Operational Excellence Lead / Coordinator

About the role

A well-established battery manufacturing company with significant operations in East Africa is looking for an experienced, hands-on Operational Excellence Lead / Coordinator to report to the Head of Manufacturing. The role coordinates and drives continuous improvement across manufacturing operations, improving safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost and equipment performance through Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, Total Productive Maintenance, Autonomous Maintenance, structured problem-solving and AI-enabled tools and analytics. It works through existing departmental teams to set baselines, identify gaps, build internal capability and deliver measurable, sustainable results.

Key responsibilities

• Coordinate the Operational Excellence roadmap and annual improvement plan, set performance indicators and dashboards, and report performance, benefits, risks and barriers to management
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 6S, visual management and process mapping, reduce waste and downtime, and standardize approved improvements
• Champion Total Productive Maintenance and Autonomous Maintenance with Production and Engineering, improve OEE and close audit and review actions
• Lead cross-functional improvement projects with Production, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, H&S, Finance and HR, validating benefits and keeping project records
• Embed safety, health, environmental and quality requirements, support ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 17025 and IATF compliance, and take part in audits
• Build capability through training, coaching and facilitation, develop Kaizen champions and engage stakeholders
• Explore AI-enabled tools and analytics, manage project resources within budget and perform other duties in the role

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Production or Process Engineering, Operations Management or a related discipline
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt desirable; Kaizen, TPM, Project Management or ISO Auditor certification an added advantage
• Minimum 5 years' relevant experience in manufacturing or industry, including leading Operational Excellence, Lean, Kaizen, TPM or Autonomous Maintenance initiatives
• Demonstrated experience delivering cross-functional projects with sustained improvement in productivity, cost, quality or equipment performance
• Proven ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and influence without direct authority

Required skills

• Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 6S, visual management, TPM and Autonomous Maintenance
• Equipment reliability and OEE, root-cause analysis, process mapping and structured problem-solving
• Project and change management, operational data analysis and benefits validation
• Training, coaching and facilitation