Continuous Improvement Manager (FI)

ConAgra Foods • Chicago, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

As part of the Industrial Engineering Center of Excellence, reporting to the Director of Continuous Improvement - Industrial Engineering (Focused Improvement), you will lead Focus Improvement initiatives to drive out loss across the network by identifying loss, guiding structured problem solving, and enabling collaboration across our manufacturing network. You will partner closely with plant teams and Manufacturing Excellence subject matter experts to drive cost reduction, efficiency, and scalable improvements while maintaining a strong on‑site presence at manufacturing facilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of Industrial Engineering or continuous improvement experience in a manufacturing or supply chain environment.
• 4+ years of experience leading teams, programs, or large‑scale initiatives within manufacturing.
• Experience driving Total Productive Maintenance‑based continuous improvement initiatives in a plant environment.
• Demonstrated success developing and delivering continuous improvement programs that generate measurable, scalable value.
• Experience influencing and leading cross‑functional teams without direct reporting relationships.
• Strong financial acumen, including development of project cost justifications and capital evaluations.
• Experience presenting complex information to large audiences, including senior leadership.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Power BI for analysis and visualization and other related systems.
• Hands‑on experience with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Unified Problem Solving, and Work Process Improvement tools.
• Experience with Value Stream Mapping, line balancing, Statistical Process Control, and Design of Experiments.
• Manufacturing plant experience leading and supporting continuous improvement across multiple loss areas.
• Willingness to travel 60% or more to manufacturing sites depending on projects and proximity to plant locations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support Focused Improvement initiatives aligned with network and enterprise objectives within the Industrial Engineering center of excellence.
• Partner with manufacturing sites to identify, prioritize, and eliminate chronic losses across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Analyze multi‑site manufacturing data to identify trends, loss opportunities, and improvement priorities across multiple facilities.
• Apply structured problem‑solving methodologies such as Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control; Statistical Process Control; and Design of Experiments to deliver sustainable improvements.
• Coach site leaders and cross‑functional teams in Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Unified Problem Solving, Work Process Improvement, Value Stream Mapping, loss trees, and root cause analysis.
• Develop financial justifications for optimization initiatives and capital projects, including return on investment and cost‑savings validation.
• Contribute to cross-site initiatives focused on line performance, throughput, labor utilization, and equipment effectiveness.
• Collaborate with other Manufacturing Excellence pillars to align scope, share best practices, and prevent duplication of effort.
• Support the development of enterprise toolkits, playbooks, and standardized processes that enable knowledge transfer across the network.
• Partner with senior Focused Improvement leadership to assess, prioritize, and justify network‑wide improvement and capital opportunities.
• Communicate progress, results, and insights to site leadership and senior management audiences.

Benefits

• Health: Comprehensive healthcare plans, wellness incentive program, mental wellbeing support and fitness reimbursement
• Wealth: Great pay, bonus incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan
• Growth: Career development opportunities, employee resource groups, on-demand learning and tuition reimbursement
• Balance: Paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role) and volunteer opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees