Operating Unit Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager

The opportunity

Hitachi Energy's Grid Integration business unit has delivered more than 4,000 projects over the last 15 years. Our Grid Integration portfolio spans a wide range of transmission and substation applications, which facilitate reliable and efficient system integration of the future digital electric network with minimum environmental impact.

We incorporate the integrated systems, solutions and services of our business' DC and AC fields, including HVDC, Substations, FACTS, Grid and Power Quality solutions such as offshore wind connections, and Semiconductors. We offer Power Consulting for key segments in the energy system, such as renewables, transmission distribution and as well as e-transportation solutions.

How you'll make an impact

• You will promote behavioral change to continuously improve performance through programs and initiatives. Understands and effectively addresses barriers to behavioral change. Designs and develops the Quality & Continuous Improvement local functional area by influencing and consulting with key stake- holders such as senior management. Drive and support the strategy deployment to identify the Quality & Continuous Improvement strategy for the local business ensuring alignment with product line strategy.
• You will ensure the Voice of the Customer is represented within the local business, by utilization of customer feedback processes like customer surveys, complaint resolution and result of customer feedback data analysis. Challenge the management team with customer experience feedback and input to decisions. Enable and coach teams to evaluate risks, problems and solutions from a customer/stakeholder point of view.
• You will work with local management teams to prevent mistakes and defects in products and avoid problems when delivering solutions or services to customers, provide confidence that Power Grids and customer quality requirements will be fulfilled. Drive the utilization of process management across the local business to deliver consistent results, minimizing variation and maximizing efficiencies. Ensure that quality assurance is embedded in all processes (built-in quality) and perform assessments and audits as an input to improving processes including leveraging identified risks, failures and non-conformances within the local business, suppliers and customers.
• You will ensure effective internal control systems are in place internally and for suppliers to verify that processes continue to meet customer and stakeholder requirements. Monitor, analyze and report quality metrics to ensure corrective actions are taken. Ensures that appropriate corrective and preventive actions are taken, and solutions are managed to closure.
• You will deploy and execute the local strategy to continuous improvement and strategy deployment via L6S and other Continuous Improvement (CI) methodologies. Understand the organization's vision, objectives and improvement needs, and suggest projects and improvement actions that support objectives. Facilitate best practice sharing. Work directly with key stakeholders to achieve buy-in and execute strategy.
• You will ensure that appropriate corrective and preventive actions are taken, and solutions are managed to closure. Provides local organization-wide visibility of the current portfolio of Quality & Continuous Improvement efforts; track via metrics/KPIs progress and value from these efforts through the Quality Improvement Plan to help decision makers to allocate resources and recognize success.
• You will establish, maintain and administer a certified QMS including any external certification required by the customer or business. Support the deployment - at max. To provide the business with policies, regulations and processes that sufficiently describe the value chain activities and ensures effectiveness in meeting customer and shareholder expectations. Drives the utilization process management across the organization to deliver consistent results, minimizing variation and maximizing efficiencies. Deve- lops, implements and follows up quality processes and related tools to assure quality in own processes, as well as drives Top Quality issues and reports, analyses and acts on KPIs. Ensures conformance with applicable Power Grids regulations, instructions related to quality, driving audit plan and program.
• You will enable, with the support of HR, that the local Quality & CI team is sustainably staffed, developed and directed in line with Power Grids processes. Provide support and leadership for the Quality activities that support the local business. Provide training to individuals and teams so that they are better equipped to drive the quality and improvement efforts. Develop individual talents within your location, mentor and coach Business Quality & CI candidates.
• You will be responsible to ensure compliance with applicable external and internal regulations, procedures, and guidelines.
• Living Hitachi Energy's core values of safety and integrity, which means taking responsibility for your own actions while caring for your colleagues and the business.

• You hold a bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality Management, or a related field.- Electrical or Mechanical, Electrical Engineering is preferred.
• Experience - Must have > 20 years of experience as a Quality Professional in reputed Engineering/EPC companies comparable to Hitachi Energy business portfolio. Must have experience as a people manager.
• Broad knowledge of organization / area of project operation
• In-depth knowledge of quality assurance and quality control management, hands-on experience would be added advantage.
• Must have been worked as a quality professional in similar industries with understanding of ISO certification methods, Audit management and Process management.
• Broad experience in business process improvement, data gathering and analysis
• Exposure or skilled in Six Sigma, Quality tools like 7 QC & 8-D Tools, 5S and Kaizen. Certification of GB or BB would be added advantage to the candidate
• Fully comfortable in the Microsoft suite (Excel, Powerpoint etc...) and Office 365 collaborative tools.
• Strong communication skills and ability to manage many stakeholders
• Native level Japanese language, knowledge of Japanese business manner
• Business level English language, TOEIC 800 and above would be preferred.

• Employment insurance, industrial injury insurance, health insurance, pension insurance
• Paid leave
• Bereavement leave
• Wedding leave
• Maternity leave
• Spousal maternity leave
• Parental leave
• Nursing care leave