Manager, Manufacturing Excellence & Operating Systems

Graco manufactures and markets premium equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray a wide variety of fluid and powder materials. What does that mean? Well, we pump peanut butter into your jar, and the oil in your car. We glue the soles of your shoes, the glass in your windows and the screen on your phone. We spray the finish on your vehicle, coatings on your pills, the paint on your house and texture on your walls. Graco is part of your daily life.

The Manager, Manufacturing Excellence & Operating Systems leads and continuously improves Graco’s Manufacturing Operating System and supporting management systems, including the standards, operating rhythms, performance management practices and problem-solving methods used to manage manufacturing performance. This job owns the continuous improvement portfolio and is accountable for operating system governance, deployment, maturity, capability development and sustainment across manufacturing locations. The job partners with Operations & Supply Chain leaders, manufacturing sites and other key stakeholders to strengthen operating discipline, prioritize improvement work, build capability, validate benefits and improve manufacturing cost, flow, capacity, quality and delivery.

What You Will Do at Graco

Manufacturing and Lean Operating System

• Define and maintain the Manufacturing Operating System, deployment roadmap, standards, governance and maturity model
• Establish common methods for structured problem solving, value stream improvement, standard work, visual management, daily management, leader standard work and sustainment
• Establish operating system maturity expectations, assess adoption and performance across manufacturing locations and develop gap-closing plans to ensure consistent deployment and sustainment
• Define and maintain role profiles, decision rights and interaction models that clarify how manufacturing leaders, plant teams and functional partners work together to manage performance, resolve issues and continuously improve operations.
• Own the learning and capability development system, including role-based learning paths, role coaching expectations and adoption measures, while functional experts own technical training content.

Continuous Improvement Portfolio

• Own the Continuous Improvement Portfolio, including project intake, prioritization, resource allocation, execution discipline, benefits validation and sustainment .
• Lead enterprise initiatives involving portfolio simplification, operating discipline and cross-functional process improvement
• Partner with the Value Engineering Lead, Operations & Supply Chain leaders and other functional stakeholders to align improvement resources with business priorities
• Partner with Operations & Supply Chain leaders, Finance and other functional stakeholders to establish benefit measurement methods, validate forecasted and realized results and provide clear visibility to committed, completed and at-risk results
• Resolve portfolio priorities, resource conflicts and escalation needs with site and functional leaders

Enterprise Capability and Partnership

• Coach site and functional leaders in operating system deployment, daily management, leader standard work, structured problem solving and ownership of results
• Build a network of leaders and practitioners who apply common methods, share learning and scale effective practices across Graco
• Partner with Operations & Supply Chain leaders to strengthen operating discipline, accountability and management system effectiveness across manufacturing locations
• Coordinate with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Information Systems and Finance to align improvement work with business priorities

Team Leadership and Financial Management

• Lead, mentor, manage and staff the Manufacturing Excellence organization, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and promoting a culture of excellence.
• Drive team performance by setting clear goals, providing ongoing feedback and facilitating professional growth opportunities.
• Establish, manage and be accountable for the annual Manufacturing Excellence budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources and alignment with organizational priorities.

What You Will Bring to Graco

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, business or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of manufacturing, operations or continuous improvement experience.
• 2+ years of people leadership or sustained program leadership experience.
• Knowledge of daily management systems, leader standard work, structured problem solving, project governance, change management and benefits realization.
• Ability to make cross-functional decisions, communicate with leaders and influence across multiple manufacturing locations.

Accelerators

• Master’s degree or MBA.
• Operational excellence, structured problem solving or equivalent certification.
• Experience building, deploying or scaling a manufacturing operating system across multiple locations.
• Experience developing enterprise learning or capability systems.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent and unrestricted basis. This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship now or in the future (e.g., H-1B, TN, E-3, O-1, L-1, or employment-based permanent residence sponsorship). Candidates working under temporary employment authorization, including F-1 OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, or similar programs, are not eligible for this position. 

At Graco, you truly make a difference. Your unique talents contribute to our organizational growth and future. Not only do you make a difference, but Graco’s culture empowers employees to create their own career path. Whether you choose to advance within your current department or explore new opportunities in different divisions, you have the ability to build your future. Our managers are here to provide support and guidance as you continue to grow within your career.

Graco has excellent opportunities available to individuals who want to be part of a fast-moving, growing company that is committed to quality, innovation and solving fluid handling problems for our customers. Graco is proud to be named a Best Place to Work by Fortune Magazine in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 & 2022. Graco offers attractive compensation, benefits and career development opportunities. Graco’s comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, stock purchase plan, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more.

Our company uses E-Verify to confirm the employment and eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

The base pay range for this position is listed below, exclusive of fringe benefits or other compensation. If you are hired, your final base hourly rate will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, competencies, education, and/or experience. In addition to those factors, we will also consider internal equity of our current employees. Please keep in mind that the range provided is the full base salary range for the role. Hiring at or near the maximum of the range would not be typical to allow for future and continued salary growth.