Lindsay Lankford

About Lindsay Lankford

Strategic Quality & Operational Excellence leader with over 18 years of experience delivering high impact transformations in automotive and aerospace manufacturing. I specialize in building scalable, lean driven systems that reduce defects, accelerate flow, and sustain performance across greenfield start ups, plant expansions, and production ramp up projects.Core strengths:• Lean Six Sigma & Toyota Production System – applying structured problem solving, value stream mapping, and Kaizen to simplify complexity and drive measurable results.• Enterprise wide Continuous Improvement frameworks – designing and rolling out sector wide CI and APQP programs (currently leading the Defense Systems CI Community of Practice at Northrop Grumman).• Executive partnership & cross functional alignment – translating strategic objectives into actionable plant floor execution plans and securing buy in from senior leaders, engineers, and operators alike.• People first leadership – building trust at every level, coaching high performing teams, and fostering a culture where great systems thrive because people believe in them.As a Staff Process Improvement Analyst & Sector Continuous Improvement Coordinator for Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems, I am:• Designing a sector wide Continuous Improvement framework from the ground up.• Co leading the development, pilot, and enterprise rollout of a standardized APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) system.• Authoring an APQP Playbook that bridges corporate standards with division and program level work instructions.• Launching and moderating a sector wide CI Community of Practice to scale best practices and share lessons learned.

Experience

1. Staff Process Improvement Analyst

   Northrop Grumman

   Sep 2025 — Present · Huntsville, AL, US

   Defense Systems Sector | Continual Improvement Manager-Coordinator• Designing and launching a sector wide Continuous Improvement (CI) framework from the ground up, aligning with corporate strategy and establishing a common language for process excellence across the Defense Systems (DS) sector.• Co leading the development, pilot testing, and enterprise wide rollout of a sector wide Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) framework, standardizing APQP workflows across multiple programs and ensuring compliance with AS9145.• Coaching cross functional pilot teams through every APQP phase, delivering customized training, best practice toolkits, and hands on support that accelerate adoption and drive measurable improvements in product quality metrics.• Authoring an APQP Playbook/Handbook that bridges the Corporate APQP/AS9145 handbook with division and program level work instructions, providing a clear, step by step guide that enables consistent execution across the sector.• Launching and moderating the sector wide CI Community of Practice, bringing together cross functional experts to share lessons learned, foster collaboration, and scale continuous improvement initiatives.

Education

• Mississippi University for Women

  Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences

  2003 — 2007