The Flight Deck Specialist is a lean operations expert who enables teams to apply GE Aerospace's operating system to improve Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost (SQDC). In this role, you will coach leaders and teams to deploy standard work, problem-solving, daily management, and strategy execution practices. You will facilitate kaizen events, enable performance visibility, and help build a culture of respect, continuous improvement, and customer-centric outcomes across functions such as Engineering, Supply Chain, Services, and Program Management.
Note: This role description is based on general lean principles. For questions specific to GE Aerospace's FLIGHT DECK methodology, please consult internal resources.
Key Responsibilities
- Drive SQDC: Partner with functional leaders to prioritize and execute initiatives that measurably improve safety first, then quality, delivery, and cost
- Coach and Enable: Build team capability in standard work, daily management, visual controls, leader standard work, tiered accountability, and problem-solving
- Facilitate Kaizen: Plan and run kaizen events and rapid improvement workshops; ensure problem definition, current-state analysis, root cause, countermeasures, and sustainment plans
- Problem Solving: Teach and apply structured problem solving (e.g., A3 thinking, 5 Whys, fishbone, PDCA) to eliminate waste and defects
- Strategy Deployment: Support goal deployment, alignment, and catchball; connect enterprise priorities to team-level metrics and actions
- Performance Management: Establish metrics, targets, and review cadences; enable transparent performance boards and data-driven actions
- Standardization: Develop, document, and maintain standard work and playbooks; ensure adherence, auditing, and continuous refinement
- Change Management: Lead change with empathy and rigor, ensuring adoption, sustainment, and cultural reinforcement
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work across Engineering, Supply Chain, Services, Quality, EHS, and Program teams to remove barriers and accelerate outcomes
- Training & Onboarding: Deliver training, coaching, and skill assessments for leaders and practitioners; mentor improvement champions
- Risk & Compliance: Proactively identify risks and ensure adherence to safety, regulatory, export control, and data privacy requirements
Required Qualification
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related field; or equivalent experience
- Relevant years of experience in lean/continuous improvement within manufacturing, engineering, or services environments
- Demonstrated success leading kaizen events and implementing daily management systems with measurable SQDC results
- Proficiency in standard lean tools (e.g., value stream mapping, takt time, flow, pull/kanban, visual management, standard work)
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with data-driven decision-making
- Excellent facilitation, coaching, and stakeholder engagement skills across all organizational levels
Preferred Qualification
- Advanced lean certifications (e.g., Lean Expert, Six Sigma Black Belt )
- Experience in aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated industries
- Demonstrated capability in strategy deployment and tiered accountability system
- Familiarity with digital/automation tools for performance management (e.g., digital boards, analytics dashboards
- Experience leading multi-site or global improvement program
