Continuous Improvement Leader

WestRock • Aurora, IL

394d

About The Position

The Continuous Improvement (CI) Leader at WestRock is responsible for fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the organization. This role acts as a change agent to enhance plant performance and achieve significant results through operational excellence and world-class manufacturing practices. The CI Leader collaborates with divisional and site leadership to align continuous improvement activities with business objectives, focusing on safety, quality, cost, service, and people. The position requires a strong leader capable of driving change in a fast-paced manufacturing environment using various continuous improvement methodologies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field preferred, but not required.
• Black or Green Belt certification (or achieved within the first year of employment).
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a manufacturing environment with progressive growth in responsibility.
• Experience with leading process improvement projects in a fast-paced environment utilizing team-centered analytical CI methodologies (lean, six sigma, etc.).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills from the shop floor to executive level.
• Ability to positively influence and persuade others.
• Financial acumen with the ability to create financial models for project selection and tracking.

Nice To Haves

• Paper and packaging experience is a plus.
• Experience supporting learning and training teams to ensure technical capabilities & a CI mindset is delivered to the floor.

Responsibilities

• Partner with divisional and site leaders to ensure CI priorities align with overall business strategy and goals.
• Leverage a zero-loss mindset to identify and prioritize areas of improvement.
• Deliver value by leading and supporting the execution of CI projects.
• Manage the pipeline of improvement projects, prioritizing and assigning resources.
• Build capability in others through coaching and mentoring project leaders and teams.
• Support the implementation of enterprise initiatives including Daily Management System, Problem-Solving Practices, and Reliability Excellence.
• Coordinate regular progress reviews of CI projects with Finance, project leaders, site, and divisional leadership.
• Track and report results including cost savings.
• Share best practices within and outside of the site.
• Support the enterprise L&D Framework, processes, and tools in partnership with the Operations, L&D team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Paper Manufacturing
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree