Process Improvement Project Manager Jobs in Renton, WA

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is Washington state's oldest and largest privately owned energy utility. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, PSE provides electricity and natural gas service to approximately two million residential and business customers across a 6,000-square-mile service area in the Pacific Northwest.

As PSE continues its enterprise transformation journey, this role will support the migration from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA and will primarily be focused on process design & implementation. This transition represents a significant opportunity to redesign how work is performed across the organization through streamlined processes, real-time analytics, enhanced operational visibility, and improved business performance.

We are seeking an experienced Process Improvement Consultant who can lead the design and deployment of future-state business processes, operating models, controls, metrics, streamlined operations, and process performance visibility that supports the successful sustainment of SAP S/4HANA implementation. This position is best suited for a professional with experience in process design, Lean 3P, Design for Six Sigma, DMADV/DMEDI, future-state process development, or large-scale business transformation. 

The role will report to the Process Excellence team and partner with business leaders, SAP  S/4HANA implementation teams, subject matter experts, Enterprise Performance Management, Change Management, Training & Development Team and other stakeholders to ensure design decisions align with business needs, operational requirements, compliance expectations, and long-term sustainability.

The successful candidate will facilitate cross-functional process design sessions, translate business needs into future-state process requirements, identify process risks and improvement opportunities, and help establish documentation, metrics, controls, and adoption plans that support successful implementation. This is a business lean process design and transformation support role, not a technical SAP configuration role.

PSE is committed to fostering a culture of total safety. The successful candidate will uphold safety compliance standards inherent in PSE's operations and work procedures, promote a culture of safety and accountability, and demonstrate a commitment to conducting business honestly, ethically, and in accordance with PSE's Core Values and Code of Conduct. All responsibilities must be performed in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and obligations.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future operating model of a leading utility company by designing the processes that will power PSE's SAP S/4HANA transformation for years to come.

• Oversees a portfolio of process improvement initiatives within a designated business unit, providing consultative support and guidance to manager and director level.
• Leads PSE initiative teams, sub teams, and/or associated consultants and vendors on a broad variety of complex, cross-organization initiatives with a focus on achieving sustainable results.
  
  • Lead and support future-state process design efforts/improvement workshops related to the SAP S/4HANA implementation.
  • Provides coaching, direction and leadership support to team members to achieve employee, business and customer results.
  • Apply process improvement and design methods such as Lean 3P, DMADV/DMEDI, value stream thinking, root cause analysis, and data driven problem solving 
  • Ensures employees adhere to legal and operational compliance requirements.
  • Sets clear expectations and holds team accountable for performance.
  • Identifies, selects, and manages external vendors and consultants to provide quality external resources, as needed, to support priority initiatives.
• Develops, creates and maintains project plans that deliver business case objectives, and that integrate change management activities.
• Partners with Enterprise Performance Management to identify performance improvement opportunities and strategies and to track improvement performance/benefits.
• Evaluates, recommends, and implements strategies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of service, processes, reliability, and compliance processes including alignment with other priorities and technology initiatives.
• Manages implementation, schedule, communications, coordination, training, post implementation evaluation.
  
  • Ensures quality and consistency of methodology, metrics, general approach, analysis, and documentation.
  • Ensures performance/process sustainability after project completion.
• Uses sophisticated analytics/statistical methods to study and analyze available data and to determine trends, root cause, metrics, leading and lagging indicators in collaboration with Enterprise Performance Management. 
• Trains, mentors, coaches and challenges leaders, project sponsors/champions, project team members and all employees in the use of various process improvement techniques to raise awareness and desire of effective continuous improvement execution throughout the organization.
• Cultivates strong relationships with clients and internal stakeholders to ensure support and adoption of process changes.
• Ensures quality and consistency of methodology, metrics, analysis, and documentation.
• Builds relationships, effective teams, and networks that extend throughout the company.
• Develops, prepares and present analysis and reports.
• Provides support for other departmental and corporate priorities and projects.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or technology; or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience.
• Black belt Certification in Lean/Six Sigma or other process improvement methodologies or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience.
• Eight (8) years of experience successfully leading/implementing multi-disciplined process projects and initiatives.
• Eight (8) years of experience utilizing high-involvement process improvement or change management techniques/tools.
• Experience using a variety of business applications and analysis tools such as Visio, Power Point, Excel, Word, SAP Business Warehouse, SAP modules.
• Outstanding attention to detail, problem solving, organizational and "system thinking" skills.
• Experience in understanding business process relationship with data analysis and metrics.
• Demonstrated passion for continuous improvement.
• Experience facilitating large groups.
• Ability to quickly build trust and value-based relationships with employees at all levels of the organization.  
• Understanding of change management concepts and techniques.  
• Strong coaching and influencing skills.  
• Ability to balance multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast paced environment.  
• Ability to take initiative and work both independently and as a part of a team to drive results.
• Excellent communication skills at all levels with the ability to prepare and present to the director/executive level and influence without authority.

• Master's degree in industrial engineering, business administration, or other related post graduate degree.
• Certification in Project Management.
• Certification in Facilitation
• Experience in large-scale organizational change efforts.
• Change management or associated organizational leadership and/or development experience - specifically working through organizational design and workforce transition efforts.
• Experience using PDCA, A3 Problem-solving, or DMAIC problem solving methods for existing processes
• Experience leading process design workshops using Lean 3P, DMADV, DMEDI or Design for Six Sigma