Team Leader Industrial Engineering

About VAT Group

At VAT, we change the world with vacuum solutions. As the world’s leading supplier of high-performance vacuum valves, we have been driving innovation for more than 60 years. With over 3,200 employees worldwide, we operate from our headquarters in Haag, Switzerland, with manufacturing sites in Switzerland, Malaysia and Romania, as well as sales and service hubs around the world. We are guided by our passions integrity, teamwork, customer centricity, and innovation – always working together as #oneVAT.

Joining us means becoming part of a passionate, international team where your voice is heard, your ideas matter, and your career growth is supported.

Lead VAT’s global Continuous Improvement system by embedding Lean, daily management routines, and digital transparency into all three manufacturing sites (CH, RO, MY).
This role ensures that:

• Lean becomes a site-owned, daily operating system, not an event
• Lean Champions execute high-impact improvement with clear owners and measurable KPIs
• Digitalization insights (dashboards, IoT, VAT Analytics, MES-lite signals, Shopfloor Management) are systematically converted into flow, throughput, OEE, FO, and WIP improvements

CI becomes a closed-loop system linking SFM → Digital → Lean → Savings → KPIs → Mindset

Responsibilities:

• Own and evolve the Lean framework globally, ensuring harmonized methodologies, standards, routines, and templates.
• Translate strategic objectives (OPS Strategy, Lighthouse, DarWin, CIP) into structured improvement roadmaps for each site.
• Provide daily/weekly coaching, capability building and performance review of site-level Lean Champions.
• Ensure Lean Champions anchor Lean into SFM rhythms (Gemba, Tier 1–3 governance, problem-solving, takt adherence, REFA Time studies, and detailed Lean Assessments).
• Establish an execution culture focused on measurable throughput, FO, WIP and OEE improvements.

Integrate Digitalization into Lean Execution

• Work closely with Digitalization Manager and IoT/Data Visualization/Data Science roles to integrate dashboards into daily management.
• Convert digital deviations (OEE losses, flow interruptions, bottlenecks, takt variance) into structured Lean actions to the related local Champions and Green Belts.
• Drive adoption of Digital Shopfloor tools (D365, VAT Analytics, MES-lite) as part of Lean routines.

Global Ownership of Shopfloor Management System (SFM)

• Define global SFM standards (Tier boards, KPI logic, visual management standards, leader standard work).
• Train site leadership teams in SFM behaviors and routines.
• Ensure tight linkage between SOPs, digital KPIs, and Lean problem solving.

Drive High-Impact CI Pipeline

• Lead cross-site identification and prioritization of CI projects (DarWin/Lean/CIP).
• Establish savings validation, benefit tracking, and sustainability processes.
• Ensure each site delivers at least 3 high-value improvements per quarter.

Build Organizational Capability & Culture

• Establish Lean training paths (Green Belt, Yellow Belt, basic Lean, SFM training to production staff).
• Lead rebranding and communication of Lean to increase engagement and pull globally.
• Develop a continuous improvement of culture across all sites through coaching, leadership alignment, and communication.

Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration

• Align with Operations, Quality, SCM, Machining, Assembly, IT/DT, and OE to solve end-to-end flow constraints.
• Serve as the central escalation point for CI/Lean matters globally.
• Benchmark best practices and support global replication (CH / RO / MY blueprint scaling).

Key Experiences:

• 10+ years in Lean/CI leadership in manufacturing environments
• Proven multi-site CI deployment experience
• Demonstrated capability to integrate digital dashboards and IoT insights into continuous improvement execution
• Strong coaching & leadership behavior (frontline to management to executives)
• Documented track record of measurable impact on throughput, OEE, FO, WIP
• Experience with DarWin, CIP, Lean Six Sigma or SFM frameworks
• Cross-functional experience with production, engineering, IT/digitalization, quality, and SCM

COMPETENCIES

• Lean expert (Lean Six Sigma Black Belt preferred)
• Strong analytical thinking & KPI-driven decision making
• Excellent facilitation & change management
• Ability to mentor and develop teams
• Ability to bridge operations and digitalization seamlessly
• Strong communication and stakeholder management
• High discipline in documentation and governance
• Fluent English, and German strongly preferred

Our commitment to inclusion, fairness and equal opportunities

We believe in meaningful careers, continuous learning, and equal opportunities for everyone to drive our innovation and success. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace. If you have concerns, our compliance channel is available at our website. All reports are handled with strict confidentiality and in accordance with our Code of Conduct.