Job title:  Senior Continuous Improvement Specialist

ANDRITZ Hydropower North America is part of an international technology group with an extensive portfolio of sustainable products and solutions. ANDRITZ aims to make the greatest possible contribution to a sustainable future and help its customers achieve their sustainability goals. The group has around 29,800 employees and over 280 locations in more than 40 countries.

As the first equipment manufacturer in North America and a world leader in the design of hydroelectric turbines, ANDRITZ Hydropower North America has more than 185 years of know-how.

In a context of energy transition, our hydroelectric innovation projects make sense. From design to construction, our innovative team of experts offers turnkey solutions. By joining ANDRITZ Hydropower, you are contributing to the development of sustainable technology, and a clean future.
 

From water to wire – Be part of the movement!
 

Senior Continuous Improvement Specialist

Charlotte, NC - hybrid

Summary of the role 

We are seeking a Sr. Continuous Improvement Specialist to join our team, based in the Andritz office in Charlotte, with occasional visits to our project sites, manufacturing, and other facilities. The Continuous Improvement Specialist will serve as a change agent, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Lead, mobilize and perform process improvement, driving actions across various levels of the organization to ensure added value and the effectiveness of implemented processes and tools.

The following responsibilities form the core of this role: 

• Act as a change agent and challenge the status quo persistently.
• Identify improvement opportunities, develop, and manage improvement plans, and lead improvement initiatives with business champions and process owners across different facilities.
• Lead potential team of professionals specialized in quality and continuous improvement.
• Develop a continuous improvement training program in collaboration with process owners and HR and provide training and coaching to employees on lean and continuous improvement methodologies to execute improvement projects.
• Drive the implementation of innovative and creative ideas, methods, and process improvements. Prioritize and lead continuous improvement projects using lean six sigma methodology and tools.
• Analyze data using statistical data analysis methods.
• Promote operational excellence and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Conduct problem-solving, root cause analysis, Gemba Walks, KAIZEN events, and workshops.
• Facilitate and guide the development of PFMEA and DFMEA.
• Review and monitor RCAs, corrective and preventive actions from various sources (audits, root cause analyses, customer, and employee feedback, etc.).
• Develop and analyze key performance indicators to monitor and track the impact and benefits of improvements in support of the company's objectives in alignment with overall company goals & objectives.
• Conduct process maturity assessments and internal / supplier audits.
• Implement and develop necessary procedures, flow charts, templates in compliance with the Andritz Hydro Management System.
• Drive lessons learned processes and project postmortem activities.
• Prepare the resource and budget planning.

Do you fit the profile?
Successful teams share objectives, and they also share values! In addition to your strong skills and experience, we need someone with high motivation, a positive mindset, and a willingness to be part of a team. 

The ideal candidate should be willing to work in a complex, fast-paced environment, with evolving priorities. Result and solution-oriented candidates who follow through with ideas and commitments will perform well within ANDRITZ. As our projects have large scopes and often require years to be completed, your perseverance will be valued with us. 

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent with continuous improvement experience.
• Five (5) to seven (7) years of experience in a similar role.
• Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification.
• Strong proficiency in English, both oral and written.
• Ability to travel to sites and facilities for short periods.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including persistence, resilience, teamwork, time management, self-discipline, and autonomy.
• Excellent understanding and working knowledge of problem-solving, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement tools (DMAIC, Lean 6 Sigma, Kaizen, 8D, etc.).
• Strong hands-on experience with executing lean six sigma improvement projects in both manufacturing and transactional business process environment and facilitating Kaizen events.
• Strong soft skills such as leadership, communication, analytical skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
• Good understanding of project business and construction site quality, health/safety concerns, and their technical aspects.
• Good understanding of the cost of poor-quality concept and familiarity with capturing them.
• Good understanding and technical knowledge on Quality Inspection and GD&T measurement.
• Good understanding of manufacturing, Machin shop, and heavy equipment assembly.
• Good understanding of facilitating and developing PFMEA and DFMEA.
• Good understanding of statistical data analysis (ANOVA, DOE, Regression, capability analysis, etc.).
• Good understanding of ISO 9001 and quality management system Audit.
• Strong working knowledge of MS Office (Visio, PBI, MS Power Suite, Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Strong working knowledge of statistical analysis software (Minitab, etc.).
• Familiarity with non-conformance management system using SAP or equivalent ERP systems.
• PMP certification is an asset.
• ISO 9001 auditor is an asset.

What do we offer?

• Life, disability, dental and extended health insurance;
• 401k matching;
• Hybrid work model;
• Annual bonus program;
• Employee assistance program;
• Employee individualized training and career plan.

Did you know?
ANDRITZ Hydro has:

• Over 185 years of experience in turbine design
• Over 489,000 MW of installed and upgraded capacity
• Over 33,200 turbine units delivered
• Over 135 years in electrical engineering
• 65 representative offices worldwide
• More than 6100 employees worldwide 
• Over 50 Compact Hydro units per year
• A complete range of designs up to 800 MW
• 20 manufacturing sites worldwide
• 20% of all turbines in operation worldwide

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability.