Senior Process Improvement Analyst

Job Description

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is Washington state’s oldest and largest privately owned energy utility. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, PSE provides electricity and natural gas service to approximately two million residential and business customers across a 6,000-square-mile service area in the Pacific Northwest.

As PSE continues our transition to CETA, we are looking for someone to help lead Kaizen Improvement Workshops, Value Stream Mapping and A3 problem-solving activities through some of our most critical programs.  

In this role, you’ll help drive organizational efficiency and effectiveness by identifying, analyzing, and optimizing business processes. You’ll lead medium- to large-scale improvement initiatives from concept through implementation, using data-driven solutions to improve quality, reduce costs, increase productivity, and enhance customer experience. You’ll conduct lean based statistical, financial, and operational analyses to uncover opportunities, guide decisions, and measure results. Working closely with cross-functional teams, you’ll lead Kaizen improvement workshops, Value Stream Mapping events, apply A3 problem-solving method, and facilitate meaningful improvements that build alignment and support the organization’s strategic goals. You’ll also have opportunities to share your expertise by coaching and training others on process improvement practices, tools, and techniques.

PSE is committed to fostering a culture of total safety. The successful candidate will uphold safety compliance standards inherent in PSE’s operations and work procedures, promote a culture of safety and accountability, and demonstrate a commitment to conducting business honestly, ethically, and in accordance with PSE’s Core Values and Code of Conduct. All responsibilities must be performed in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and obligations.

Job Responsibilities

• Oversees a portfolio of process improvement events, acttivities and/or initiatives within a designated business unit, providing consultative support and guidance to leadership.
• Works with leadership and business stakeholders on root cause analysis to determine strategic and tactical recommendations for both new process development and waste removal of current state process.
• Develops and presents strategic and tactical recommendations and may implement data driven decisions and strategies.
• Partners with Enterprise Performance Management to identify performance improvement opportunities and track improvement performance/benefits.
• Uses sophisticated analytics/statistical methods to study and analyze available data and to determine trends, root cause, metrics, leading and lagging indicators in collaboration with Enterprise Performance Management.
• Facilitates multi-departmental process change in collaboration with Organizational Change Management and Visual Management teams.
• Facilitates workshops to gather data for process improvement.
• Provides coaching, direction and support to team members in order to achieve employee, business and customer results.
• Trains, mentors, coaches and challenges leaders, project sponsors/champions, project team members and all employees in the use of various process improvement techniques to raise awareness and desire of effective continuous improvement execution throughout the organization.
• Ensures quality and consistency of methodology, metrics, analysis, and documentation.
• Develops/prepares and presents process analysis, process flow documents and reports.
• Supports corporate priorities and projects, enterprise process optimization, and ensures alignment with company objectives.
• May mentor and cross-train staff.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, technology, process improvement; or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience.
• Green Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma or other process improvement methodologies or equivalent experience and education.
• Five (5) years of experience leading and utilizing high-involvement process improvement or change management techniques/tools.
• Five (5) years of demonstrated proficiency in using various analytical techniques to study and recommend process improvement actions.
• Experience using a variety of business applications and analysis tools such as Visio, Power Point, Excel, Word, SAP Business Warehouse, SAP modules.
• Outstanding attention to detail, problem solving, organizational and analytical skills.
• Experience in understanding business process relationship with data analysis and metrics.
• Ability to work effective to tight deadlines in a fast paced environment on multiple projects.
• Ability to take initiative and work both independently and as a part of a team to drive results.
• Strong coaching, collaborating, and influencing skills.
• Experience managing medium to large projects and teams to achieve a business need.
• Excellent communication skills at all levels with the ability to present information in a professional manner.
• Ability to prepare and present to executive leadership.
• Ability to influence others and move toward a common vision and/or goal.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree in industrial engineering, statistics, or business administration.
• Experience/certification in both structured and informal process improvement or change management methodologies.
• Experience with Lean Six Sigma process design methods such as 3p, DMEDI or Design for Six Sigma
• Utility industry experience.
• Experience in large-scale organizational change efforts.
• Knowledge of project management methodologies and applications.
• Knowledge of change management methodologies and applications.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority.
• Experience facilitating large groups.

Additional Information