Continuous Improvement Specialist

Job description

**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. ## Join our team as a ## Continuous Improvement Specialist! *This is a HYBRID role - onsite Tuesday-Thursday in Maple Plain, MN.* We are seeking a proactive and analytical Continuous Improvement Specialist to join our Customer Success Department! This role is critical to identifying and eliminating process friction, streamlining workflows, and driving efficiency for our 100-person team. The ideal candidate will help organize and prioritize improvement efforts, define system requirements, and free up team capacity to focus on strategic goals. As part of Protolabs' ProtoExcellence Business System, the role applies Lean and continuous improvement practices — a customer-value lens, structured problem solving, standard work, and daily management — to deliver measurable gains in service quality, speed, and efficiency. ### What You Will Do: - Analyze the existing backlog of process issues to connect related items and identify root causes. - Map current-state processes and collaborate with stakeholders to design and define ideal future-state workflows. - Shadow team members to understand current workflows, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for quick improvements (“Kaizens”). - Gather and analyze data from service systems (CRM/Salesforce, AX/ERP, eCommerce, and case/contact data) to quantify performance, size problems, and prioritize improvement opportunities. - Work with team leadership to prioritize improvement initiatives based on impact and effort. - Develop clear business requirements for CRM (Salesforce), AX (ERP), eCommerce, and other system enhancements, creating a prioritized backlog for the technology team. - Act as a liaison between the business team and technical resources to translate needs into actionable development work. - Partner directly with team members on specific projects to drive them to completion, including a sustainment plan. - Participate in — and help develop and refine — team huddles and leadership meetings to gather information, provide updates, support problem solving and escalation, and act as an extension of the leadership team. - Coach and support the team in continuous improvement practices such as structured problem solving, standard work, and visual/daily management. ### 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. - 3–5 years of continuous improvement experience, including meaningful experience in transactional, service, or office environments (not solely manufacturing). - Experience in a customer success, customer service, contact-center, sales support, or operations role with a deep understanding of business processes. - Proven ability in process mapping, analysis, and improvement methodologies, including customer journey mapping and/or service blueprinting. - Familiarity with CRM and ERP systems (Salesforce and AX/ERP; eCommerce a plus) and the ability to define requirements for system enhancements. - Data gathering and analysis capability across service systems — able to pull and interpret metrics such as SLA/response time, first-contact resolution, backlog/aging, handle time, and CSAT/NPS. - 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 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. ### What Makes You Stand Out: - Lean or Six Sigma certification (Green or Black Belt); Six Sigma is especially valuable for reducing variation in transactional processes. - Change management certification or experience (e.g., Prosci / ADKAR). - Business analysis credentials or Salesforce Administrator certification. - Experience facilitating Kaizen events in office/service settings and applying daily management and standard work to knowledge work. - Familiarity with contact-center/ticketing platforms and BI/analysis tools (Excel, Power BI, Tableau, or SQL). - Voice-of-Customer (VOC) program experience. ### Whats In It For You: - We offer a competitive salary and total rewards package - We offer amazing benefits including but not limited to: - Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan - Flexible Spending Accounts - Health Savings Account (including employer contributions) - Dental and Vision - Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance - Short-Term and Long-Term Disability - Paid caregiver leave - You will receive at least 3 weeks of PTO + Wellness + Holiday Pay + Volunteer Hours - 401k with company match and immediate vest - Employee Stock Purchase Program at a discounted rate - Matching grants through Protolabs foundation - And More!