Operations Excellence Manager Jobs for OPT Students

INTRODUCTION

At Sure Steel, Inc., we are more than just a construction company—we are builders of success, integrity, and innovation. Our commitment to excellence, safety, and customer satisfaction drives how we work, how we lead, and how we improve.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Operational Excellence Manager I supports the deployment and sustainment of Sure Steel’s operational excellence system across the entire company. This role partners with leaders and teams in both field and office environments to improve process stability, reduce rework, and strengthen execution discipline. The Manager I focuses on coaching teams on standard work, supporting improvement projects, and building consistent improvement habits under the guidance of the Director of Quality.

This role serves as a coach, facilitator, and problem-solver—helping teams standardize best practices, identify waste and variation, and implement practical improvements that stick.

Key Responsibilities

1) Operational Excellence Program Leadership

• Support and maintain Sure Steel’s Operational Excellence framework (standards, tools, training, governance, and cadence).
• Coordinate improvement activities, meeting cadences, and documentation to keep initiatives on track.
• Support a pipeline of improvement opportunities (ideas → prioritization → execution → sustainment).
• Support regular reviews with leadership to track progress and remove barriers.

2) Process Improvement

• Support improvement projects that reduce rework, defects, and execution-driven RFIs.
• Help improve inspection workflows, documentation quality, and closeout readiness through standard work.
• Support development and rollout of standard work for audits, corrective actions, and lessons learned.

3) Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action Excellence

• Support root cause analysis (RCA) for quality incidents and chronic performance issues.
• Support corrective and preventive actions (CAPA): clear problem statements, validated root causes, and effective countermeasures.
• Help teams document standard work procedures and verify results under guidance.

4) Standardization and Knowledge Sharing

• Help identify best practices and convert them into clear, usable standard work (field-ready and office-ready).
• Support maintenance of a lessons-learned system that is searchable and actionable.
• Support adoption of standard work through training and field coaching.

5) Data, Metrics, and Visual Management

• Support definition and maintenance of operational excellence and quality performance metrics (leading and lagging).
• Maintain simple reporting and visual management to help teams see problems early.
• Support validation of improvement results and sustainment checks.

6) Department KPI Performance Evaluation

• Support review of departmental KPI performance data to identify gaps, trends, and potential improvement opportunities.
• Help translate KPI insights into a prioritized list of improvement opportunities (ideas → prioritization → execution → sustainment).
• Support department leaders in tracking results through completion and sustainment.

7) Training, Coaching, and Change Management

• Assist with training and coaching leaders and teams on operational excellence methods (problem solving, standard work, visual management).
• Coach teams through improvements and new standards under guidance.
• Help leaders build routines that reinforce accountability and sustainment (daily and weekly habits, audits).

8) Cross-functional Collaboration

• Support partnership with the Director of each department to implement improvements that span functions and drive measurable performance gains.
• Support preconstruction and kickoff processes by embedding execution standards early.
• Help facilitate alignment between regions and teams to share resources and reduce duplicated effort.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years in operational excellence, quality, construction operations, manufacturing/industrial improvement, or a related discipline.
• Working knowledge of Lean principles, standard work, and root cause analysis (formal certification is a plus).
• Demonstrated ability to support improvement projects with measurable outcomes.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills; able to coach teams respectfully in the field and office.
• Comfortable traveling to project sites and operational locations as needed.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, operations, or related experience preferred.

Sure Steel, Inc. is an equal opportunity organization. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Core Values: Ability, Integrity Benevolence, Safety, Continuous Improvement, and Environmental Responsibility.