Operational Excellence Lead – Manufacturing

About the role

The Operational Excellence Lead will drive the continuous‑improvement agenda across our battery manufacturing plant in Nairobi. Reporting to the Head of Manufacturing, you will coordinate Lean, Kaizen, TPM and AI‑enabled analytics initiatives to raise safety, quality, productivity and equipment performance.

Key responsibilities

• Coordinate implementation of the Operational Excellence roadmap and annual improvement plan in line with business priorities.
• Establish performance baselines, identify gaps, and develop action plans to meet approved targets.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 6S, visual management, process mapping and structured problem‑solving projects.
• Champion Total Productive Maintenance and Autonomous Maintenance, set baselines for priority equipment and drive OEE improvements.
• Monitor progress through dashboards, provide concise performance reporting and manage cross‑functional change initiatives.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading continuous‑improvement programmes in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands‑on ability to build internal capability and coordinate multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Strong analytical mindset with a focus on measurable, sustainable results.
• Excellent communication skills to influence stakeholders at all levels.

Required skills

• Lean Manufacturing
• Kaizen
• 6S / Visual Management
• Process Mapping
• Structured Problem‑Solving
• Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
• Autonomous Maintenance
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) improvement
• AI‑enabled tools and analytics