Manufacturing Manager & Continuous Improvement Leader
Our client is a solid, long‐standing company operating in the steel processing industry. To expand its staff, they commissioned us to select the Manufacturing Manager & Continuous Improvement Leader.
As part of a cultural and operational development program, the company intends to hire a senior Continuous Improvement professional capable of driving operational performance improvements while maintaining consistency and respect for the existing organizational structure. The role will gradually expand responsibilities and become a stable operational point of reference for the organization. The role combines Continuous Improvement responsibility with a strong operational focus, ensuring both daily performance monitoring and long‐term improvement.
Responsibilities
- Lead a cross‐departmental continuous improvement program in forging, heat treatment, tooling, machining, maintenance, quality, and internal logistics, with a strong focus on safety, operational stability, and performance improvement.
- Promote a strong safety culture on the shop floor, collaborating closely with the EHS function to ensure safe work practices, risk awareness, and a continuous reduction in accidents.
- Promote initiatives to improve OTD by analyzing production flow, schedule stability, bottlenecks, and coordination between forging, heat treatment, machining, and logistics.
- Lead initiatives to reduce production times by improving process flow between forging, heat treatment, machining, and internal logistics.
- Develop visibility of the value stream throughout the plant, identifying constraints and improvement opportunities along the entire production chain.
- Support the SIOP process, ensuring alignment between sales demand, production capacity, and operational constraints.
- Contribute to inventory optimization by collaborating with planning, purchasing, and production to reduce excess inventory, improve material flow, and maintain service levels.
- Collaborate with department managers and technicians to map processes, continuously identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and waste, and propose concrete corrective actions.
- Implement Lean, TPM, SMED, 5S, OEE, visual management, and problem‐solving methodologies, actively involving shop floor personnel.
- Define and monitor process and department KPIs (in addition to those already in place), continuing to foster a data‐driven culture of shared responsibility.
- Support maintenance planning and industrial digitalization projects and work synergistically with management control to analyze costs and variances.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement at all levels of the organization, training supervisors and department managers in structured problem‐solving and performance management.
- Ensure that improvement actions are fully integrated into daily operations, supporting operational stability, productivity, inventory efficiency, lead time reduction, and delivery performance.
The position is expected to evolve from a Continuous Improvement focus towards broader operational responsibilities, combining improvement capabilities with direct operational leadership.
Required skills and experience
- Degree in Engineering (mechanical, management, or equivalent).
- Solid experience in structured industrial contexts within the metalworking sector (preferably forging, stamping, heavy mechanics, steel industry).
- Solid experience in Manufacturing Management (PRODUCTION) and in continuous improvement and operational optimization projects, with a strong presence on the shop floor.
- Proven exposure to manufacturing or plant operations management, with the ability to translate improvement initiatives into operational results.
- Experience improving OTD, production planning stability, and inventory performance in complex manufacturing environments.
- Pragmatic attitude, listening skills, operational authority, and long‐term vision.
- Ability to integrate into a consolidated structure while bringing innovation with respect for established operating methods.
- Familiarity with production, maintenance, quality, and safety systems.
- Good knowledge of English.
Location
Province of Turin (Canavese area)
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