Operational Excellence Manager (OPEX)

Eaton’s Electrical Sector - Residential Wiring Devices Division is seeking an Operational Excellence (OPEX) Manager for our Lincoln, IL manufacturing facility. Relocation assistance is available to candidates currently residing in the US.    In this highly visible plant leadership role, you will champion the Eaton Continuous Improvement System (ECIS), Eaton Business System (EBS), Lean, and Six Sigma to build a strong culture of problem solving, operational discipline, and sustainable performance improvement. This role is ideal for a hands-on continuous improvement leader who can coach teams, translate strategy into action, and deliver measurable results across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement.   As the site’s OPEX leader, you will partner directly with the plant leadership team to shape the continuous improvement roadmap, strengthen daily management systems, develop talent, and accelerate business results in a complex manufacturing environment that produces critical electrical products for residential and commercial applications.   The expected annual salary range for this role is $130,000 - $190,000 a year. This position is also eligible for a variable incentive program. Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.   What you’ll do: 
 Champion ECIS, EBS, Lean, and Six Sigma across the site to deliver short- and long-term improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, working capital, and customer satisfaction. Partner with the plant leadership team to develop, deploy, and sustain the site’s continuous improvement strategy, governance process, and annual improvement priorities. Build a culture of structured problem solving through leader standard work, daily accountability, visual management, process checks, Gemba walks, and disciplined follow-up. Serve as the site expert and champion for the Eaton Business System, helping leaders connect business priorities to practical operating routines and improvement actions. Lead Operational Assessment (OpA) preparation, execution, and follow-up by identifying gaps, building action plans, and sustaining progress across the organization. Use Lean and Six Sigma tools to eliminate waste, improve flow, reduce variation, and strengthen operational performance across manufacturing and functional processes. Coach, train, and mentor employees and leaders through Kaizen events, Rapid Improvement Events (RIE), Six Sigma projects, benchmarking, leader standard work deployment, and capability-building activities. Analyze operational metrics, identify performance gaps, and recommend data-driven action plans that improve results and sustain accountability at the operating level. Lead site cost-out and productivity initiatives to achieve annual savings commitments and support long-term financial performance. Influence and engage cross-functional teams by translating complex improvement opportunities into clear priorities, practical actions, and measurable outcomes.   Qualifications: 
 Required (Basic) Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in manufacturing, operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, or another cross-functional discipline in a manufacturing environment. Minimum of three (3) years of experience in continuous improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, or operational excellence. Minimum of three (3) years of experience leading people, projects, and cross-functional teams. Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.

Master’s degree from an