Premier Financial Services Organization

Chicago North-Suburban

Lean Solutions Implementation, Sr. Manager – PDF

The Company

Our client, a $6 billion+  financial services organization, is best known for issuing its own-brand of credit cards which are used by more than 50 million members at some 4 million merchant locations worldwide. The company also has a payment-processing network, owns an EFT ATM network, and in 2006 entered the debit card arena, allowing banks to offer house-branded debit cards. More recently, our client forged reciprocity alliances with card issuers in Japan and China, and just a short while ago agreed to acquire Diners Club International from Citigroup, a business which will add significantly to its international network.

In an unprecedented move, and as part of its strong belief in actually listening to the “voice of the customer”, our client in 2006 announced it would no longer require retailers to charge customers for using credit or debit cards (common practice among competitors).

Spun off from a major diversified investment banking group in 2007, the company has launched a major growth and improvement initiative across its domestic and global operations.  In late 2007 the company committed to and launched itself on a global continuous improvement journey based on LEAN and principles of the Toyota Production System and Six Sigma.  Which brings us to the creation of this new role, that of Lean Solutions Manager.

Background

According to a recent report by McKinsey & Co., financial services “organizations that focus on operational excellence are more likely than others to please their customers, to combine scale with flexibility in product design and delivery, and to manage productivity as a source of competitive advantage.”   Rapid globalization, continued deregulation, and the rising use of eCommerce are just some of the trends adding to the challenges of today’s financial service companies. Never before have speed, efficiency, and quality been more required to do business.  

Our client clearly recognizes the advantages of “Lean Operations”. In early 2007 our client’s COO and CFO committed to driving a Lean transformation, and the COO personally took on the role of Champion for this dramatic culture change.  This is based on a collaborative approach to engaging business unit heads across all functional and profit centers within the organization. 

Extensive introductory Lean training efforts began with the assistance of an outside Lean consulting group, and by late 2007 key executives and business unit leaders had become acclimated to thinking Lean.  This training is now continuing at the VP level throughout the organization.

And, again in late 2007, our client recruited a new Vice President of Lean from the outside and established a Lean/Kaizen Promotion/Project Office (KPO) dedicated to the tactics of spreading Lean throughout the organization.

The Position

This position was created with one key purpose in mind: to execute Lean initiative(s) on a day-to-day basis.  If you’re the Lean expert we seek you’ll know exactly what this involves. You will work with Initiative team members (including Lean experts, unit business experts, technology resources, etc.), collaborating with your team members to understand customer needs, map current states, design future states, define metrics, gather and analyze data, develop and promote solutions and, ultimately, produce significant business results across the board.

Is this what you like to do?  Do you have a passion for LEAN? Does this sound like the kind of commitment and dedication  to Lean you want from the organization where you work?  Should we talk?

Details

Position will report directly to the Vice President, Lean, and will be based in the Chicago north-suburban area.  In addition to working directly with Lean Solution teams, this Lean Manager will also participate in development of training materials and will personally teach skills, tools and processes to frontline team members, managers, etc., across the global organization. Extensive collaboration with human resources, training and communications teams as well. Expect travel requirements of approximately 2-3 days per week on a fairly regular basis.

Requirements

• Demonstrated hands-on Lean/Six Sigma leadership experience (at least 5-7 years) within leading Fortune 500 corporation or top-tier Lean/Six Sigma management consulting firm (or similar).
• Ideally, financial services industry experience – strong preference.
• Excellent analytical, organizational/planning, communications and interpersonal skills.
• Collaborative and persuasive problem-solving talent; ability to pull, not push, lean solutions.
• Process and results focus and orientation; a “get-it-done” attitude.
• BS/BA degree, MBA/MA a plus
• Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent.

 Compensation

Highly competitive base salary, performance bonus, excellent benefits package, and relocation assistance as appropriate.

Contact

Adam Zak, Principal,  or  Sheila Cunningham, Director

Adam Zak Executive Search

Executive Recruiting for the Lean Enterprise

POB 129, Barrington, IL 60011-0129  USA

Direct +1 847 304 5301  Main +1 847 304 5300

resume@LeanRecruiter.com          

www.LeanRecruiter.com

Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Scottsdale, or…

I’m conducting an executive search for a world-class practitioner of LEAN, Six Sigma and process improvement consulting and training.

Why Should You Consider this Position?

Because you are driven to excel. Passionate about LEAN. Steeped in Six Sigma. Creative. Analytical. Professional. You think and act like an entrepreneur. You crave to make a difference. You love to solve problems and your solutions must make an impact. Not just in the work cell, but across the enterprise, clearly improving your client’s operational and financial success.  You are hands-on, yet also connect to the big picture. You have breakthrough ideas, you share them, you collaborate. You are rewarded for your results. You derive professional and personal satisfaction from your career success. Is this you?  We must talk! (847 304-5301) 

Client Profile

Since 1994 our client has helped hundreds of companies, from the largest of the Fortune 500 to the smallest private equity portfolio company,  improve how they operate. They’ve delivered billions of dollars in bottom line benefits: higher margins, revenue growth, and more efficient use of capital. At the same time, they have helped clients truly transform their operations – boosting efficiency and efficacy, increasing customer satisfaction,  empowering individuals, and building internal skills and talent.

The Company was founded in 1994 by the progenitors of the Six Sigma revolution at Motorola. They developed the Six Sigma methodology, teaching companies like GE, Allied-Signal, DuPont and Merrill Lynch to achieve a higher level of quality, with substantially lower costs. Along the way, our client quickly found that the basic framework and tools of Six Sigma were applicable to much more than cost and quality, and well beyond the manufacturing floor or order-processing desk. From these real-world learnings and experiences, our client developed one of the most widely used and well-regarded management systems – a way of transforming a business using analysis, rigor, and individual empowerment.

Today, our client continues to improve and evolve from that legacy. The nature of their              consulting work has expanded well outside the boundaries of Lean and Six Sigma.  Their new brand, name and identity more effectively represent how they leverage process improvement expertise more broadly and deeply to help clients transform organizations.  

Our client works with commercial and investment Banks, private equity and professional services firms, and many global Fortune 500 firms in consumer products, energy, healthcare, industrial products and communications & technology industries.  The Company has offices in New York, Beijing, Dusseldorf, London, Paris, Scottsdale and Shanghai.

Position Summary

Our Director, Lean Six Sigma Consulting will ideally reside in the Metro New York, Atlanta, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago or Scottsdale regions, or within any major metro area easily accessible to a hub airport.  He or she will travel regularly across the United States (some international travel possible) to client locations. Our Director, Lean Six Sigma Consulting will be responsible for managing client relationships and the Lean/Sigma work engagements that result from those relationships, from project beginning onward. Our Director will be hands-on in driving projects, applying Lean and Six Sigma techniques to analyze client/project operational and financial metrics, developing project execution plans and targets, and supporting overall execution of client engagements.

Responsibilities

·        Work closely with the client to analyze both operational processes and financial metrics of the client to assess project opportunities that positively impact the financial performance of the client business

·        Develop and implement the roll out the execution plan with emphasis on yielding multiple ROI for the client

·        Provide Lean training, facilitate Kaizen Events and provide follow-up to drive operational improvements

·        Mentor and coach others in the use of Lean tools on assessments, operational analysis and implementation of lean methods

·        Ensure that the work provided is consistent with the firm’s domain expertise and beliefs and is delivered with high-impact, tangible results

·        Support the firm’s activity in developing new business and developing intellectual property.

·        Extensive travel to client locations; international travel possible

Requirements

·        Minimum of five years of direct LEAN experience and at least two years of SIX SIGMA experience in a manufacturing environment and preferably a transactional environment (financial services, airlines, etc.).

·        Ability to clearly quantify project metrics/results in terms of hard savings, soft savings and non-financial improvements.

·        Three-plus years of prior consulting experience in a management consulting firm preferred. 

·        Five years of operational leadership experience in a large manufacturing or transactional corporation required.  Internal consulting experience for a recognized leader in Lean/Six Sigma (LSS) methodologies preferred.

·        Direct experience leading multiple kaizen events and Six Sigma quality-based projects.

·        Hands-on experience leading LEAN events in LEAN tools areas including setup reduction, TPM, standard work, etc.  Strong preference for experience in value stream design and plant re-design. 

·        MBA preferred, engineering or business undergraduate degree required

About Travel

The individuals who choose to be a part of our client’s success would describe the firm’s environment as empowering, attentive to each individual’s professional and personal goals and objectives, and family-friendly. By its nature, however, world-class consulting work requires extensive travel. Firm members find that a 75% travel expectation is not unusual.  Please consider this in light of your lifestyle preferences.

Contact Sheila Cunningham or Adam Zak: 

Adam Zak Executive Search, Executive Recruiting for the Lean Enterprise 

POB 129,  Barrington,  IL 60011-0129  USA   

Direct +1 847 304 5301    Main +1 847 304 5300  

resume@LeanRecruiter.com     www.LeanRecruiter.com