Continuous Improvement Manager

The Colorado Floor Company•Cedar Rapids, IA

About The Position

The Continuous Improvement (CI) Manager drives operational excellence across the manufacturing plant through Lean, Six Sigma, and standardized work methodologies. Reporting to the Plant Manager, the role focuses on reducing waste, improving equipment performance, optimizing labor efficiency, and strengthening safety and quality results. The CI Manager partners with Plant Operations, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and HR to establish stable, repeatable, and continuously improving processes. The position calls for strong shop-floor presence, an understanding of production flow and equipment constraints, and the ability to turn Lean tools into practical solutions for frontline teams. The role leads the plant’s CI strategy and initiatives, aligns projects with operational KPIs, and promotes disciplined, data-driven problem solving. It identifies and addresses bottlenecks, downtime, defects, labor imbalance, and other performance gaps; supports equipment reliability, automation, and ergonomic improvements; and trains and mentors employees in CI methods. The manager also tracks project outcomes, supports change adoption, and builds a culture in which employees are engaged in ongoing improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, Industrial Technology, Manufacturing, or a related field.
5–10 years of CI, Lean, or Operations experience in a manufacturing environment.
Demonstrated success leading plant-level Lean/CI initiatives with measurable results.
Strong understanding of Lean manufacturing principles.
Knowledge of statistical analysis and root-cause problem solving.
Knowledge of standard work and process control.
Experience with ERP and MES systems.
Proficiency with data analysis and visualization tools such as Excel, Power BI, and Minitab.
Strong shop-floor leadership presence and ability to motivate and influence without authority.
Excellent communication and facilitation skills across frontline employees, supervisors, engineers, and leadership.
Process-oriented approach, sense of urgency, and strong follow-through.

Nice To Haves

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt; Black Belt is strongly preferred.
Additional technical training in TPM, SMED, or Kaizen facilitation.
Certifications in change management, project management (PMP), or similar fields.

Responsibilities

Develop and deploy the Continuous Improvement strategy across the manufacturing plant.
Align CI initiatives with plant KPIs, including OEE, scrap, rework, throughput, changeover time, cost per unit, and labor utilization.
Champion Lean and Operational Excellence, modeling disciplined problem-solving and data-driven decision-making.
Partner with the Plant Manager and leadership team to prioritize high-impact projects that improve productivity, quality, and safety.
Conduct value stream mapping to identify bottlenecks, material-flow issues, and opportunities for improvement.
Lead Kaizen events to reduce scrap and defects, minimize downtime and changeover duration, improve equipment reliability, and optimize labor balance and standard work.
Implement 5S and visual management systems on production lines.
Analyze production data, identify performance gaps, and develop corrective action plans.
Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to support Total Productive Maintenance programs.
Identify downtime root causes using methods such as 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, and FMEA, and implement countermeasures.
Support automation, ergonomic improvements, and other technologies that increase line efficiency.
Train operators, leads, supervisors, and engineers in Lean tools, including 5S, standard work, Kanban, and problem-solving.
Mentor Green Belt and Yellow Belt project leaders and support their certification progress.
Work with HR and Operations leadership to integrate CI into onboarding, supervisor training, and ongoing plant development programs.
Define, measure, and report CI results, including OEE, scrap and material yield, cycle and lead times, labor productivity and utilization, and safety improvements.
Maintain a CI project portfolio, scorecard, and regular reporting cadence with plant leadership and corporate operations.
Lead change-management efforts to ensure new processes are adopted and sustained.
Coach supervisors and frontline leads to reinforce standard work and daily management practices.
Promote employee engagement and encourage operators to identify improvement ideas.