Process Improvement Specialist

Job ID: 289202

Location: Kennesaw, Georgia

Full/Part Time: Full Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

About Us

Are you ready to transform lives through academic excellence, innovative research, strong community partnerships and economic opportunity? Kennesaw State University is one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. With growing enrollment and global reach, we continue to expand our institutional influence and prominence beyond the state of Georgia. We offer more than 190 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to empower our 47,000 students to become thought leaders, lifelong learners, and informed global citizens. Our entrepreneurial spirit, high-impact research, and Division I athletics draw students from throughout the region and from more than 100 countries across the globe. Our university's vibrant culture, career opportunities, rich benefits, and values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity, and accountability make us an employer of choice. We are part of the University System of Georgia. We are searching for talented people to join Kennesaw State University in our vision. Come Take Flight at KSU!

Location

(Primary Location for Job Responsibilities) Our Kennesaw campus is located at 1000 Chastain Road NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144. Our Marietta campus is located at 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060.

Job Summary

Serves as a subject matter expert by partnering with university leaders and cross-functional teams to promote a culture of operational and organizational improvement. Works collaboratively with Organizational Effectiveness leadership and the Senior Process Improvement Specialist to advance process improvement initiatives, achieve strategic goals, develop effective solutions, document workflows, and facilitate stakeholder adoption of new or revised processes. Acts as an advocate for Organizational Effectiveness services throughout the campus community.

Responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES*:

1. Develops innovative solutions to resolve complex process issues, enhance efficiency and effectiveness, improve customer or student experience, and identify opportunities to create common procedures and best practices across the organization
2. Conducts thorough reviews of business processes to identify areas for improvement and creates targeted improvement plans using frameworks like DMAIC.
3. Oversees assigned process improvement projects, defining project plans, tracking progress to completion, meeting with stakeholders, and reporting to OE leadership.
4. Measures and assesses progress on process improvement efforts, gauging efficacy and performance of the current state and future state
5. Validates that process improvement projects are successful, and supports project success through effective communication, metric measurement and reporting, and providing process improvement expertise as required
6. Supports cross-functional collaboration and coordination to improve operations with diverse teams (leadership, staff, faculty, and external partners)
7. Navigates an environment of competing interests and limited resources and ensures alignment with priorities and strategic initiatives
8. Facilitates training, workshops, and other outreach efforts offered by Organizational Effectiveness

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience.

Other Required Qualifications Yellow Belt in Lean, Six Sigma, Process Management Professional Certification, and/or Project Management Certification, or ability to obtain within one (1) year of hire

Required Experience Two (2) years of experience in process improvement function, including running large process improvement projects, lean quality improvement methodology, data collection, and data analysis.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred Educational Qualifications An advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education in Business Administration

Preferred Experience Previous experience in higher education is preferred

Proposed Salary

https://hr.kennesaw.edu/benefits/index.php

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

ABILITIES Able to handle multiple tasks or projects at one time meeting assigned deadlines. Ability to adopt a consultant mindset, providing expert advice and innovative solutions

KNOWLEDGE Knowledge of process improvement principles and tools

SKILLS Excellent interpersonal, initiative, teamwork, problem solving, independent judgment, organization, communication (verbal and written), critical thinking, time management, project management, and presentation skills. Proficient with computer applications and programs associated with the position (i.e., Microsoft Office suite, Visio or equivalent). Strong attention to detail and follow-up skills. Strong customer service skills and phone and e-mail etiquette

USG Core Values

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct. Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Kennesaw State University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for living, work and study. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and University policy, the University prohibits harassment of or discrimination against any person because of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment, pregnancy, and medical conditions related to pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity or national origin, religion, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran or military status by any member of the KSU Community on campus, in connection with a University program or activity, or in a manner that creates a hostile environment for members of the KSU community. For additional information on this policy, or to file a complaint under the provisions of this policy, students, employees, applicants for employment or admission or other third parties should contact the Office of Institutional Equity at English Building, Suite 225, eeo@kennesaw.edu.

Other Information

This is not a supervisory position. This position does not have any financial responsibilities. This position will not be required to drive. This role is not considered a position of trust. This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card). This position may travel 1% - 24% of the time

Background Check

Standard Enhanced Education Per the University System of Georgia background check policy, all final candidates will be required to consent to a criminal background investigation. Final candidates may be asked to disclose criminal record history during the initial screening process and prior to a conditional offer of employment. Applicants for positions of trust with screening results which confirm a disqualifying criminal history will be immediately disqualified from employment eligibility. All applicants are required to include professional references as part of their application process. Some positions may require additional job-based screenings such as motor vehicle report, credit check, pre-employment drug screening and/or verification of academic credentials. https://www.usg.edu/hr/assets/hr/hrap_manual/HRAP_Background_Investigation_Employment.pdf