Operational Excellence & Quality Manager

About the role

KONE Business Services (KBS) is a global platform that drives productivity and digitalisation for KONE. We are looking for a development‑minded Operational Excellence & Quality Manager to elevate our Quality, Audit, Internal Controls and Continuous Improvement (LEAN) agendas.

Key responsibilities

• Define and champion best practices for continuous improvement and quality management, enabling teams to identify waste reduction, process optimisation and quality enhancements.
• Allocate effort roughly 60 % development stewardship and 40 % operational execution.
• Design and roll out organisation‑wide initiatives that improve service quality, compliance, waste reduction and user experience.
• Educate and govern employees on LEAN (Six Sigma, UX) and quality management principles, tracking progress toward business targets.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and compliance excellence across KBS.
• Coordinate and lead internal and external audits (LRQA, QMS, GMS) from kickoff to action closure, ensuring proper documentation and governance.

Required profile

• 5‑10 years of experience leading organisation‑wide transformations in Quality, Compliance and Continuous Improvement, preferably in a business services environment.
• Proven team‑leadership skills with strong interpersonal, intercultural, project and change‑management capabilities.
• Deep knowledge of operational processes and improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma, LEAN and Kaizen; LEAN Six Sigma certification (Green minimum, Black preferred).
• Experience coordinating audits and internal controls, with familiarity with ISO 9001 QMS; ISO 9001 Internal Auditor or Lead Auditor certification preferred.
• Proactive, self‑motivated change driver with a growth mindset and passion for compliance.
• Data‑driven approach with proficiency in data‑analysis tools, emerging technologies and AI.
• Willingness to travel as required.

Required skills

• Six Sigma (Green/Black)
• LEAN methodology
• Kaizen
• ISO 9001 quality management
• Data analysis tools
• Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation concepts