Continuous Improvement Leader, Business Processes (SAP)

Perfetti Van Melle•Erlanger, KY

About The Position

Perfetti Van Melle is seeking a Continuous Improvement Leader, Business Processes to lead stabilization, adoption, and continuous improvement across its USA organization following a global SAP S/4HANA business transformation. This is a cross-functional business role, not an IT role. The leader will build and energize a local network of subject matter experts (SMEs) and Key Users, align improvement priorities with local leadership, and improve performance both within the system and across the wider business. Success is measured by business results and process health, rather than activity or ticket counts. The role partners with local leadership, HR, Global Business Process, and IT teams to sustain process adoption, build capability, address process gaps, coordinate improvements, and share practices across regions. It uses process metrics and tools such as Signavio, along with structured problem-solving methods including Lean and Kaizen, to identify priorities and demonstrate value.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in operations, supply chain, or business process roles.
At least 5 years leading continuous improvement initiatives such as Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma, or equivalent in a business or operations setting.
At least 3 years working in SAP ECC or S/4HANA as a process owner, Key User, or process lead; S/4HANA is preferred.
Process knowledge in at least one of Supply Chain, Warehousing, Finance, or Order to Cash.
At least 2 years leading teams or cross-functional networks, including Key User or SME communities, and closing capability gaps through training.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Experience using process metrics or process mining tools such as Signavio or similar to set priorities and prove value.
Experience driving adoption and change beyond the system, such as SOPs, ways of working, and KPI management.
Strong stakeholder management across business, process, and IT teams, including at the executive level.
Ability to motivate and build ownership among people who take on improvement work in addition to their regular jobs.
Analytical and pragmatic approach, with the ability to turn unclear requests into well-defined priorities and select an appropriate fix, such as training, data, process, policy, automation, or a system change.
Clear and credible communication skills, with a focus on outcomes and seeing priorities through to adoption.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a global single-instance environment with change governance.
Experience with SAP S/4HANA.

Responsibilities

Build and lead the local Key User and SME community across functional areas, with primary, backup, and successor coverage.
Partner with leadership and HR to protect SME capacity, identify overload and retention risks, and ensure SME contributions are recognized in objectives and performance reviews.
Use Signavio and other data sources to monitor process performance and adherence, quantify where local execution deviates from standard end-to-end processes, and correct those deviations.
Agree on improvement priorities with local management based on data, and manage them against process health KPIs and business outcomes.
Drive improvements beyond the system, including policies, ways of working, handoffs, SOPs, quick reference guides, KPI and performance reviews, knowledge management, role design, and organizational structure.
Embed PVM good practices and close adoption gaps using Lean, Kaizen, and other structured problem-solving methods.
Partner with Global Business Process and IT teams to increase automation, coordinate priority improvements, and propose template enhancements through appropriate governance.
Bring proven improvements from Europe and other regions into the organization, and share North America learnings with the global team.
Identify capability gaps and address them through Key User onboarding, training, SOPs, and accessible materials, working with HR.
Run monthly leadership governance on priorities, capacity, dependencies, benefits, and adoption, escalating to the executive committee when needed.

Benefits

PTO package including vacation, wellness, personal, and pay it forward time off.
13 paid holidays.
401(k) with company match up to 8%.
Annual bonus potential and merit-based increases.
Comprehensive health insurance.
Annual well-being subsidy.
20 weeks of maternity leave and 12 weeks of paternity leave options.
Annual Sam's Club or Costco membership reimbursement.
Tuition-free college program or free continued education, including bachelor's and master's degrees.
Monthly candy allotment.