Operational Excellence in Manufacturing — M2

MANUFA.OPERATIO7F7F.M2

M2M2 — Manager IIhigh0.90approvedglobalv1

Operational Excellence in Manufacturing — leads the deployment of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies (DMAIC, value stream mapping, Kaizen, SPC, statistical analysis) to eliminate waste, reduce process variation, and embed continuous improvement (CPI) into manufacturing operations. Distinct from sibling focuses such as Production Supervision (running daily output/staffing/throughput) and Quality Assurance (compliance, inspection, audit): this focus owns the improvement engine — running performance boards, driving root cause analyses, certifying belts, and delivering measurable financial and customer benefits to the business unit.

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Level

M2 · M2 — Manager II · 5–8 yrs

Function · Focus

Manufacturing Operations · Operational Excellence in Manufacturing

Market pay (median)

$108k ($85k–$138k)

Pay basis

function-anchored · wide bars

Focus — Operational Excellence in Manufacturing

Material SKILL differential vs the function baseline.

Responsibilities by level

What this person actually does at each level on the management track — escalating scope, not one generic blob. Your level is highlighted.

Oversees the daily improvement cadence on a production unit or line, coordinating Green Belt CI Specialists and Yellow Belt project participants on active DMAIC projects
Directs data collection through time studies, observations and staff surveys, validating that KPIs accurately track the impact of process changes
Leads smaller DMAIC improvement projects to completion using process mapping, hypothesis testing and root cause analysis on established practices
Ensures process documentation is developed and maintained, and that process issues are escalated to Black Belts with supporting data
Runs weekly RCA reviews for the unit and arranges just-in-time Lean/Six Sigma training for project team members

M2this profile

Manages skilled Green Belts and CI Specialists, owning the tactical improvement outcomes for multiple lines or a value stream
Coordinates concurrent DMAIC projects across teams, balancing improvement work against participants' primary operational responsibilities
Applies judgment within known Lean/Six Sigma factors to prioritize bottleneck and waste-reduction opportunities surfaced through value stream mapping and capability analysis
Drives cross-functional cooperation with production, quality and maintenance to collect data and implement sustainable solutions
Tracks and reports financial and customer benefits delivered by the team, ensuring RCAs are completed and corrective/preventive actions are sustained

Leads the Operational Excellence team for a manufacturing area, managing Black and Green Belts and CI professionals and owning the OpEx operating budget
Evaluates diverse process issues and trends across the area using SPC and statistical analysis to define the project portfolio and validate scopes and measurable outcomes
Runs biweekly and monthly performance board meetings with global and regional teams to track KPI and benefit targets
Develops operational excellence roadmaps for the area aligned to site goals, embedding Lean and Six Sigma into standard work
Collaborates across functions to identify systemic bottlenecks and cost-reduction areas, and trains and upskills the belt community

Manages Operational Excellence across multiple departments or a critical site function, leading through managers and senior belts in a layered structure
Sets the CPI strategy aligned with business objectives, prioritizing high-impact organizational change where weak execution could jeopardize business activities
Standardizes CPI frameworks, tools and documentation across the departments and oversees multiple concurrent improvement programs
Engages senior site and business leaders on operational excellence strategy, securing resources and reporting consolidated financial and customer benefits
Coaches Black and Green Belts and develops the Master Black Belt and certification pipeline across teams

Directs the Operational Excellence function across a division or multiple sites through subordinate department managers, impacting overall division operations
Defines methods and the enterprise CPI strategy, applying advanced methodologies (DMAIC, DMADV, Rapid Improvement Events) to drive organization-wide transformation
Identifies systemic, cross-site inefficiencies and sets the multi-year operational excellence roadmap embedded in business strategy
Influences executives and major customers on key operational performance and cost-reduction commitments, owning the division's benefit delivery
Establishes governance for the Six Sigma belt hierarchy, project validation standards and standardized CPI documentation across the division

Level guidelines

The universal leveling rubric applied to this function — how scope, complexity, collaboration, and experience step up across levels.

Level	Knowledge & Application	Complexity & Problem Solving	Collaboration & Interaction	Typical Degree & Years
M1	Functional expert in Lean/Six Sigma tools (DMAIC, process mapping, RCA, hypothesis testing) applying established practices to a single unit or line; some leadership exposure.	Limited scope; resolves defined process inefficiencies using known methodologies and standard data-collection and statistical techniques. May impact short-term goals and budgets.	Daily interaction with unit staff and peers; escalates process issues to Green and Black Belts.	Green Belt / CI Specialist depth with some leadership exposure; functional CI expert overseeing a unit's daily improvement work.
M2	Applies judgment within known Lean Six Sigma factors across multiple lines or a value stream; manages skilled belts and specialists.	Evaluates known-factor process issues to prioritize improvement projects and select appropriate DMAIC and statistical tools; owns tactical outcomes. May impact short-term goals and budgets.	Cross-functional cooperation with production, quality and maintenance to collect data and sustain solutions.	2–5 yrs in CI team leadership or Black Belt-track specialist roles.
M3	Manages an OpEx team for a manufacturing area; responsible for operations and budget, evaluating diverse issues and trends.	Addresses diverse process issues across the area; evaluates trends with statistical analysis to define and validate the improvement portfolio. May impact short-term goals and budgets.	Leads functional CI teams and runs performance boards with global and regional teams; manages the belt community.	5–7+ yrs managing CI professionals and operating budgets.
M4	Sets CPI strategy across multiple departments or a critical function aligned with business objectives; standardizes frameworks across the organization.	Solves strategic, cross-department problems where weak execution could jeopardize business activities; oversees concurrent programs.	Engages senior site and business leaders on operational excellence strategy; coaches Black/Green Belts and Master Black Belt candidates.	8–10+ yrs in complex CI/OpEx organizational leadership; Master Black Belt depth.
M5	Directs OpEx across a division or multiple sites, defining methods and enterprise CPI strategy that impacts overall division operations.	Resolves complex org-wide systemic inefficiencies; applies advanced methodologies (DMADV, Rapid Improvement Events) to drive transformation and defines standards.	Leads through department managers; influences executives and major customers on key operational and cost issues.	10–12+ yrs, second-level management and operational strategy work.

Skills

Focus-specific skills the role applies — the relevance layer beyond the occupational base.

Lean Manufacturing: Applies principles from the Toyota Production System to eliminate waste and maximize customer value across manufacturing processes.
Six Sigma: Uses a structured, data-driven approach to reduce process variability and improve manufacturing quality.
DMAIC: Applies the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control methodology to systematically remove waste and reduce process variation.
Value Stream Mapping: Maps current and future state of material and information flow to visualize waste and design improvements.
Kaizen: Drives continuous improvement through incremental operational enhancements and rapid improvement events.
Statistical Process Control (SPC): Uses statistical methods to monitor and control production processes and quality.
Design of Experiments (DOE): Plans experiments statistically and analyzes factors affecting process outcomes.
Root Cause Analysis: Systematically identifies underlying causes of process issues to drive corrective action.
Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA): Leads corrective and preventive action initiatives based on root cause findings.
Regression Modeling: Applies statistical modeling techniques to analyze relationships among process variables.
Hypothesis Testing: Uses statistical methods to validate assumptions about process data.
Capability Analysis: Assesses a process's ability to meet specifications.
Process Mapping: Visualizes process steps to identify inefficiencies and improvement opportunities.
Design for Six Sigma (DMADV): Applies the Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify methodology to design new processes or products to Six Sigma quality levels.
ERP Knowledge: Understands ERP capability to support decisions on supplemental applications and interfaces.
Minitab: Uses this tool/technology effectively during the delivery of day-to-day tasks.
IBM SPSS Statistics: Uses this tool/technology effectively during the delivery of day-to-day tasks.
MATLAB: Uses this tool/technology effectively during the delivery of day-to-day tasks.
JMP: Uses this tool/technology effectively during the delivery of day-to-day tasks.
Microsoft Excel: Uses this tool/technology effectively during the delivery of day-to-day tasks.
Microsoft PowerPoint: Uses this tool/technology effectively during the delivery of day-to-day tasks.
ERP systems: Uses this tool/technology effectively during the delivery of day-to-day tasks.

Provenance

The evidence base behind this profile — every layer is sourced; quality is scored by an adversarial review panel (1–5; passes at ≥4 on the minimum dimension).

Level differentiation4.5Focus specificity5.0Concreteness4.5Factual accuracy4.5Real-world coverage4.5

7 sources

Level — M2 — Manager II

Manages an established team or sub-function; owns planning and performance for the group.

Scope: An established team or sub-function
Autonomy: Owns planning for the group
Complexity: Cross-project coordination and priorities
Impact: Group delivery and development
Decision rights: Owns staffing, priorities, performance for the group
Leadership: Manages a team; sometimes manages leads
Typical experience: 5–8 yrs

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