Lean Transformation Engineer

Johnson Controls•San Antonio, TX

About The Position

We are seeking a high-potential manufacturing leader with a demonstrated ability to influence across departments and functions, drive rapid and measurable business results, and accelerate Lean and Business System deployment. This role is ideal for a proven CI, Production, or Operations Leader with experience in strong business systems environments who is ready to grow into broader leadership roles within the next 2–3 years. The ideal candidate has successfully led Lean transformations, established and sustained Daily Management Systems, delivered significant performance improvement in short timeframes, and can operate effectively across operations, quality, supply chain, engineering, and maintenance. This role requires a leader who combines hands-on operational excellence with enterprise mindset and change leadership capability. This position plays a critical role in deploying, accelerating, and sustaining the JCI Business System, ensuring consistent execution, leadership capability development, and performance improvement across the plant and extended value stream.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Industrial Technology, or related field.
5–10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience (Production Supervisor, Production Manager, Operations Leader, Value Stream Manager, CI Leader).
Demonstrated history of driving substantial business results in short periods of time through Lean, CI, and operational leadership.
Proven experience leading Lean transformations and Kaizen events in complex manufacturing environments.
Hands-on experience with Daily Management Systems, Lean tools, and structured problem solving (A3, DMAIC, 5 Whys).
Experience working in organizations with strong business systems and Lean manufacturing cultures.
Strong track record of influencing without authority and driving alignment across functions.
Demonstrated ability to lead change, accelerate deployment, and deliver measurable operational improvements.

Nice To Haves

Formal Lean certifications (Lean Practitioner, Lean Leader, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt).
Experience in automotive, aerospace, industrial manufacturing, or high-volume environments.
Prior responsibility for production budgets, KPIs, cost management, and operational metrics.
Experience leading OEE improvement, TPM deployment, value stream management, or plant-wide transformations.
Exposure to enterprise business system deployments and maturity models.
A results-driven production or CI leader with strong shop-floor presence and a coaching mindset.
Demonstrated ability to influence across departments and functions to drive aligned execution.
Thrives in fast-paced, change-intensive manufacturing environments.
Data-driven, structured thinker with a strong bias for action and accountability.
Highly motivated to build scalable systems, develop leaders, and accelerate business performance.
Viewed as a future operations or plant leader with enterprise mindset.

Responsibilities

Lead and facilitate Kaizen events, rapid improvement workshops, and cross-functional problem-solving efforts focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
Deploy, stabilize, and accelerate Daily Management Systems (DMS) including tiered meetings, KPI management, visual controls, leader standard work, and escalation processes.
Drive value stream performance improvements focused on flow, waste elimination, OEE, capacity, and labor productivity.
Influence and align cross-functional teams (Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance) to deliver integrated system improvements.
Establish and sustain a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and employee engagement.
Develop, standardize, and scale operational best practices across departments and shifts.
Lead and support deployment of 5S, TPM, SMED, Kanban, Standard Work, and Problem-Solving routines.
Act as a change agent to ensure Lean principles and JCI Business System behaviors are consistently applied.
Coach, mentor, and develop frontline leaders, supervisors, and CI practitioners.
Build bench strength and succession pipelines aligned with future business needs.
Lead training and capability building in capacity planning, labor optimization, production scheduling, and performance management.
Model strong operational discipline, accountability, and fact-based decision making.
Influence leaders beyond direct reporting lines to adopt and sustain standard work and system thinking.
Lead day-to-day manufacturing activities ensuring safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets are consistently met or exceeded.
Drive short-interval control and rapid response to performance gaps.
Mentor shift supervisors and team leaders to improve execution, engagement, and results.
Deliver measurable performance improvements in compressed timeframes, demonstrating bias for action and results.
Participate in strategic, cross-plant, and enterprise initiatives that prepare the candidate for expanded leadership roles.
Demonstrate increasing ownership of plant-wide and cross-departmental performance.
Support JCI Business System deployment, maturity assessments, and acceleration plans.
Partner with senior leadership to translate strategy into executable operational priorities.