Continuous Improvement Specialist

At Restek, continuous improvement isn't a side program. It's how our employee owners build a stronger company together. We're looking for a hands-on Continuous Improvement Specialist who would rather be on the floor running a Kaizen than in a conference room talking about one.

In this role, you'll partner directly with our Director of Continuous Improvement to turn our enterprise CI strategy into real, measurable results. You'll plan and lead Kaizen events, Value Stream Mapping workshops, 5S deployments, and structured problem-solving projects across Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Customer Experience, and Engineering. Just as important, you'll coach the people around you so the gains last long after the event wraps up.

What You’ll Do

Lead Improvement from Scope to Sustain

• Plan, scope, facilitate, and close out Kaizen events, rapid improvement workshops, and focused improvement projects.
• Lead current-state and future-state Value Stream Mapping, then turn those maps into prioritized action plans with clear owners, deliverables, and timelines.
• Apply structured problem solving (A3, 8D, DMAIC, 5-Why, fishbone) to quality, scrap, throughput, and delivery challenges, and drive from root cause to verified countermeasures.
• Own the CI project pipeline, including charters, gate reviews, status updates, and benefit tracking, so every project is well scoped, resourced, and delivered.

Be Where the Work Happens

• Spend much of your time on the manufacturing floor and in the warehouse, using Gemba walks, direct observation, and time studies to spot waste and coach standard work.
• Deploy and sustain Lean tools, including 5S, visual management, standard work, SMED, TPM, Kanban, Poka-yoke, and tiered daily management, in partnership with supervisors and process owners.
• Move the KPIs that matter: OEE, first-pass yield, scrap and rework, on-time delivery, lead time, changeover time, and labor utilization.
• Revisit completed improvements to make sure they stick, and partner with process owners and leadership to get things back on track when they don't.

Make an Impact Across the Business

• Manufacturing: Help build safer, higher-quality, higher-throughput operations grounded in strong standard work and visual management.
• Quality: Partner on CAPA, nonconformance reduction, and process capability (SPC, DOE) to lower defects and the total cost of quality.
• Supply Chain: Strengthen inventory positioning, supplier performance, and order-to-cash flow, aligned to value stream priorities.
• Customer Experience: Help create a fast, effortless customer experience through responsive service, streamlined transactional processes, and seamless hand-offs across customer-facing teams.
• Engineering: Bring a CI lens to design for manufacturability, new product introduction, and engineering change management.

Grow People and Culture

• Coach supervisors, process owners, and frontline employee owners in Lean thinking, problem solving, and everyday CI tools.
• Help develop and deliver Restek's CI training curriculum, including Lean fundamentals, Yellow and Green Belt content, problem-solving methods, and leader standard work.
• Mentor newly trained Green Belts and project leaders through their certification projects with tool guidance and gate-review feedback.
• Be a visible change agent who models Restek's core values and a respectful, action-based improvement culture.

Make Progress Visible

• Build dashboards, A3s, and tracking tools that make improvement progress and value capture visible from the floor to the leadership team.
• Partner with team members and Finance to validate baselines and confirm savings, so results are reflected accurately in the P&L.
• Share clear, concise read-outs with project sponsors, the Director of Continuous Improvement, and functional leaders, including at Kaizen close-outs and tiered reviews.
• Capture standard work, lessons learned, and best practices so great ideas spread across the organization.

What You Bring

Qualifications:

The typical requirements for this role include a bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a related field plus three years of operations leadership and continuous improvement experience in manufacturing, including hands-on Kaizen, VSM, and structured problem solving or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Skills & Abilities:

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, with strong command of Lean tools and Six Sigma methods (DMAIC, SPC, basic DOE). Black Belt (or progress toward one) and experience as lead facilitator for Kaizen and VSM events is preferred.
• A track record of independently delivering CI projects with financially validated, sustained results.
• Credibility on the floor, comfort with leaders at every level, and solid Excel and Power BI (or equivalent) skills.

This fully onsite position will require the successful completion of a standard background check in accordance with Restek policy. Employment with Restek will require successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen.

What Makes Restek Unique

We prioritize work-life balance and well-being with offerings like generous PTO, unlimited sick time, onsite fitness center and wellness program with incentives, childcare reimbursement, and adoption assistance—giving you the tools to Own Your Well-Being. Through our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and robust 8% retirement contributions, you can Own Your Financial Future while sharing in the success you help create. Our commitment to development ensures you can Own Your Growth through learning opportunities, career advancement programs, and a collaborative culture that values innovation and teamwork.

At Restek, our core values—We Care, Better Every Day, Respect for All, and Win Together—are at the heart of everything we do. We care deeply about our employee-owners, our customers, and the communities we serve around the world. We strive to be better every day by fostering personal and professional growth while delivering solutions that drive positive global change. We value respect for all, creating a workplace where every voice matters and diverse perspectives drive innovation. And we believe we win together, celebrating shared success as a 100% employee-owned company.

We are an equal opportunity employer, considering applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, religion, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Restek provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable laws.

If you’re ready to join a team that lives its values and empowers you to Own Your Future, we’d love to hear your story. Apply today.