Operations Excellence Manager Jobs in California
Operations Excellence Manager jobs in California are in strong demand, concentrated in manufacturing, biotechnology, aerospace, healthcare systems, and large-scale logistics operations, with openings at every level from process improvement specialist through senior director. The heaviest hiring clusters in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego, where major employers such as Kaiser Permanente, Northrop Grumman, and Genentech maintain long-standing operations that continuously seek this expertise. The most in-demand specialties within the role include Lean Six Sigma program leadership, supply chain optimization, and cross-functional continuous improvement. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 16+ Operations Excellence Manager jobs
Pay Range: $96,100 - $120,120 per year
The Operational Excellence Engineer I supports operational excellence engineering initiatives and continuous improvement across poultry processing operations. Reporting to the Complex Manager, this engineering role partners with live production, processing operations, maintenance, quality assurance, food safety, environmental, animal welfare and safety teams to identify, analyze, and implement data-driven improvements to enhance throughput, yield, cost control, compliance, and overall operational performance.
This industrial engineering position applies Lean, Six Sigma, and audit-based methodologies to strengthen executional discipline, standardize processes, reduce variability, and ensure compliance with regulatory, food safety, animal welfare, and internal operating standards. The OE Engineer plays a key role in supporting plant strategy by improving foundational processes, driving operational efficiencies, and delivering measurable value to internal and external customers.
Essential Functions
- Collect and analyze operational, yield, labor, downtime, and quality data to assess current-state performance and identify process improvement opportunities across poultry processing operations.
- Conduct analysis and process mapping, time studies, value stream mapping, and root cause analysis (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone) to identify bottlenecks and sources of variability.
- Collaborate on and design Lean and continuous improvement initiatives, including waste reduction, line efficiency, yield improvement, labor optimization, and cost reduction.
- Develop internal audits, operational assessments, and compliance reviews related to food safety, quality, animal welfare, safety, and operational standards.
- Design, coordinate and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) and ensure sustained compliance.
- Drive process, equipment, and work-instruction standardization across departments and facilities to improve consistency and executional discipline.
- Collaborate on and design improvement projects end-to-end, including scoping, planning, testing, implementation, training, and post-implementation validation.
- Develop and enhance project documentation, including project plans, timelines, SOPs, workflow maps, standard work, transition plans, and hand-off documentation.
- Facilitate cross-functional collaboration across processing, live operations, maintenance, engineering, QA, and safety teams with competing priorities.
- Collect, validate, and analyze performance metrics; develop dashboards and reports to track KPIs such as yield, efficiency, labor, safety, quality, and downtime.
- Plan implementation and optimization of operational systems, ensuring data integrity and effective reporting.
- Identify and implement initiatives that improve food safety, employee safety, animal welfare outcomes, and reduce operational risk.
- Analyze and develop solutions relating to sustainability of improvements through audits, performance reviews, and management routines.
- Serve as an active member of the organization’s cross-functional Operational Excellence team.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Operations, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related field.
- Minimum of five (5) years of experience in poultry, meat processing, food manufacturing, high-volume labor-intensive operations or a related operations environment.
- Strong data analysis, database management, and business operations experience.
- Working knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies; Lean Six Sigma certification (Green or Black Belt) preferred.
- Experience supporting or participating in internal audits, operational assessments, or compliance programs.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, with advanced Excel skills preferred.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
- Excellent facilitation, training, and communication skills with an end-user and operations-focused mindset.
- Proven ability to identify root causes, develop corrective actions, and drive sustainable results.
- High attention to detail and strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Ability to work effectively with diverse teams, perspectives, and backgrounds in a fast-paced production environment.
- Ability to build strong relationships and influence change across all levels of the organization.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
Pay Range: $96,100 - $120,120 per year
The Operational Excellence Engineer I supports operational excellence engineering initiatives and continuous improvement across poultry processing operations. Reporting to the Complex Manager, this engineering role partners with live production, processing operations, maintenance, quality assurance, food safety, environmental, animal welfare and safety teams to identify, analyze, and implement data-driven improvements to enhance throughput, yield, cost control, compliance, and overall operational performance.
This industrial engineering position applies Lean, Six Sigma, and audit-based methodologies to strengthen executional discipline, standardize processes, reduce variability, and ensure compliance with regulatory, food safety, animal welfare, and internal operating standards. The OE Engineer plays a key role in supporting plant strategy by improving foundational processes, driving operational efficiencies, and delivering measurable value to internal and external customers.
Essential Functions
- Collect and analyze operational, yield, labor, downtime, and quality data to assess current-state performance and identify process improvement opportunities across poultry processing operations.
- Conduct analysis and process mapping, time studies, value stream mapping, and root cause analysis (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone) to identify bottlenecks and sources of variability.
- Collaborate on and design Lean and continuous improvement initiatives, including waste reduction, line efficiency, yield improvement, labor optimization, and cost reduction.
- Develop internal audits, operational assessments, and compliance reviews related to food safety, quality, animal welfare, safety, and operational standards.
- Design, coordinate and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) and ensure sustained compliance.
- Drive process, equipment, and work-instruction standardization across departments and facilities to improve consistency and executional discipline.
- Collaborate on and design improvement projects end-to-end, including scoping, planning, testing, implementation, training, and post-implementation validation.
- Develop and enhance project documentation, including project plans, timelines, SOPs, workflow maps, standard work, transition plans, and hand-off documentation.
- Facilitate cross-functional collaboration across processing, live operations, maintenance, engineering, QA, and safety teams with competing priorities.
- Collect, validate, and analyze performance metrics; develop dashboards and reports to track KPIs such as yield, efficiency, labor, safety, quality, and downtime.
- Plan implementation and optimization of operational systems, ensuring data integrity and effective reporting.
- Identify and implement initiatives that improve food safety, employee safety, animal welfare outcomes, and reduce operational risk.
- Analyze and develop solutions relating to sustainability of improvements through audits, performance reviews, and management routines.
- Serve as an active member of the organization’s cross-functional Operational Excellence team.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Operations, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related field.
- Minimum of five (5) years of experience in poultry, meat processing, food manufacturing, high-volume labor-intensive operations or a related operations environment.
- Strong data analysis, database management, and business operations experience.
- Working knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies; Lean Six Sigma certification (Green or Black Belt) preferred.
- Experience supporting or participating in internal audits, operational assessments, or compliance programs.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, with advanced Excel skills preferred.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
- Excellent facilitation, training, and communication skills with an end-user and operations-focused mindset.
- Proven ability to identify root causes, develop corrective actions, and drive sustainable results.
- High attention to detail and strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Ability to work effectively with diverse teams, perspectives, and backgrounds in a fast-paced production environment.
- Ability to build strong relationships and influence change across all levels of the organization.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
See All 16 Operations Excellence Manager Jobs in California
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Find JobsOperations Excellence Manager Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Operations Excellence Manager Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Staffing & Recruiting
- Distribution & Wholesale
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in operations excellence manager jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, business, or a related technical field required
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Green Belt certification strongly preferred by California employers
- Five or more years of experience leading process improvement initiatives in a regulated industry
- Demonstrated ability to manage cross-functional teams across large California operations sites
- Proficiency with data analysis tools such as Minitab, Tableau, or advanced Excel modeling
- Experience working within California-regulated environments including aerospace, biotech, or healthcare
Operations Excellence Manager Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a operations excellence manager in California?
Most operations excellence managers in California start with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, business administration, or a related field, then build toward a Lean Six Sigma certification. California does not require a state-issued license for this role, but employers here place significant weight on recognized certifications such as ASQ's Certified Manager of Quality and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt credentials, paired with hands-on experience in California's dominant industries like biotech, aerospace, or healthcare operations.
How much do operations excellence managers make in California?
Operations excellence managers in California earn a median of about $124,390 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $60,370 for the lowest 10% to over $293,810 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire operations excellence managers in California?
Employers hiring operations excellence managers in California right now include Intuit, Foster Farms, and Block, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. California's concentration of aerospace primes, integrated health systems, and life sciences manufacturers means demand for this role is distributed across a wider range of regulated industry employers than most other states.
Which California cities have the most operations excellence manager jobs?
The cities with the most operations excellence manager openings in California are San Diego, Mountain View, and Brea. Los Angeles draws the largest share due to its aerospace, defense, and logistics base, the Bay Area reflects demand from technology and biotech headquarters, and San Diego's concentration of life sciences and defense contractors anchors hiring in the south.
Are there remote operations excellence manager jobs in California?
Yes, but they're rare. Operations excellence managers are typically embedded in physical facilities to observe processes, lead floor-level kaizen events, and drive change directly with production or clinical teams, so most roles require regular on-site presence. About 75% of operations excellence manager openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, with remote arrangements most common in the program management and reporting portions of the role rather than the hands-on improvement work.
How can I get hired as a operations excellence manager in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into an operations analyst, quality engineer, or process technician role at a large California manufacturer or health system, then building toward Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Employers like Kaiser Permanente and major aerospace contractors in Southern California run structured rotational and associate programs that bring in candidates from adjacent functions such as supply chain coordination, quality assurance, or production supervision, and a completed improvement project portfolio can substitute for years of direct experience in early applications.
Where can I find and apply to operations excellence manager jobs in California?
You can find and apply to operations excellence manager jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings. Find roles that fit your experience and location, then apply directly to each one.
See All 16 Operations Excellence Manager Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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