Regional Operational Excellence Leader

Company Overview:

Isola, a regional leader in materials science, is committed to improving lives through innovation in electronic products. We are seeking a Regional Operational Excellence Leader to support our transformation journey and drive sustainable operational excellence across our North American and European manufacturing facilities.

Primary Location: Ridgeway, SC (with regular travel to supported sites)

Locations Supported: Chandler, AZ; Ridgeway, SC; and Düren, Germany

Purpose and Scope of Role:

This high-impact Regional role is responsible for deploying Isola’s Operational Excellence (IOE) systems, driving Operational Excellence culture transformation, and ensuring standardization and continuous improvement across the Chandler (AZ), Ridgeway (SC), and Düren (Germany) plants. The Regional Operational Excellence Leader will be a key partner to plant leadership and operations teams, driving alignment with global strategy, ensuring best practice sharing, and cultivating high-performance, problem-solving cultures at each site.

Key Responsibilities:

• Champion the deployment of regional Operational Excellence (iOE) (Operational Excellence) practices across all supported sites.
• Lead and facilitate cross-site Kaizen and Gemba initiatives aligned to SQDCPI (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People, Innovation) targets.
• Train and coach functional leaders, Kaizen teams, and plant-level CI resources in lean methodologies, problem solving, and daily management systems.
• Drive and sustain daily Gemba Walks, LDM (Operational Excellence Daily Management), and performance reviews with local leadership teams.
• Act as the central resource for performance tracking and analysis of CI initiatives, including KPI reporting and savings validation.
• Partner with site leadership to ensure iOE systems are fully embedded and continuously improved.
• Facilitate best practice sharing and read-across of successful initiatives between Chandler, Ridgeway, and Düren.
• Support development and delivery of modular training for iOperational Excellence (iOE) tools and systems globally.
• Promote high engagement and alignment with iOE goals through strong communication and cultural integration across global teams.
• Mentor and develop Kaizen talents to strengthen problem-solving and leadership capabilities.

Key Deliverables:

• Execution of site-specific and cross-site Kaizen events
• Measurable improvements in SQDCPI metrics year over year
• Increased Operational Excellence capability across supported sites
• Standardized and sustainable deployment of iOE systems and tools
• High-performance team behaviors and improved employee engagement

Qualifications:

• Certified Six Sigma Black Belt
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; advanced degree preferred
• 10+ years of experience in Operational Excellence leadership, operational excellence, or related roles, preferably in laminate or semiconductor industries
• Proven track record leading Operational Excellence deployments and driving cultural transformation
• Strong facilitation, coaching, and training capabilities
• Effective communicator with strong presentation and influencing skills across global and cross-functional teams
• Fluent in English; German language proficiency a plus
• Willingness to travel internationally up to 30%