Donald Kieffer

Donald Kieffer is a Senior Lecturer in Operations Management at MIT Sloan.

Kieffer started working in factories at the age of 17 as piece-worker on a metal lathe. He later spent 15 years at Harley-Davidson where he led the Twin Cam 88 engine project and became vice president of manufacturing excellence, responsible for both engine manufacturing and improvement across the company.  He was also senior vice president of operations for a multinational corporation, responsible for 5,000 people globally in manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, quality, and logistics. He works globally with a focus on knowledge, creative, and executive work.

He founded the consulting firm, ShiftGear Work Design, in 2007. 

Kieffer holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.