Head of Operational Excellence

Company

Finning Canada

Number of Openings

Worker Type

Permanent

Position Overview

This is a unique opportunity to step into a high impact enterprise transformation role that goes far beyond traditional operations leadership. As the Head of Operational Excellence, you will architect and embed a best in class Operational Excellence (OE) operating system that reshapes how the organization performs, while leading a team accountable for transforming Finning’s performance across dealer differentiated capabilities through the Caterpillar program, and driving Operational Excellence in both the rebuild, repair and response environment and administrative job management.

This is about building something enduring, designing the frameworks, disciplines, and culture that unlock breakthrough improvements in people, quality, velocity and cost, while elevating performance across every function and level of the business.

Success in this role requires more than expertise – it demands a true Operational Excellence practitioner with the vision and credibility to lead a multi year transformation in a complex rebuild, repair and response environment. You will influence without authority, aligning senior leaders and frontline teams around a shared way of working, while embedding the tools, mindset, and capabilities that sustain long term results. This is a rare chance to drive meaningful enterprise-wide change and leave a lasting impact on how the organization operates and competes.

Key Leadership Capabilities

Operational Excellence Expertise

• Primary career focus in hands‑on OE leadership.
• Backgrounds from manufacturing/remanufacturing or OEM/dealer environments with established OE systems.
• Proven track record of personally leading large‑scale OE initiatives.
• Strong technical foundation in lean, waste elimination, process design, value stream optimization, and modern OE tools.

Enterprise Transformation Experience

• End‑to‑end ownership of OE transformations—from system design to full deployment.
• Demonstrated success shifting organizations from isolated improvements to sustained OE operating models.
• Experience building OE architecture (standards, systems, routines, governance).
• Ability to move seamlessly between strategic design and tactical execution.

Thought Leadership & Strategic Ownership

• Develops and owns the OE strategy.
• Builds, coaches, and scales a high‑performing OE team.
• Drives change through influence, partnering with senior service and operations leaders.

Role Expectations

OE System & Process Architecture

• Designs the core service operating model across administration, job planning, job management, scheduling, and execution.
• Applies advanced OE methods (lean, value stream design, takt planning, flow optimization).
• Integrates emerging capabilities including agentic AI, predictive analytics, automation, and digital workflow tools.

Performance Management & Operating Discipline

• Leads the development and performance of a balanced, standardized operating scorecard and KPIs.
• Establishes strong benchmarking discipline and performance routines (daily/weekly/monthly) across service leadership.
• Drives adoption through capability-building versus top‑down direction.

Rapid Improvement & Problem-Solving Discipline

• Leads rapid improvement workshops and transformation events.
• Deploys small expert cross‑functional “OE SWAT teams” for targeted 1–2 week cycles.
• Rotates improvement teams to eliminate constraints and uplift performance with sustained results.

Caterpillar Relationship Management

• Leads OE alignment within the Caterpillar partnership.
• Represents the organization in capability, benchmarking, and dealer maturity programs.
• Leverages Caterpillar insights to accelerate internal OE maturity.

Continuous Improvement Culture Enablement

• Builds systems where frontline employees surface, prioritize, and execute improvements.
• Embeds simple, effective CI mechanisms linked to enterprise objectives.
• Develops leaders who coach and model OE behaviors, shifting culture from firefighting to continuous improvement.

Dealer Capability Accountabilities

Quality Improvement

KPIs

• Reduced service rework & warranty rates.
• Improved First Time Fix Rate across all environments.
• Higher timeliness and compliance on Service Letters.

Velocity & Flow

KPIs

• Reduced Last Labour to Invoice days.
• Decreased aged SWIP and total WIP days.
• Improved performance against 2‑day service response/completion commitments.

Cost & Productivity

KPIs

• Reduced Cost per Recoverable Hour.
• Improved technician productivity and attended hour recovery.
• Reduced bid variance through standard job plans and accurate estimating.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s (required) and MBA or master’s (preferred) in engineering, operations, or business.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt with deep OE technical expertise.
• 10–15+ years in hands-on Operational Excellence leadership, not general operations.
• 7–10+ years leading enterprise-wide transformations, from design to full deployment.
• Proven ability to build and scale OE operating systems (standards, governance, routines, KPIs).
• Strong background in manufacturing, heavy equipment, or OEM/dealer environments.
• Demonstrated success shifting culture from projects to sustained continuous improvement.
• Experience leading through influence across complex, matrixed organizations without direct authority.
• Track record of building, coaching, and scaling high-performing OE teams and senior leaders.
• Ability to blend strategy and execution, including modern OE integration with digital tools, analytics, and automation.

At Finning, we prioritize creating a diverse and inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we actively encourage all individuals to express themselves and achieve their full potential. As a company, we continuously strive to enhance our outreach to individuals of all backgrounds and identities. We do not discriminate against applicants based on gender identity, race, national and ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital and family status, and/or mental or physical disabilities. Furthermore, Finning is committed to collaborating with and providing reasonable accommodations /adjustments to individuals with disabilities. If you require an adjustment/accommodation at any point during the recruitment process, please inform your recruiter.