Senior Manager Continuous Improvement

The Senior Manager Continuous Improvement is a role in the BJ’s Shared Service organization charged with leading a continuous improvement CoE (center of excellence), who will partner with the business and supporting functions to drive a standardized approach (leveraging lean six sigma methodologies) to deliver maximum ROI through business process improvement initiatives.

This position is responsible for coaching the business to achieve its strategic CI goals through the implementation and execution of BJ’s CI program across all functions, establishing best practices tools and methods, capability building via a training roadmap and mentorship for different CI roles, portfolio management via a centralized system, measurement and reporting as well as reward & recognition, leveraging change management techniques.

The role will:

• Be an expert in Lean Six Sigma methodologies and change management techniques.
• Help solve BJ’s toughest problems through thought-leadership, structured approach and analytics.
• Influence company leadership and the C-suite in maturing the CI program.
• Guide leaders ‘CI Champions’ in the development and deployment of a CI operating model
• Collaborate effectively across functions to ensure our portfolio reflect the inputs of all stakeholders and align to BJ’s HLO’s
• Coach, mentor and lead as needed process improvements initiatives to deliver on business goals.
• Grow BJ’s CI utilization across the organization working in collaboration with functional leaders ‘CI Champions’ to assure all levels understand/execute the BJ’s CI strategy.
• Champion development of an BJ’s roadmap through strategic planning, aligned to deliver on BJ’s HLO’s, that translate into measurable yearly targets and action plans.
• Assist in developing action plans to improve KPIs; track progress via daily management and deploy problem-solving where required.
• Build and maintain a Kaizen funnel (project portfolio) across the organization, prioritized to drive impact on critical KPIs aligned to HLOs.
• Ensure successful kaizen events by installing and ensuring compliance with the kaizen process, including the planning of kaizens, kaizen execution, sustainment of kaizen events, and results.
• Utilize change management to influence BJ’s activities within CSC, Clubs and with our partners.
• Utilize and implement CI operating model to define and execute short and long-term strategies and actions.
• Utilize a hands-on approach in working with members to promote and deploy sustainable continuous improvement activities.
• Provide project management and leadership to implement pilots and the ongoing rollout of new continuous improvement plans.
• Properly engage, collaborate, and influence all functions to ensure the continuous improvement strategy is understood and is sufficiently supported by the appropriate stakeholders.
• Provide change management leadership to ensure we achieve and sustain our targeted performance levels.
• Develop a CI playbook including identification and documentation of best practices, development and delivery of training material, and documentation and communication of case studies.
• Benchmark and incorporate “Best Practices” across the business and facilitate leadership sessions.

Key Candidate Qualifications

• Minimum 6-10 years relevant experience in business operations, Continuous Improvement methodologies (Lean Six Sigma, project management), and change management with a proven track record of success.
• Visionary and strategic thinker: Must be able to develop multi-year future vision and strategy of where to focus and lead teams to deliver streamlined business operations. Proven entrepreneurial ability to operate from ambiguity and to create and drive structure and clarity.
• Outstanding communication, consultative, and interpersonal skills: The ideal candidate will influence key executive stakeholders both within BJ’s at all levels of the organization. Superior executive presence is required for meetings with senior executives, handling conflict situations, influencing others to their strategy and way of thinking, and to provide inspirational leadership for other continuous improvement resources across BJ’s.
• Superior problem-solving/solution architect and business acumen skills: Must have outstanding ability to diagnose problems which could relate to process, policy, technology, strategy, or people and to put in place actions/measures to address. Candidate with functional knowledge of key end-to-end business processes preferred (Order to Cash, Source to Pay, Hire to Retire, Record to Report)
• Project and Program Management: Must have proven track record of managing and delivering multiple large-scale, multi-functional projects at the same time.
• Financial management: Must have proven ability to develop and oversee the development of solid business cases to demonstrate the value proposition to move forward with project investment. Additionally, must have proven ability to manage and oversee and report on project actual spend against budget.
• Shared Services/Global Business Services experience: The ideal candidate has experience operating within a shared services delivery operation. The resource should have a deep understanding of Shared services/global business services operating models and demonstrate thought Leadership in related concepts.

Personal attributes:

• Ideal candidate must be decisive and accountable.
• Must work as a “player/coach” – not only leading others, but also having the willingness and ability to roll up their sleeves and engage in detailed execution when necessary.
• Detail oriented – ruthless pursuit of excellence in all things.
• Service-oriented – obtaining personal satisfaction from a job well-done that makes customers happy.
• Leadership– must be able to inspire others to take on extraordinary efforts with positive attitudes, drive, and determination. Demonstrate a passion for business optimization.
• Strong believer in project management methodologies
• Collaborative working style: openness to different points of view, empathy and good listening skills to enable fruitful collaboration with our internal clients.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office package