Six Sigma Jobs

Compensation related to career in Six Sigma depends on many factors such as experience, level of certification, company, references, and amount of time dedicated to Six Sigma projects. The site listed below combines all related Six Sigma jobs on several popular search sites.

Job Postings

Salary and Compensation

Salary.com is a recommended site to analyze compensation scenarios. There are several variables from region, experience, and direct reports that can be provided as inputs to get an understanding of overall compensation expectations.

In the United States, a typical Six Sigma Green Belts (GB) makes $15k-$20k/yr less than a Six Sigma Black Belt (BB). With more pay usually comes more responsibility but the bonuses and perks are also higher for BB's, the Master Black Belts (MBB), and Top Six Sigma executives.

GB's usually do not have direct reports, although the may mentor other Green, White, or Yellow Belts. BB's usually do not have direct reports unless they are more experienced but this varies by company.

Some BB's have a group of GB's reporting directly to them and then there are cases where GB's report to their typical supervisor and are mentored by a BB. MBB's will often have direct reports ranging from 5-12 BB's and report to a Six Sigma Executive or directly to a CEO.

As with most jobs, the amount of compensation varies significantly depending on area of the world and within a country. A Six Sigma Black Belt with comparable experience could make $20k-$40k/yr more if working in San Francisco or New York City compared to a smaller market with lower cost of living.

Permanent GB, BB, MBB roles are normally found in companies >1,000 employees. Smaller companies tend to use existing staff and train them in the Six Sigma tools to complement an existing skill set. Smaller companies may also opt to use a consultant for specific projects.

The key is to distinguish yourself by putting forth the additional time and research to improve your chances to succeed and avoid losing valuable time executing a project as a results of still learning basic materials. Build a strong foundation to hit the ground running with a new employer.

Earning a Six Sigma certification is required in most cases.
Furthermore, earning a certification as a Project Manager is a strong complement to a GB, BB, or MBB certification.
It also helps to become highly fluent in one of the more commonly used statistical software programs.
Prepare templates and become very familiar with them in advance of leading projects. These take a lot of time to recreate each time and you can continuously improve your own templates to make them more useful. There are a number of templates, tables. and calculators available here.

Interviewing Tips

Interviewing for any position requires preparation. A Six Sigma practitioner may make or break their career from this critical discussion that lasts just a few minutes.

This website offers insight on commonly ask questions related to a Six Sigma / Lean Manufacturing interview.

Even for those that struggle with the nerves of an interview should help themselves through preparation. As the saying goes, "what you put into it is what you get out."

More times than not, there are several qualified candidates vying for the same position as you. Think about how you can distinguish yourself and stand out above your competition.

Six Sigma Consulting

Consulting careers in Six Sigma may be the right fit for you. As expected, this career typically involves a lot of travel and exposure to diverse set of challenges. It will likely be a requirement to maintain a high level of training and certifications that incorporate the latest tools.

Consultants often specialize. One person may be well versed in the DMAIC path, or DFSS, or Lean Manufacturing, or Statistics. Often, a team of consultants will engage with a client to help solve a problem or implement a Six Sigma or Continuous Improvement program.

Just as important as mastering the methodology, a consultant will need to be a strong Project Manager. Personally, these people typically exhibit a high degree of confidence, very organized, able to withstand pressure, adversity, and able to accept cultural differences and act as a "change" agent.

The ability to influence people, be political savvy, along with strong personal and professional presentation are other factors that make or break a consulting career.

Listed below are a few companies that specialize in Six Sigma and/or Lean Manufacturing consulting.

Smarter Solutions Inc.

Another suggestion is finding a Hiring Consultant, or Recruiter, and begin building this valuable career-long relationship. This person often works for you and is compensated from the firm they represent.

Shown further below are links to companies that offer careers in or related to Six Sigma.

JOB HOSTING WEBSITES:

Enter in keywords such as:
Six Sigma, Black Belt, Green Belt, Yellow Belt, White Belt, Continuous Improvement, Process Improvement, Kaizen, TQM, statistics, Lean Manufacturing, Lean Practitioner, DMAIC, and DFSS.

Monster.com

The Ladders.com

Career Builder.com

The Ladders.com

Career Builder.com

USA Government Jobs.com

Engineer Job Search.com

6 Figure Jobs.com

Exec Searches.com

Company Specific Job Sites

The home pages are shown for companies that often have job boards posted within their sites. Since these domains may change, you will need to navigate or search for the job posting once at the home page.

Motorola
General Electric
Raytheon
Honeywell
Textron
UnitedHealth Group
Booz Allen Hamilton
Research in Motion
Ingersoll Rand
Takata
Ecolab
Macys
IBM
Best Buy
Lockheed Martin
Arctic Cat
Mercury Marine
CVS Caremark Corp.

Other companies that have had or still have Six Sigma programs:

3M
Abbott Labs
Adolph Coors
Alcoa
Allen Bradley
Boeing
Bombardier
Borden
Bristol Meyers
Campbell Soup
Chevron
Clorox
General Dynamics
Hewlett Packard
Intel
Junior Achievement
Kaiser Aluminum
Kraft
McDonnell Douglas
Microsoft
NASA
Parkview Hospital
Pharmacia
Quest Diagnostics
Seagate
Sony
Texaco
Trane
TRW
United Parcel Service (UPS)
Xerox