Continuous Improvement Manager

About the role

Heraeus Medevio Costa Rica is looking for a Continuous Improvement Manager to lead the deployment and sustainment of the Medevio Operating System (MOS) at the site and to build its continuous improvement (CI) operating system as the facility grows as a primary growth platform for the Americas manufacturing network. The role turns site priorities into a strategic, measurable CI roadmap and embeds MOS management routines such as Strategy Deployment, Daily Management, Continuous Improvement and People & Leadership.

Key responsibilities

• Lead deployment and sustainment of the Medevio Operating System (MOS), setting up and maturing Strategy Deployment, Daily Management, Continuous Improvement and People & Leadership routines.
• Build and own a strategic, measurable CI roadmap with clear baselines, targets and accountable owners.
• Manage the CI operating system end to end: governance cadence, improvement project pipeline, scorecard and escalation path.
• Drive process standardization across production lines and support functions, including standard work, visual management and daily management.
• Lead improvement events and projects (Kaizen, value-stream mapping, structured problem-solving) with Operations, Engineering, Quality and Supply Chain.
• Train and coach leaders, supervisors and shop-floor teams, and build a bench of internal CI practitioners.
• Monitor and report CI and MOS progress via dashboards and KPIs, and present status, risks and recommendations to site leadership and the Americas operations team.
• Partner with Quality, Regulatory and EHS on risk assessment, change control and validation, without owning those decisions.
• Align CI methods with the Americas network and global MOS framework, and support adoption through communication and coaching.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Operations Management or a related field.
• Professional proficiency in Spanish and English.
• Demonstrated experience in Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing or Operational Excellence, ideally in a scaling or multi-line manufacturing environment.
• Experience in medical devices, pharmaceuticals or another highly regulated environment is strongly preferred.
• Ability to lead cross-functional and shop-floor teams and to influence without direct authority.
• Willingness to travel across the Americas manufacturing network (White Bear Lake, MN; Costa Rica; Puerto Rico).

Required skills

• Lean/CI tools: Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, 5S, SMED, standard work, visual and daily management, root-cause problem-solving (A3)
• Familiarity with medical-device quality-system fundamentals (e.g. ISO 13485)
• KPI development, dashboarding and basic statistical/process-capability methods (Excel, Power BI or equivalent)
• Facilitation, coaching and training skills