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What the market looks like

Operational excellence hiring remains consistently strong, particularly across manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services. We track thousands of OpEx-focused postings annually, and Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen credentials show up in more than half of the listings. Director-level compensation generally lands in a $160K–$230K range, and the strongest directors we place are increasingly integrating AI and automation into the continuous improvement playbook — not just running classical Lean projects.

Job responsibilities

Own the enterprise operational excellence agenda across functions and business units
Lead a team of OpEx practitioners, Black Belts, and continuous improvement specialists
Partner with operations, finance, and business-line leadership on priority projects
Drive measurable improvement in cost, quality, lead time, and customer outcomes
Develop and mentor the OpEx talent pipeline
Increasingly integrate AI and automation into the continuous improvement playbook
Set the operating rhythm — reviews, metrics, and reporting — that keeps improvement on track
Coach senior leaders on the OpEx mindset and methods

Candidate requirements

10+ years in operational excellence, continuous improvement, or Lean Six Sigma leadership
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt or equivalent senior credential
Proven track record delivering significant P&L impact across multi-site or multi-function programs
Strong team leadership and talent development skills
Fluent across modern OpEx tooling — Minitab, Power BI, and increasingly AI and automation
Excellent executive communication

Director of Operational Excellence