About The Role

Be yourself at Protolabs Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace. So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply! You can help make our company even better. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself. We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams. Why Protolabs? We are the leaders in digital manufacturing. We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds. We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do. It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home. Become our new Sr. Lean/CI Practitioner for CNC!

This is an onsite position based out of our Brooklyn Park CNC location.

We are seeking an experienced and highly influential Senior Continuous Improvement Practitioner to advance operational excellence at our CNC manufacturing facility in Brooklyn Park. This role will partner closely with site leadership and frontline teams to strengthen how the organization identifies, solves, and prevents problems.

As part of Protolabs’ ProtoExcellence Business System, the Senior Continuous Improvement Practitioner will develop the organization’s ability to improve through structured problem solving, standardized work, value stream management, leader standard work, daily management, coaching, and change leadership. The role is accountable not only for facilitating improvements, but also for ensuring that new ways of working are adopted, sustained, and owned by the people closest to the work.

The successful candidate will be an experienced Lean practitioner who can move comfortably between the shop floor and leadership discussions, connect improvement priorities to business objectives, and coach leaders and teams to solve increasingly complex problems independently.

What You'll Do

Partner with CNC site leadership to translate business priorities into a focused continuous improvement strategy and actionable improvement roadmap.

Assess operational performance, management routines, and problem-solving capability to identify systemic barriers to safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee effectiveness.

Lead value stream analysis and redesign efforts that cross departments, processes, and functional boundaries.

Facilitate complex Kaizen events and other structured improvement activities, while establishing clear ownership and follow-up plans to sustain results.

Coach leaders and teams in structured problem solving, including problem definition, root cause analysis, countermeasure development, experimentation, verification, and sustainment.

Establish, strengthen, and refine daily management systems, including visual management, tiered accountability, escalation routines, and leader standard work.

Partner with frontline employees and technical subject matter experts to create, implement, train, and audit standardized work.

Develop leaders’ ability to coach problem solving, reinforce standards, identify abnormalities, and build continuous improvement into daily operations.

Build problem-solving capability within the organization so that teams can resolve issues without continued dependence on an outside facilitator.

Support the definition of meaningful operational KPIs and build the management routines needed to review performance, respond to abnormalities, and maintain accountability.

Partner with Finance and business leaders to establish baselines, validate improvement benefits, and monitor whether intended results are sustained.

Use data and direct observation to identify recurring problems, distinguish symptoms from root causes, and prioritize improvement work based on customer and business impact.

Support change adoption by identifying stakeholder needs, anticipating resistance, and helping leaders communicate and reinforce new expectations.

Develop reusable continuous improvement standards, methods, coaching materials, and learning experiences that strengthen ProtoExcellence capability across the site.

Communicate progress, risks, decisions, and results clearly to site and functional leadership.Perform other related duties as assigned.

Perform other duties as assigned.

What It Takes

Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree in business, operations, industrial engineering, information systems, or a related field, or a commensurate combination of education and experience.
5+ years of continuous improvement experience in Lean, continuous improvement, operational excellence, or a related discipline, preferably within a manufacturing environment.
Demonstrated experience leading complex improvement work across multiple processes, departments, or functions.
Demonstrated experience building sustainable daily management systems, leader standard work, standardized work, and structured problem-solving capability.
Experience coaching leaders and frontline teams through operational and behavioral change.
Experience facilitating Kaizen events, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, and improvement planning.
Experience establishing performance baselines, measuring improvement outcomes, and validating business benefits with Finance or other business partners.
Working knowledge of manufacturing operations and the ability to operate credibly in a CNC production environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

An analytical mindset with the ability to “connect the dots” between disparate problems to see the larger picture.
A proactive and assertive approach, with the ability to escalate issues and drive progress independently.
Ability to apply Lean and continuous improvement methodologies (structured problem solving, standard work, visual/daily management) to transactional processes.
Strong facilitation, coaching, and communication skills, with the ability to influence without authority across cross-functional teams.
Strong organization and time management skills, with attention to detail and a devotion to eliminating variation and inconsistency in processes and systems.
Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Lean or Six Sigma certification (Green or Black Belt)
Change management certification or experience (e.g., Prosci / ADKAR).
Experience applying Lean practices in CNC machining, high-mix manufacturing, digital manufacturing, or another complex production environment.
Experience designing or advancing a site-level operating or business system.
Formal training or certification in change management, coaching, or organizational development.