Job Details
Director of Continuous Improvement
2026-03-05 Trail King Industries West Fargo,ND
Description:
Bachelor's degree in engineering or manufacturing related field with a Master's preferred and 5 years of experience. Lean or Six Sigma Black Belt Certification (desired, not mandatory) and demonstrated broad expertise in lean manufacturing principles, and manufacturing engineering. Ability to motivate and teach others about the Continuous Improvement tools and easily interact with all levels of the organization. Strong financial acumen and possesses a good understanding of financial measurements. Creative problem solver and change agent.
Remote work not available, must be on-site.
Manufacturing experience is a must with preferred experience in steel welding in high mix/low volume production environment.
Personal Trait Profile
Physical Demands & Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Physical demands: While performing duties of job, employee is required to stand; walk; sit; climb; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment: While performing the duties of this job in the factory areas, the employee is exposed to changes in temperature and humidity, exposure to dust, fumes and is near moving machinery.
Job Description
About The Role
The Director of Continuous Improvement reports to the VP of Operations and must be located in one of Trail King facilities. The Director of CI is responsible for all lean operating systems, manufacturing engineering and the quality function, to support the growth and optimization of safety, quality, delivery, and cost of all Trail King operations.
Candidate must have production manufacturing experience with a strong preference for experience in steel welding in high mix/low volume production environment.
Responsibilities
- Oversee and provide guidance for all of Trail King's Continuous Improvement initiatives.
- Oversee and provide guidance for all Manufacturing Engineering activities in alignment with Trail King's operational excellence initiatives
- Lead and drive the quality department for process improvement and finished product excellence
- Assist in the development of long-term strategic company objectives and ensure all ME and CI activities are aligned with those goals.
- Oversee the training and culture development of CI and Lean principles to all departments and levels of the organization
- Champions the growth of the CI culture through the identification and mentoring of Kaizen leaders. Ensure Continuous Improvement metrics are standardized, implemented, audited, and sustained.
- Communicates the status of all ME/CI activities and initiatives to Senior Management.
- Travel between the Company's facilities, to other Lean companies for benchmarking and to off-site training.
- Develop and control the CI, ME and Quality budgets.
- Other duties as assigned.
Bachelor's degree in engineering or manufacturing related field with a Master's preferred and 5 years of experience. Lean or Six Sigma Black Belt Certification (desired, not mandatory) and demonstrated broad expertise in lean manufacturing principles, and manufacturing engineering. Ability to motivate and teach others about the Continuous Improvement tools and easily interact with all levels of the organization. Strong financial acumen and possesses a good understanding of financial measurements. Creative problem solver and change agent.
Remote work not available, must be on-site.
Manufacturing experience is a must with preferred experience in steel welding in high mix/low volume production environment.
Personal Trait Profile
- Results-oriented, self-starter-strong track record of achieving results.
- Team Player-ability to work across the organization.
- Ability to accomplish business objectives in a culture that values high-performance teams.
- Strong analytical, creativity and problem-solving skills.
- Clear and concise oral and written communication skills.
- The ability to lead by example and effectively coach and mentor.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Physical Demands & Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Physical demands: While performing duties of job, employee is required to stand; walk; sit; climb; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment: While performing the duties of this job in the factory areas, the employee is exposed to changes in temperature and humidity, exposure to dust, fumes and is near moving machinery.