Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence Recruiters
Manufacturing Headhunters recruits manufacturing professionals nationwide.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
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Continuous improvement titles carry more baggage than any other function in a plant. Some companies mean a Black Belt who delivers validated savings. Others mean a person who runs kaizen events that fade a month later. The family spans the VP and director of operational excellence, the director and manager of continuous improvement, the CI engineer, the lean manager and specialist, the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, the Master Black Belt and the TPM lead. Plant buyers tell us the failure mode is almost always the same: a charismatic facilitator who could run a workshop but could not make a supervisor change a routine. We search for people whose results survived after they left the area. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
Positions we recruit in Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
- Continuous Improvement ManagerCheck Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
- Continuous Improvement EngineerCheck Green or Black Belt.
- Lean Six Sigma Black BeltCheck Certified (ASQ CSSBB or corporate program) and project-proven.
- Director of Operational ExcellenceCheck Designed an operating system across sites.
- Lean ManagerCheck We test results, tools and ability to coach managers..
- VP of Operational ExcellenceOwns the operating system and improvement priorities across a plant network.
- Director of Continuous ImprovementOwns improvement leaders and projects tied to plant operating constraints.
- Lean Specialist / CoordinatorOwns improvement work with operators and supervisors at the process.
- Master Black BeltOwns technical coaching and statistical review of improvement projects.
- TPM Manager / CoordinatorOwns equipment-care routines shared by production and maintenance.
- Senior Continuous Improvement EngineerOwns difficult improvement problems requiring defensible process analysis.
- Lead Continuous Improvement EngineerOwns technical coordination and review of improvement engineering projects.
Combined continuous improvement & operational excellence titles share a page where the work is the same; each link opens the relevant hiring brief.
Matching the responsibility, not only the title
Savings that finance accepted
Ask any candidate who validated their project savings. A strong CI person can name the controller who signed off, explain what was counted and what was not, and tell you what happened to the number after the first year. Soft savings and avoided costs deserve skepticism.
Daily management versus events
A kaizen week produces energy. A daily management system produces habits: tier meetings, visual boards that people actually update, problem escalation that works. We look for candidates who built the second and can describe how they kept supervisors engaged.
Fit between method and plant type
SMED and changeover reduction matter in high-mix packaging. Flow and line balancing matter in assembly. Process capability and yield matter in continuous operations. TPM matters where equipment stops dominate. A person strong in one may be ordinary in another, and we say so.
Black Belt certification and project proof
ASQ credentials and corporate program belts are useful, but plants hire the project record. We ask for the project with the messiest data, the one that nearly failed, and how the candidate used statistical analysis software or similar tools to resolve it.
Reporting line and authority
A manager reporting to the plant manager can change daily routines. A corporate director coaches plants that may not listen. Candidates who thrived in one structure often struggle in the other, so we describe your reporting line plainly before they commit.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
Where we find this experience
Strong CI people come from plants with a mature lean culture, where improvement is a job rather than a campaign. We approach operational excellence managers at multi-site manufacturers, industrial and manufacturing engineers who have been quietly leading improvement for their sites, and Black Belts inside corporate programs who want to own implementation rather than coach from outside.
We also speak with production managers and area managers who earned belts and want a role built on method, and with consultants who spent years deploying systems inside client plants. For TPM roles we look to maintenance and reliability leaders who ran autonomous maintenance programs. Association communities around lean and operational excellence help us find people who present their work publicly and can be checked.
How this manufacturing search runs
We start by asking what the last improvement effort left behind. The answer tells us whether you need a builder, a coach, a project engine or a rescuer. We write the scope around the habits you want to see on the floor, not around a list of methods.
We then approach candidates privately and test each against your plant type. Before introductions, we ask for project detail and references to who validated results, so you meet fewer people and spend interview time on substance.
We also tell you what we hear from the market. If candidates keep describing your vacancy as a facilitator seat when you need an owner of results, we say so and adjust the scope before more time is spent. Improvement leaders pay close attention to whether leadership will back them when a supervisor pushes back, so we help you explain that support plainly.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
Questions about Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence searches
What is your fee?
Our fee is a percentage of the first-year base salary, and the percentage is agreed in writing before we start. There is no upfront fee, no retainer and no charge for the search itself.
Do we pay if no hire results?
You pay only if you hire someone we introduced. If you interview people and hire none of them, or hire someone we never presented, you owe us nothing.
Is the search confidential?
Yes: We keep your name out of conversations until a candidate has a real reason to proceed. If your improvement lead is still in the seat, we plan around that and protect the relationship. We confirm the cost-of-hire terms in writing before the first candidate is contacted, so nothing about the arrangement changes midway through the search.
Can you reach people who are not applying?
Good CI leaders are usually busy with a project and happy where they are, so we approach them directly and explain why this seat might be better.
What about location and relocation?
We state the location at the start. Some CI roles travel between sites and tolerate remote bases, while plant-based roles need presence. We tell you which this is and whether relocation help will be needed.
Would you consider a manufacturing engineer or production manager for a CI seat?
Yes, when the person has led improvement work with measured results. A production manager who earned a belt and changed their own area can outperform a certified specialist who never ran a shift. We explain the trade-offs and what coaching they might need.
What replacement guarantee applies?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
Start your Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence search
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
Related role families
- Executive & General Management
- Plant & Production Management
- Manufacturing, Process & Industrial Engineering
- Automation, Controls & Electrical
- Product Design, R&D & Program Management
- Quality, Food Safety & Regulatory
- Maintenance, Reliability & Facilities
- EHS & Sustainability
- Supply Chain, Procurement & Planning
- Logistics, Distribution & Warehouse
- Technical Sales, Applications & Field Service
- Manufacturing Finance & Accounting
- Machining & Toolroom
- Welding, Fabrication & Metal Finishing
- Industrial Maintenance & Plant Technicians
- Production Operators, Setup & Line Leads
- Assembly, Electronics & Composites
- Process Operators & Process Technicians
- Quality Inspection, Metrology & Lab Technicians
- Packaging Line & Sanitation Technicians
- Warehouse, Materials & Shipping
Open jobs
Executive-search discipline, on every assignment
What do you get from the Six-Step Search?
Plant leaders, engineers and skilled technicians receive the same care in defining the work, researching relevant backgrounds and understanding the individual. Pulling a list and sending messages is not the hard part. The value is doing the research and qualification well enough to support a sound hiring decision.
Calibrate the work and the decision
We start with the operating problem, what the hire must improve and the decisions they will own. We agree what experience matters, who supports the role and what you can realistically offer. A maintenance leader inheriting reactive breakdowns needs a different brief from one building a reliability program.
Research relevant plants and people
We research manufacturing environments where people have handled comparable work. Process, equipment and decision authority matter more than a matching title. We look for relevant professionals, including people who are not applying, rather than treating an exported list as a completed search.
Make respectful, targeted contact
We explain why the work may be relevant and invite a conversation without pressure. We agree what information may be shared on a confidential search. Contact is the start of qualification, not evidence that someone wants the job or fits it.
Discuss the work they personally performed
Our conversations separate an individual's decisions and responsibilities from the team's results. We explore judgment under pressure, reasons for considering a move and practical expectations. For technicians, that includes equipment background, shift, commute and the support available. Candidate accounts are identified as such; a conversation is not a technical certification.
Write down fit, gaps and open questions
You receive a written candidate brief connecting the person's background to your operating problem. It explains motivation and practical fit, the gaps we have identified and what remains to assess. We distinguish candidate-reported information from supporting evidence rather than presenting every statement as independently verified.
Stay involved through interviews and offers
We use your interview feedback to clarify gaps and keep both sides informed about the work and expectations. We help address offer questions, counteroffers and practical concerns without promising an acceptance. Your team makes the hiring decision and assesses technical capability and site-specific requirements. A shortlist is an output of this work, not the whole service.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
Questions before starting a search
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.
Read the contingency fee terms · Review Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
What did the last empty seat cost you?
How long did your last search take? How much did the empty seat cost while you waited?
Put your own cover costs and lost production into the Cost-of-Vacancy calculator. It uses your numbers, not a claim about what another plant loses.