The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt – EMEA Regional Leader is a senior expert individual contributor reporting directly to the EMEA Sr Operational Excellence Director. This role is the anchor of Pillar 1 – Business Transformation within Vertiv’s EMEA Operational Excellence organization, covering 10 manufacturing plants across the region. The Black Belt Leader is responsible for leading the most strategically significant transformation projects through rigorous DMAIC methodology, delivering financially validated results in cost, quality, delivery, and capacity. The role also builds a self-sustaining pipeline of LSS-certified talent and owns the EMEA transformation project portfolio.
Location:
Based at any of Vertiv's EMEA plant or office.
The role will involve approximately 50% travel across EMEA manufacturing locations. Proximity to an international airport would therefore be beneficial.
Reports To: EMEA Sr Operational Excellence Director
Direct Reports: None – Senior Individual Contributor with regional scope
Key Responsabilities:
Business Transformation & Project Leadership
- Identify, scope, and charter high-impact transformation projects aligned to EMEA business objectives, leading end-to-end DMAIC delivery with full accountability for scope, timeline, and financial outcomes.
- Lead process redesign at a systemic level targeting structural elimination of waste, bottlenecks, and non-value-adding activities across entire value streams.
- Execute all DMAIC phases with statistical rigor: SIPOC, VOC/CTQ, baseline capability, MSA, root cause analysis (fishbone, 5-Why, FMEA, DOE), and robust control plans.
- Manage concurrent transformation projects across multiple EMEA sites, prioritizing resource deployment to maximize aggregate business impact.
Advanced Analytics & Data-Driven Decision Making
- Apply advanced statistical methods (DOE, regression, SPC, ANOVA, hypothesis testing) to validate improvement solutions and underpin decisions with data-driven evidence.
- Build and maintain process capability dashboards for key manufacturing processes across all EMEA plants to enable proactive identification of process drift.
- Partner with the Digitization & AI EMEA Leader to leverage IoT, MES, and real-time data for deeper analytical insight and closed-loop process control.
Results Delivery – Cost, Quality, Delivery & Capacity
- Drive annualized cost-out savings through elimination of scrap, rework, and structural manufacturing cost reductions, with all savings validated by Finance.
- Improve process yield and first-pass quality rates by eliminating root-cause defects; target measurable reductions in customer complaints, warranty costs, and internal nonconformances.
- Unlock manufacturing capacity constraints without capital investment by eliminating bottlenecks, improving OEE, and optimizing changeover times.
Green Belt Mentoring & Capability Building
- Identify, select, and mentor high-potential Green Belt candidates across all 9 EMEA plants, providing structured project coaching throughout their certification journey.
- Develop and deliver LSS training curriculum tailored to the Vertiv manufacturing context, covering DMAIC tools, statistical fundamentals, and project management.
- Build a regional LSS community of practice enabling peer learning, best practice sharing, and ongoing skill development post-certification.
Portfolio Management & Strategic Roadmap
- Develop and maintain a structured EMEA Business Transformation project portfolio covering all 9 plants: project status, savings forecast, resource allocation, and risk log.
- Lead quarterly Portfolio Review meetings with the EMEA Sr OpEx Director and site leaders to re-prioritize the pipeline and identify emerging opportunities.
- Develop multi-year Business Transformation roadmaps for each EMEA plant, integrating LSS projects, capability-building targets, and technology enablement.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with the Digitization & AI and Lean / CI EMEA Leaders to ensure coherent, integrated transformation across all sites.
- Provide OpEx expertise to NPI programs and footprint optimization initiatives, embedding Lean and DFSS principles from Day 1.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or related technical discipline.
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) certification from a recognized body (ASQ, IASSC, or corporate equivalent) with completed, financially validated projects.
- 7+ years of progressive experience in Operational Excellence, Lean Six Sigma, or Business Transformation within complex manufacturing environments.
- 5+ years of hands-on Black Belt project delivery with a track record of financially significant improvements ($500K+ annualized savings per project).
- 3+ years of multi-site or regional scope, driving consistent improvement across geographically distributed operations.
- Advanced proficiency in statistical analysis software (Minitab, JMP, or equivalent): capability studies, regression, DOE, SPC.
- Proficiency in data visualization tools (Power BI, Excel) and working knowledge of ERP systems (SAP preferred).
- Fluency in English; additional European languages a strong plus.
Preferred:
- Master’s degree (MSc, MBA, or MEng) in Operational Excellence, Engineering Management, or Manufacturing Systems.
- Experience in power electronics, data center infrastructure, HVAC, or precision manufacturing sectors.
- PMP or PRINCE2 certification; experience in multinational/matrix organizations across European countries.
Application Requirements: Please submit your CV in English.
#LI-VH2
This role may be performed in multiple jurisdictions. In jurisdictions subject to EU Pay Transparency requirements, a locally applicable salary range applies and will be communicated in accordance with local legal obligations, if not shown in this posting. Salary ranges for other jurisdictions may vary in line with local market conditions and applicable legislation.
