Position Summary
The Business System Specialist (Value Added Improvement) leads the design, deployment, and sustainment of CMS Cooling, LLC’s business, the operating framework that drives how we run the plant. Reporting to the CFO, this role connects shop-floor performance to financial results by identifying waste, standardizing work, and building the metrics, routines, and problem-solving habits that turn improvement into measurable savings, quality, safety, and delivery gains.
This is a hands-on role. You will spend meaningful time on the plant floor coaching teams and validating results, and the rest of your time analyzing data, supporting projects, and reporting progress to leadership. The position follows a hybrid schedule, with in-plant presence required for “Gemba Walks,” events, and production support.
Key Responsibilities
Business System Development and Deployment
• Develop, document, and maintain the VAI Business System, NetSuite ERP/MRP, including standards, tools, playbooks, and training materials.
• Translate company strategy and financial goals into plant-level objectives, KPIs, and daily management routines.
• Establish tiered accountability processes, such as daily huddles, performance boards, and weekly and monthly operational reviews.
• Partner with plant leadership to embed the system into daily operations so it becomes how work gets done, not an add-on.
Continuous Improvement and Waste Elimination
• Identify and eliminate the eight wastes using lean tools such as value stream mapping, 5S, standard work, SMED, Kanban, and visual management.
• Plan and facilitate kaizen events, rapid improvement workshops, and root cause problem-solving (A3, 5 Why, Fishbone, PDCA/DMAIC).
• Lead and support cross-functional improvement projects in production, maintenance, quality, supply chain, and engineering.
• Improve throughput, changeover performance, first-pass yield, OEE, and on-time delivery.
Financial Linkage and Performance Measurement
• Work directly with the CFO and finance team to quantify and validate the financial impact of improvement projects (cost avoidance, hard savings, working capital, labor and material efficiency).
• Build and maintain a project pipeline, with clear baselines and verified results.
• Develop dashboards and reports that give leadership a clear, accurate view of plant performance and improvement progress.
Coaching, Training, and Culture
• Train and coach operators, supervisors, and managers in lean principles and VAI methods.
• Build employee engagement through suggestion programs, recognition, and visible results.
• Serve as a change agent, building trust with the workforce and encouraging a culture of ownership and respect for people.
Safety, Quality, and Compliance
• Integrate safety and quality into every improvement effort, and support OSHA-aligned practices.
• Support quality management system activities, audits, and corrective and preventive actions as needed.
• Follow all plant safety rules and wear required PPE when working in production areas.
Qualifications
Required
• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Industrial Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment with direct responsibility for continuous improvement, lean, or operational excellence.
• Demonstrated success leading kaizen events and delivering measurable, sustained improvements.
• Working knowledge of lean and Six Sigma tools and methods.
• Strong analytical skills, with proficiency in Excel and NetSuite and comfort building or interpreting dashboards and financial impact analysis.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to influence at all levels from the shop floor to the executive team.
• Ability to work on the plant floor, including standing and walking for extended periods and working in a manufacturing environment.
• Ability to work on-site in El Mirage, AZ per the hybrid schedule, and to work additional hours when business needs require.
Preferred
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Experience building or deploying a company-specific business system (for example, a Danaher, Toyota, or similar operating system).
• Familiarity with ERP and MES systems and manufacturing data analysis (Netsuite, Power BI, Tableau, SQL, or similar).
• Understanding of cost accounting concepts, standard costing, and manufacturing variances.
• Experience in a highly diverse hourly workforce environment, and bilingual (English/Spanish) skills.
• APICS/CPIM, PMP, or similar credentials.
Core Competencies
• Systems thinking and ability to connect operational actions to financial outcomes
• Hands-on problem solving and a bias for action
• Data-driven decision making
• Influence without authority
• Coaching and teaching ability
• Resilience, persistence, and follow-through on sustaining change
Working Conditions and Schedule
• Hybrid arrangement: Typically [3 to 4] days on-site at the El Mirage plant and the remainder remote. On-site days may flex based on production needs, events, and audits.
• Work environment: Manufacturing plant with exposure to noise, heat, moving equipment, and varying conditions. PPE required in the Plant (e.g., safety glasses or goggles, steel toed shoes or composite shotes, gloves, etc.)
• Physical requirements: Ability to stand, walk, bend, and lift up to [25–50] lbs occasionally, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Success Measures (First 12 Months)
• Documented VAI Business System framework adopted across the plant
• Daily management and tiered review routines running consistently
• Active improvement project pipeline with finance-validated savings
• Measurable gains in agreed KPIs, such as safety, quality, delivery, and cost
• Increased employee participation in improvement activity
Manufacturing company creating cooling units for data centers throughout the states and internationally.
