Head of Operational Excellence

ABOUT REFRAME SYSTEMS Reframe Systems is on a mission to build resilient housing for all, at massive scale. We are doing it by re-imagining how housing is designed and built. We are replacing the fragmented, trade-by-trade construction model with a vertically integrated, software-driven manufacturing system. Our volumetric module platform and agile microfactory in the greater Boston area are producing multifamily housing faster, cheaper, and with lower carbon than conventional methods. We are backed by leading VC firms in the industrial and construction space, and we have a national scaling roadmap actively underway. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR We are looking for a Head of Operational Excellence to build and own the system that makes Reframe's factories get better over time. The focus is a repeatable improvement engine and a replication playbook that allows what we learn in one facility to become the standard everywhere. This is not a floor management role. It is not embedded in day-to-day production. The Head of Ops Excellence sits at the corporate level and owns the manufacturing system, including the improvement cadence, standard work governance, and cross-factory learning mechanisms. This person will lead a small Ops Excellence team, including CI, Quality, and EHS. This is an early-stage role with significant scope to define and grow the function. The right person will see it as the opportunity to build something that does not exist yet and to make it the backbone of how Reframe operates at scale. RESPONSIBILITIES OPERATIONAL CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT - Own the Ops CI program architecture: methodology, cadence, idea management, tracking, and ROI measurement. Build the system that makes improvement a habit, not a project. - Drive a depth-first approach to improvement cycles. Use structured PDCA at the work cell level with measurable leading indicators (improvement requests submitted, just-do-its completed, kaizen cycles per month). - Build the feedback loop between the floor and the standard work library: changes proven on the floor get documented and propagated; standard work reflects current best practice, not last year's. - Establish and champion lean vocabulary and methodology across the organization, including gemba, 5S, value stream mapping, and PDCA. CI should have a common language that does not have to be reinvented by each team. - Identify high-value initiatives that require engineering or manufacturing engineering resources; make the case and escalate through the appropriate channel. You are not expected to solve every problem yourself. - Build the replication playbook: how improvements, standard work updates, quality learnings, and safety learnings move from one facility to the next. Define ownership, approvals, training triggers, and audit mechanisms so replication is reliable. QUALITY - Lead and develop the Quality function. Set priorities, build the operating cadence, and ensure the team delivers scalable, repeatable quality mechanisms. - Own the interfaces between quality and the manufacturing system: defect taxonomy, quality gates, CAPA, audit mechanisms, and rework tracking. - Ensure defect and rework learnings feed into the improvement engine and standard work system, including closed-loop corrective action and prevention mechanisms. - Ensure product and process changes flow through the appropriate review mechanisms before hitting the floor. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY - Own EHS in the near term and hire dedicated EHS leadership. Build the management system that ensures safety is embedded in how work is done. - Establish safety culture and expectations, leading-indicator tracking, near-miss systems, toolbox talks, incident management, and corrective action. - Ensure process changes include appropriate safety review, risk assessment, and adoption checks. - Ensure safety learnings and near-miss learnings are treated as improvement inputs and replicated across facilities. TRAINING AND STANDARDS - Own the standa