Continuous Improvement Mgr - 90384196 - Chicago
Chicago, IL, US, 60661
Your success is a train ride away!
As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.
Are you ready to join our team?
Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.
Job Summary
The Continuous Improvement (CI) Manager leads multiple cross-functional improvement initiatives to achieve operational and financial gains, coaches teams in Lean methods, and collaborates with leaders to drive organizational change. Acting as a change agent, the role establishes and implements standard work practices, analyzes project risks and costs, delivers measurable savings and revenue growth, and supports the Amtrak-wide CI program.
Essential Functions
- Consult with the Sr. Manager, Continuous Improvement to define scopes of work, stakeholders, deliverables, schedules, and goals.
- Oversee multiple cross-functional and cross-site continuous improvement initiatives to achieve operational and financial goals for the organization.
- Manage various small and medium projects, including scope, schedules, and budgets with moderate to high complexity.
- Apply strategies, methods, metrics, and tools related to Continuous Improvement, such as Lean and Six Sigma, to a range of organizational challenges.
- Address and manage conflicts and organizational resistance to change, supporting colleagues in continuous improvement and waste reduction.
- Experienced in diagnosing root causes, developing solutions, and fostering change across all organizational levels, while maintaining integrity and a passion for safety.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
- Plus 7 years of relevant work experience.
- Strong project management experience.
- Strong analytical skills and business intuition.
- Strong knowledge of MS Office Suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio.
- Business process analysis, design or redesign experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
- Plus 9 years of relevant work experience.
- Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Leader, or equivalent certification
- Organizational Change Management certifications and experience
- Agile certifications and experience
- Business process modeling experience (e.g. BPMN)
- Management consulting experience
- Dashboard design and/or dashboard creation experience (PowerBI, Tableau)
- Experience writing solution requirements and/or user stories
- Transportation industry experience
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Proficiency in Lean Six Sigma methodologies, including knowledge of tools such as DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) and Kaizen events.
- Ability to lead and facilitate cross-functional teams in process improvement initiatives, with strong project management skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to coach and mentor team members at all levels of the organization.
- Analytical skills to identify process inefficiencies, diagnose root causes, and implement data-driven solutions.
- Experience in developing and implementing continuous improvement strategies aligned with organizational goals, with a focus on driving measurable results and sustainable change.
The salary/hourly range is $113,200.00 – $146,664.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Depending on an employee’s assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee’s base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position and/or long-term incentive plan compensation. In addition to your salary, Amtrak offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, and vision plans; health savings accounts; wellness programs; flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement plan with employer match; life insurance; short and long term disability insurance; paid time off; back-up care; adoption assistance; surrogacy assistance; reimbursement of education expenses; Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Railroad Retirement sickness and retirement benefits; and rail pass privileges. Learn more about our benefits offerings here.
Requisition ID:165768
Work Arrangement:06-Onsite 4/5 Days Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak.
Relocation Offered:No
Travel Requirements:Up to 25%
You power our progress through your performance.
We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions.
Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen.
Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any state or local statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.
In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.
In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses.
Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Amtrak is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/color, to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, such as lactation), national origin/ethnicity, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.
