Continuous Improvement Manager

Fresh Del Monte Produce Company•Town of Stockton, WI

72d•Onsite

About The Position

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. is a global leader in the production, distribution, and marketing of fresh, value-added, and shelf-stable fruits and vegetables under its Fresh and Foods divisions. The company has a diverse product portfolio bearing the Del Monte® brand, including prepared fruits and vegetables, juices, beverages, snacks, and desserts, available in over 80 countries. With operations in more than 35 countries, Del Monte has been nourishing families for over 135 years. Del Monte Foods, the Foods Division of Fresh Del Monte, is seeking a Continuous Improvement Manager for its Plover facility. This role is responsible for leading and coordinating lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives to drive operational excellence. The manager will implement lean manufacturing tools, waste reduction strategies, and productivity improvements, while also focusing on employee development. The position requires close collaboration with plant leadership and various functional teams to enhance safety, quality, service, reliability, and cost performance. The goal is to foster a strong culture of continuous improvement and achieve measurable gains in OEE, downtime reduction, throughput, labor efficiency, and overall plant performance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Management, Operations Management, Business, or a related field.
Equivalent combinations of education, military experience, engineering experience, manufacturing leadership, operations leadership, maintenance leadership, project management, or continuous improvement experience may be considered in place of formal education requirements.
Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles, continuous improvement systems, and waste reduction methodologies.
Understanding of manufacturing operations, production systems, equipment reliability, and process flow.
Knowledge of autonomous maintenance, visual management, and standard work development.
Experience leading cross-functional projects in manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, quality, or operations.
Experience with change management, employee engagement, and leadership coaching.
Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving ability.
Ability to interpret operational data, identify trends, and develop practical solutions.
Effective communication skills with the ability to influence employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.
Strong presentation, facilitation, and employee training skills.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Strong organizational and time management skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio, and Project.
Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Ability to spend extended time on the production floor, including standing, walking, climbing stairs, and observing operations.
Willingness to travel occasionally to support training, benchmarking, or company initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Lean certification, Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or similar certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead implementation and sustainment of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the Plover facility.
Drive plant-wide efforts focused on safety, quality, productivity, waste reduction, labor efficiency, downtime reduction, and cost savings.
Facilitate Kaizen events, improvement workshops, and cross-functional problem-solving activities to improve operational performance.
Support development and implementation of lean tools including 5S, Standard Work, Visual Controls, Root Cause Analysis, Value Stream Mapping, Pull Systems, SMED, TPM, and Autonomous Maintenance.
Develop standard operating procedures, work instructions, visual management tools, and best practices to support sustainable improvements.
Coordinate continuous improvement projects from concept through implementation and follow-up.
Monitor progress of improvement projects and provide regular updates to plant leadership regarding results, barriers, and next steps.
Facilitate best practice sharing across departments and help standardize successful processes throughout the facility.
Support new equipment installations, line changes, plant layout changes, and capital projects by incorporating lean principles into project planning and execution.
Serve as a key resource for change management initiatives and help employees understand the purpose, expectations, and benefits of improvement efforts.
Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Safety, Warehouse, and HR teams to identify process gaps and improvement opportunities.
Develop, track, and communicate key performance indicators related to OEE, downtime, throughput, labor utilization, waste, scrap, and cost savings.
Analyze plant performance data to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for sustainable improvement.
Assist plant leadership in prioritizing projects and aligning improvement efforts with plant and company goals.
Participate as a member of the plant leadership team and provide support for operational issues, project planning, and long-term strategy development.
Maintain visibility on the production floor to observe operations, identify opportunities, coach employees, and reinforce continuous improvement behaviors.
Support additional plant projects, business initiatives, and operational priorities as assigned.
Provide training, coaching, and development to supervisors, engineers, maintenance employees, and hourly employees on lean principles, continuous improvement tools, and problem-solving methods.
Build continuous improvement capability within the plant by helping leaders and employees understand and apply lean concepts in their daily work.
Support employee engagement by encouraging ownership, accountability, and involvement in improvement activities.
Reinforce plant-wide understanding of continuous improvement expectations, standard work, and operational discipline.
Manage product hold, disposition, corrective action, root cause investigation, and complaint resolution processes.