Senior Operations Manager -6S Lean

Imagine a company that recognizes excellence in not only the products it sells, but also in its employees. R.S. Hughes Company, Inc. is that company. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of quality and professionalism - and we treat our employees like the valuable assets they are.

Founded in 1954, R.S. Hughes Co., Inc. is a dynamic, North American distributor of industrial supplies. With over 40 warehouse sites in the United States and Mexico, we maintain an extensive inventory of adhesives, abrasives, electrical, static control, tapes, labeling and safety products.

In addition to competitive salaries and benefits, we offer an environment that asks you to make a difference. We value hard work and common sense, and we consistently reward those that exemplify these traits. If you're looking for a great team to grow with and if you are willing to embrace the challenges of being expected to be the best, we welcome you to come join the R.S. Hughes Company, Inc. team!

Position Description

The Senior Operations Manager - Lean 6S leads the design, deployment, and sustainment of a 6S operating system (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain, Safety) across our distribution network. This role establishes the standards followed by our Centers of Excellence, drives operational discipline and continuous improvement, and embeds employee safety as a non-negotiable foundation of how we work. Partnering with site leadership, HR, and Operations, this leader scales visual workplaces, standardized processes, and a proactive safety culture across every location.

The 6S Operating Framework

• Sort - Drive a clutter-free, organized workplace by separating value-added items from waste at every workstation.
• Set in Order - Establish a place for everything and everything in its place; design intuitive layouts that reduce motion and search time.
• Shine - Maintain clean, well-lit, and well-maintained facilities where abnormalities are immediately visible.
• Standardize - Codify best practices into visual standards, SOPs, and audit criteria applied uniformly across all sites.
• Sustain - Build the leadership routines, audits, and accountability structures that make 6S a daily habit, not a campaign.
• Safety - Integrate safety into every process, layout, and standard so that the safest way to work is always the standard way to work.

Core Responsibilities

• Develop, deploy, and sustain a unified 6S program across distribution centers and supporting operations, with the Centers of Excellence setting the benchmark for the network.
• Establish visual workplace standards, layered audit systems, and KPI dashboards that make distribution performance visible to operators, site leaders, and executives.
• Lead continuous improvement and waste-reduction initiatives in distribution operations (motion, inventory, defects, downtime) that translate 6S discipline into measurable operational gains.
• Own the EHS program: ensure compliance with OSHA and applicable federal, state, and local regulations; manage incident reporting, investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Build and deliver training across 6S and safety disciplines (powered industrial trucks, hazard communication, PPE, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, emergency response).

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Influence site leaders and front-line managers to adopt and own 6S standards without relying on direct authority.
• Partner with Operations and HR to embed 6S and safety into onboarding, performance expectations, and recognition.
• Engage employees to build a culture of ownership.

Travel: 25-40% (Domestic U.S.)

Education/Certification/Licenses

• Required: 10+ years of Operations Management experience.
• Preferred: Bachelor's degree; Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification.
• Work Environment: Regular presence in distribution and production environments; must walk warehouse floors, climb stairs and ladders, wear required PPE, and occasionally lift up to 25-50 pounds.

Skills That Will Make You Successful

Soft skills

• Communication
• Attention to detail
• Problem solving
• Relationship building
• Strong leadership skills; business acumen; solid analytical and strategic thinking.
• Change leadership: Willingness to foster, lead, and incorporate change
• Decision-making: Strong decision maker and effective mediator of conflicts between peers and direct reports.

Hard Skills

• Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt or Black Belt preferred), ^S implementation, Kaizen
• Performance Analytics, KPIS Dashboard Development
• Warehouse Management System(WMS) / ERP System proficiency
• Process Re-engineering & Value Stream Mapping
• Network Capacity Planning & Facility Optimization
• Vendor Management & SLA/KPI Gourvernance
• Project Management Tools & Methodologies
• Quality Management Systems & Root Cause Analysis
• Safety & Regulatory Compliance
• Advanced Excel for data analysis

Travel: 25-40% (Domestic U.S.)

Education/Certification/Licenses

* Required: 10+ years of Operations Management experience.

* Preferred: Bachelor's degree; Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification.

* Work Environment: Regular presence in distribution and production environments; must walk warehouse floors, climb stairs and ladders, wear required PPE, and occasionally lift up to 25-50 pounds.

Skills That Will Make You Successful

* Communication

* Attention to detail

* Problem solving

* Relationship building

* Strong leadership skills; business acumen; solid analytical and strategic thinking.

* Change leadership: Willingness to foster, lead, and incorporate change

* Decision-making: Strong decision maker and effective mediator of conflicts between peers and direct reports.

* Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt or Black Belt preferred), ^S implementation, Kaizen

* Performance Analytics, KPIS Dashboard Development

* Warehouse Management System(WMS) / ERP System proficiency

* Process Re-engineering & Value Stream Mapping

* Network Capacity Planning & Facility Optimization

* Vendor Management & SLA/KPI Gourvernance

* Project Management Tools & Methodologies

* Quality Management Systems & Root Cause Analysis

* Safety & Regulatory Compliance

* Advanced Excel for data analysis