, turning, crawling, kneeling.
- Data entry / typing.
- Occasional work in production areas with possible noise, variable temperature, and personal protective equipment requirements.
- No unusual hearing or vision demands specified.
- Do not attempt to lift, pull, or push loads exceeding 50 lb (approx. 23 kg) without assistance; exercise extreme caution in awkward positions.
Jabil, including its subsidiaries, is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.