Join the world's largest HVAC company!

Daikin Applied is seeking a Senior Manager of Operational Excellence who will serve as a strategic Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Manufacturing. Acting as an extension of the VP, the position leads cross-functional initiatives, manages key business rhythms, and ensures priorities are translated into actionable plans and measurable results, enabling Daikin Applied to deliver on its safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.

Location: Faribault, Minnesota 

Your Responsibilities:

• Serve as a trusted advisor and extension of the VP of Manufacturing, translating strategic priorities into actionable plans while ensuring alignment across manufacturing operations, safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
• Lead and manage key manufacturing operating cadences (e.g., staff meetings, scorecards, performance reviews), ensuring consistent tracking of KPIs, clear accountability, and data-driven decision-making.
• Manage and drive process improvement initiatives across manufacturing operations, championing continuous improvement methodologies and standard work to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, improve quality, and strengthen operational performance.
• Drive and coordinate high-impact, cross-functional manufacturing initiatives, removing barriers, accelerating execution, proactively addressing operational risks, and ensuring measurable outcomes aligned with organizational priorities.
• Develop executive-level communications, presentations, and updates for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring the VP of Manufacturing is prepared, informed, and positioned to effectively lead and influence.
• Build strong relationships across functions and organizational levels to drive collaboration, alignment, and shared ownership of manufacturing performance and operational outcomes.
• Support organizational change efforts by improving clarity of roles, processes, and communication, helping teams adopt new ways of working and sustain performance improvements.
• Create an organizational training strategy that supports a culture of continuous improvement, including foundational manufacturing knowledge, process improvement, root cause analysis, equipment maintenance, and employee skills development programs, providing ongoing management oversight to strengthen workforce capabilities.
• Establish and implement a standardized process for communicating manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives across the organization, performing periodic audits to ensure consistency and effectiveness.
• Utilize Lean methods, Value Stream Mapping, SIPOC, RACI, and other applicable tools to improve manufacturing processes, optimize production flow, reduce waste, and improve lead times across manufacturing operations and the broader Sales-to-Order and Order-to-Delivery processes.
• Provide leadership support in continuous improvement and operational excellence to all Daikin Applied locations in North America, establishing predictable lead times, standardizing processes, and sharing best practices to increase customer satisfaction.

Your Qualifications:

• 4-year bachelor’s degree in a related field
• 6-8 years of experience in Operations or a related field
• 4+ years of people leading experience
• Master’s degree (preferred)

• Familiar with Kaizen improvement processes and the Toyota Production System (preferred)

Your Benefits:

Daikin Applied offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements: 

• Multiple medical insurance plan options + dental and vision insurance  
• 401K retirement plan with employer match
• Paid time off and company paid holidays
• Paid sick time in accordance with the federal, state and local law
• Tuition Reimbursement after 6 months of continuous service 

Work visa sponsorship is not available for this position

The typical annual base salary for this position ranges from $100,800 to $171,700 in MN. The range displayed represents the pay range for all positions in the job grade which this position falls. Individual base pay will depend on a wide range of factors including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of pre-employment requirements, including verification of employment history, education, background screening, and drug testing where permitted by law. Safety-sensitive positions may require cannabis (marijuana) testing. All testing and employment decisions will comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws.