Director Automotive Variable Operations Jobs in Detroit, MI

Eaton's IS VEH Functions Mobility division is currently seeking a Continuous Improvement Director - Automotive.
The expected annual salary range for this role is $146000 - $215000 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.
Eaton announced, on June 11, 2026, the intent to combine its Mobility Group (including both the Vehicle and eMobility segments) with a new company. We expect to complete this process by the end of the first half of 2027. The compensation and benefits that will initially be offered for this position are based on Eaton's plans, programs and practices. If you are offered and accept this position and are actively employed by the Mobility Group when the transaction closes, the new company will provide further details to employees concerning compensation and benefits at that time.
*Relocation assistance is available for a qualified candidate currently residing in the USA.
Skills:
What you'll do:
Job Summary
Reporting to the Mobility Group's Vice President of Integrated Ops / SCM, the Director of Continuous Improvement will be accountable for leading execution of Mobility Group's Lean Journey.
Partnering with CI Regional Leaders, Operations Directors and Plant Managers, this CI leader will drive the necessary actions to bring all Mobility Group's manufacturing facilities to a world-class level in the next 3-5 years.
Successful incument will be capable of translating business strategy into specific long and short term plans and drive execution throught the regions and manufacturing sites.
This role will be pivotal in enabling the Mobility Group to consistently meet and exceed customer expectations while supporting the successful delivery of the 2025-2028 Lean Journey-advancing our people, processes, and tools to achieve model-plant performance and position our facilities among the world's best.
Job Responsibilities
In partnership with CI Regional and Plant leaders, Maintenance Managers, Production Managers, Plant Managers and Regional Ops Leaders for all the 29 Mobility Automotive Mfg. sites ( 9 USA, 5 Asia, 4 SM, 5 AMEA, 7 Mex) in their respective product lines, to achieve the following responsibilities:

• Promote a CI strategy that sustains a continuous improvement culture, ensuring a constant safety focus.
• Drive the execution of the Lean Manufacturing Principles with rigor and discipline towards improvements on Safety, quality, productivity and delivery
• Create along with all Regions and sites, a Model Plant roadmap to continuouisly raise the bar on processes and results
• Lead a multi year strategy by maintaining alignment with SLT, drive short term milestones and guide regional teams into execution
• Serve as an ELSS deployment leader by coordinating and monitoring projects / implementation plans and driving accountability throughout the organization.
• Develop and implement effective training plans for all levels of the organization that help development and sustainability of a continuous improvement culture/mindset and functional knowledge
• Lead and coach assessments deployment of applicable Lean tools and systems to identify and address gaps.
• Integrate CIF (Continuous Improvement Framework), ELSS assessment, OpA (Operations Assessment) and any transferable practices
• Align and partner with regions and peers related to the Maintenance, I4.0, Manufacturing Footprint and Industrialization high level strategy

Qualifications:
Basic Qualifications:
• BS/BA degree from an accredited institution.
• 10+ years of experience in Lean Manufacturing including global or regional responsibility.
• Experience supporting Multi-site manufacturing plants including Lean Manufacturing program implementation.
• Minimum 5 years supporting automotive product lines.
• Ability with strong technical knowledge to Lead Structured Problem Solving at all levels (RIE, Kaizen, BPI, CIF, Lean in the Office) as part of a Continuous Improvement System.
• Minimum of 5 years of direct people leadership experience .
• 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."
• Candidate will not need sponsorship now or in the future.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Masters Degree in Engineering, Finance, MBA.
• Capability to run Lean tools gap assessment and drive Plant and Regional teams on actions to close the identified ones.
• Tier 1 or Tier 2 automotive preferred.
• Ability to Coach and Mentor Lean manufacturing supporting the functional knowledge development
• Previous leadership experience in a Global matrix environment .
• Preferred experience in program management, strategy, and/or front-end commercial.
Position Criteria:
• Required to interact with customer, operations, engineering, supply chain, sales and marketing personnel in a dynamic growth business, globally.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and strategic planning skills. A leader and strong ability to hold people accountable to their commitments.
• Broad commercial experience and market/customer awareness.
• Strong technical knowledge - engineering design, manufacturing, product application and quality.
• Professional competency and personal integrity.
All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates' privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.
We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.
Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.
You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.
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We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.