Continuous Improvement Specialist- Industrial Graduate Program

Ferrero•Louisville, KY

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

Ferrero North America is launching its Industrial Graduate Program (IGP), a career acceleration program designed to groom top new graduate talent into future leaders within food manufacturing. The IGP offers a comprehensive 4-year journey, including mentorship, technical training, and a supplementary curriculum to support development. This program embodies Ferrero's 'Learning by Doing' spirit, introducing new graduates to the industrial setting, teaching them the 'Ferrero Way,' and exploring industrial career paths. The first two years will be in the home location, followed by a two-plant rotation within Ferrero North America for the third and fourth years to broaden experience. Ferrero Louisville, home to brands like Little Brownie Bakers®, Keebler Cookies®, and Famous Amos®, is seeking a Continuous Improvement Specialist to join the Production team. This role is crucial in transforming processes and driving operational efficiency in food manufacturing, offering hands-on challenges, creative problem-solving opportunities, and the chance to make a tangible impact on bakery success.

Requirements

Graduated (Bachelors or Masters) within 1 year (12 months) of application
Must be open to relocation.
Ambition to work in a fast paced, manufacturing environment.
Highly proficient with use of Microsoft Office.
Skilled in building rapport and interpersonal communication.

Nice To Haves

Preference to those with degrees in: Industrial Engineering, Business Operations Management, or related field
Familiarity with improvement methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma an asset

Responsibilities

Collaborate closely with Production and other cross-functional teams to develop and implement innovative solutions.
Analyze current processes and identify areas for improvement within the bakery operations.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives, utilizing tools and methodologies to achieve measurable results.
Foster a culture of collaboration and engagement among team members.
Monitor progress and assess the effectiveness of implemented changes.
Promote a culture of continuous improvement by collaborating with Production Unit managers and Department managers to gather and implement improvement ideas and projects, ensuring expected results.
Standardize the dissemination of continuous improvement practices and align with Group and Plant strategies across Production units and departments.
Facilitate and recognize continuous improvement across plant functions, fostering collaboration locally and with the Professional Family.
Define and standardize work processes to enhance efficiency.
Measure and share the efficacy of continuous improvement initiatives in Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Motivation and Environment (SQCDME), enabling a continuous feedback loop.
Collect and promote improvement initiatives from plant resources and identify new opportunities for continuous improvement.
Assist Continuous Improvement Manager in analyzing potential benefits of new improvement ideas and identifying improvement areas in plant processes.
Provide support for root cause analysis and solution identification using specific techniques and tools.
Verify the sustainability of results from Ferrero Operational Excellence (FOX) initiatives and standardize outcomes at the local level, formalizing procedures as needed.
Evaluate and promote the application of FOX initiatives, involving relevant functions.
Support the implementation of Smart Factory applications and manage related continuous improvement efforts, including data review and app configuration using Power BI.