What jobs can you get with a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt?
Professionals seeking a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification often wonder what job opportunities await them once they’re certified. Individuals with process improvement skills are always in high demand since employers value people who understand lean operations.
The role of a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt is to find irregularities in a particular business operation. Initially, this meant correcting bottle-necks and other issues on a production line. While that’s still true today for the manufacturing world, Lean Six Sigma has evolved in every industry.
Today, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt’s use their skills to improve processes and reduce costs in healthcare, government, retail, logistics, real estate, and more. Having your Lean Green Belt certification is a great way to get started in these industries, but there are other factors you’ll need to consider. These include your college degree and work experience.
Let’s explore some of the many job opportunities that await a certified Lean Green Belt.
Quality Manager
Average # of openings: 14,000
Average Pay: $100,000 to $120,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
Quality Managers typically lead a team of employees who oversee product and service quality assurance. Daily job duties may include cycle counting, inventory research and reconciliation, root cause analysis, and ensuring compliance with established departmental and operational procedures and performance goals.
The Quality Manager has core responsibilities to develop, implement, and ensure that all quality of processes, productivity, financial, and service objectives meet or exceed expectations.
Typical Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering
- Lean Green Belt Certification
- Strong knowledge and experience (5+ years) in leading a quality team
- Strong financial background, including financial analysis, inventory accounting, cost accounting
- Strong skills in leadership of people
- Strategic thinking and planning skills
Project Manager
Average # of openings: 97,000
Average Pay: $83,000 to $120,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
A Project Manager is responsible for developing the detailed strategy, scope, and implementation plans for small to large, internal, and cross-enterprise projects. They will typically lead multi-functional teams of about 10-15 people from across the business. They will manage a small portfolio of projects, from Discovery through to Delivery.
Project Managers utilize core project management, communication, presentation, and creative problem-solving skills to deliver projects on time and within budget.
Typical Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Management, MBA preferred.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
- Knowledge of project management processes, workflows, and terminology, including an understanding of the Project Management Institute (PMI) framework.
- Ability to influence outcomes and minimize and address conflict.
- Solid analytical problem-solving and critical/creative thinking skills.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills
- Expert knowledge of Microsoft Office.
- 3-6 years of experience in large-scale project and program management.
Manufacturing Supervisor
Average # of openings: 36,000
Average Pay: $62,000 to $80,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
A Manufacturing Supervisor ensures that the day-to-day manufacturing process remains smooth and efficient by organizing the workflow and managing the staff. The primary purpose of this role is to be the first level of authority in the workplace providing leadership, coaching, and clear direction to ensure our people are working safely, meeting customer demand, solving problems, eliminating waste, and meeting goals.
Typical Job Requirements
- Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Management
- Mechanical aptitude
- Lean Green Belt Certification
- Self-motivated
- Good organizational skills
Risk Manager
Average # of openings: 16,000
Average Pay: $94,000 to $119,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
The Risk Manager evaluates, plans, directs and implements an innovative risk management program to evaluate and manage cost, schedule, and technical risks. They assess and identify risks that could impede the organization’s reputation, safety, security, or financial success. They will provide hands-on development of risk models involving market and operational risk, ensure controls are operating effectively, and provide research and analytical support.
Typical Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Finance, or related field.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
- Five years of related experience in the field of Risk Management.
- Thorough understanding of policies and best practices of risk management.
- Excellent analytical, critical, and preventive thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software to prepare reports and policies.
Director
Average # of openings: 150,000
Average Pay: $89,000 to $125,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
The job title of Director is broad. Every large organization has directors who are typically responsible for overseeing managers within the organization. In general, Directors provide direct oversight of the development and implementation of all processes surrounding the department they oversee.
They plan and maintain policies and procedures for operating efficiently and within the organization’s guidelines. They Will coach, mentor, and develop managers, including new employee onboarding. Directors Will communicate, manage outcomes, and be accountable to the VP and CEO for all department initiatives and staff performance.
Typical Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, MBA preferred.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
- Project Management Certification.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Outstanding customer skills
- Able to accommodate a flexible schedule and achieve results in a fast-paced environment
- Excellent at leading projects and/or creating long-term plans that produce lasting results
- Able to effectively collaborate
Supply Chain Supervisor
Average # of openings: 29,000
Average Pay: $133,000 to $208,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
The Supply Chain Manager creates and maintains all planning models and purchase proposals. They lead and manage inventory planning, ordering, and forecasting for all products. Obtain and manage on-hand and on-order stock reports from main suppliers; maintain records for material authorizations and deposit requirements.
Define and build planning models and parameters for current and new product categories. Analyze and set item replenishment parameters based on product type, turns, and lead time.
Typical Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- 5-10 years related experience or equivalent.
- Advanced Excel skills, ability to build and maintain complex forecasting models.
- Ability to travel internationally.
Operations Manager
Average # of openings: 40,000
Average Pay: $100,000 to $125,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
Operations Managers Implement the annual strategic business plan for all operational areas, closely cooperating with Management. Together with the Head of Sales, provides the Management Board with evaluations and suggestions regarding the strategic business plan, long-range planning, and the introduction of new strategies.
Determines appropriate operational procedures and monitors the processes’ adherence to, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Recommends changes, revisions, additions, or deletions as necessary.
Typical Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Supply Chain Management, or Engineering.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
- Experience in a high-volume distribution environment
- 5+ years of operations experience and 5+ years leading operations within a complex global organization
Customer Success Manager
Average # of openings: 819,000
Average Pay: $121,000 to $212,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
The Customer Success Manager is responsible for communicating with customers via phone, email, or face-to-face in relation to a service provided by the organization. They are primarily responsible for leading the customer service team. The Customer Success Manager provides work direction to the customer service Team, whether they be in a storefront, like cashiering or front-end customer support, or phone support.
Must be a leader with a passion for coaching and developing a team of skilled front-line leaders, driving engagement through effective communication, and providing exceptional customer service.
Typical Job Requirements
- Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Business Management.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Outstanding customer skills.
- 2-4 years of customer-related experience
- Contact Center or Call Center Experience
Consultant / Trainer
Average # of openings: 1,100
Average Pay: $140,000 to $300,000
Find this job here: Indeed | Quality Careers
Provide Lean Six Sigma consulting and training services as a certified Lean Green Belt. While this job typically requires the consultant to be a Black Belt, Green Belts may also work in this role as an assistant to the Black Belt or for the training of Green Belts. In this role, the LSS consultant will develop and maintain organizational performance dashboards, including KPI metrics. They will also design implementation plans using change management techniques to achieve and sustain improvements.
Lean Six Sigma consultants must deliver results that achieve or surpass project targets based on ROI, customer satisfaction, or employee satisfaction improvement objectives. They meet project timelines to manage the realization of project benefits and maintain the downstream effect on the completed project.
Typical Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Management or MBA
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
- MSI Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification.
- Project Management Institute (PMP) certification.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Outstanding customer skills.
- Strong statistical skills.
- Change Leadership experience.
What industries use Lean Six Sigma the most?
The four industries currently using Lean Six Sigma methods the most are Healthcare, Manufacturing, Government, and Logistics. When job searching, Lean Six Sigma certified professionals should start their job searches in these industries.
Many other industries and organizations are now seeing the benefits of Lean Six Sigma. As competition increases and profit margins grow tighter, additional sectors will continue to seek out Six Sigma professionals for their skills in cost reduction.
David Lovell
Master of Business Administration
Festus, Missouri
