Continuous Improvement Manager - CI Manager

Echo Lake Foods, Inc. • Burlington, WI

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

Echo Lake Foods is seeking a Continuous Improvement (CI) Manager to be an integral part of their manufacturing and functional areas. This role, reporting to the Senior Director Business Enablement, will focus on creating, supporting, and assisting improvement efforts tied to the company’s critical business processes. The primary focus will be on improving the manufacturing site by analyzing processes, diagnosing operational challenges, and implementing process and system changes to drive continuous improvement and breakthrough performance. The operating model aims to positively impact results and culture by establishing standards, institutionalizing daily management processes, adopting consistent problem-solving methods, and learning by doing. As part of the CI program of Lean Management, the candidate will build an action plan to implement tools, identify opportunities, and launch processes at the site level. This role will also develop kaizen and project funnel prioritizations for the assigned site and contribute to defining the lean culture and change management programs. The candidate will drive the implementation of CI, including daily management, metrics, and problem-solving, working with the site to address KPIs and align with core value drivers. This includes implementing lean tools and training programs to enable action planning and driving the implementation of a lean certification program to ensure recognized standards for lean principles and practices, serve as a benchmark, and ensure a common roadmap for continuous improvement and workforce development. The position will be based in or near Burlington, WI; Franksville, WI; Huntington, IN; or Owensboro, KY.

Requirements

• Prior experience with deploying lean methods in operations and functions.
• Experience leading and developing training, processes and systems using kaizens, A3 Problem solving, X Matrix, daily management and lean toolsets.
• Ability to create, lead, manage, and coordinate multiple kaizens and projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work both as a member of a team, a team leader or as a Kaizen event leader.
• Very customer focused with a strong ability to influence and communicate effectively at all levels of the organization from senior site management to hourly employees.
• Active, aggressive, externally focused and future-oriented.
• Independent worker, capable of operating in a fast-moving, ever-changing environment and able to effectively deal with difficult situations.
• Possess strong functional experience and commercial business acumen.
• Excellent training, consulting and change management skills.
• Keen listener, open-minded, and have strong interpersonal skills and the intellectual horsepower to establish deep client relationships all levels.
• Quick study, who can rapidly adapt to Echo Lake Foods’s culture and gain the confidence of the organization.
• Visibly demonstrates a sense of urgency and strong personal ownership to business performance.
• Hands-on and detail-oriented but also able to see the big picture.
• Great interpersonal skills, ability to build effective relationships, collaborate productively with others and drive teams to successful outcomes.
• 7+ years of relevant business experience.
• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a related discipline.
• Manufacturing sector with directly related experience in a business-to-business environment.
• High degree of proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Power BI, ERP System(s).

Nice To Haves

• MBA is a plus.
• Lead and participated in developing and managing KPIs preferred.
• Green Belt or higher certification preferred.
• Project Management (PMP) certification preferred.
• Food manufacturing experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Assist site leadership in the development of a CI Roadmap.
• Lead, facilitate and co-facilitate targeted, kaizen events, improvement workshops and projects tied to the Strategic Plan and Key Performance Indicators (KPI).
• Ensure successful kaizen events by installing and ensuring compliance to the kaizen process (planning, execution, and sustainment).
• Work closely with cross functional teams to proactively identify gaps and systematic opportunity for improvement (OFI) for the assigned plants and drive them to completion.
• Partner with all functions at the site to identify and create world class processes, define process capabilities, assess gaps, and develop gap closure plans.
• Train and lead effective problem-solving methods from plant leadership to line associates.
• Build and Deliver breakthrough levels of improvement in process capability, reengineer business processes to reduce cost and increase productivity, and attain world-class levels of quality.
• Define and implement process improvements on key initiatives that result in significant improvements in service delivery and increasing organizational effectiveness.
• Mentor, influence and develop potential lean practitioner candidates through their Kaizen events and projects.
• Engage the plant teams in setting specific goals around Lean initiatives, including working with leadership to drive lean daily management in key areas of Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and Productivity.
• Facilitate, train, and coach team members in the use of the Business System tools (Lean Six Sigma tools).
• Identify and share best practices across the organization; incorporate benchmarks and best practices from other Echo Lake Foods locations.
• Partner with Finance to incorporate kaizen and project savings into long-range financial plans and operating budgets.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Free Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Company contributes 3% of your base pay in company Stock — regardless of your contribution

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior