Lean Excellence Manager

International Paper•Memphis, TN

5h•Onsite

About The Position

The Lean Excellence Manager helps build and sustain Lean practices at an International Paper manufacturing facility, strengthening how teams manage performance, solve problems, and continuously improve their work. This individual contributor works closely with plant leadership, supervisors, and operators to establish daily management practices, address operating issues, and build continuous improvement capability. The role relies on building trust, influencing others without formal authority, using facts to challenge existing thinking, and turning commitments into action. Each manager is based at a specific plant, with opportunities available at various International Paper plants throughout the United States. The position includes structured onboarding and development to build familiarity with International Paper’s Lean operating system, deployment approach, and continuous improvement tools. Managers also contribute to the expansion of the Lean system across the company while developing their own Lean and change leadership capabilities.

Requirements

Minimum of 2 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally in operations, engineering, process improvement, or another plant-based role.
Experience identifying problems, taking action, and contributing to improved performance.
Demonstrated ability to build relationships and influence others without formal authority.
Strong follow-through and persistence in seeing problems and commitments through resolution.
Ability to use data and facts to understand issues and make recommendations.
Self-directed, action-oriented approach to work.
Ability to communicate and work effectively with operators, supervisors, and plant leaders.
Willingness to work 100% in a manufacturing environment and spend significant time on the plant floor.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, operations management, or a related field.
Experience with continuous improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, or structured problem solving.
Experience applying Lean tools such as Kaizen, 5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, SMED, or Value Stream Mapping.
Experience in corrugated manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Establish and sustain daily management practices, including tiered meetings, Gemba, visual management, and effective shift-to-shift communication.
Spend significant time on the plant floor working with teams to understand performance, identify problems, and turn priorities into action.
Use data and structured problem solving to identify root causes, address operating issues, and improve speed-to-fix.
Drive follow-through on open actions and commitments so improvements are sustained.
Coach and support teams as they build stronger problem-solving and continuous improvement capability.
Apply and continue developing knowledge of Lean tools and methodologies, including 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, Visual Management, SMED, and Value Stream Mapping.
Partner with the Plant Manager and Lean Excellence leadership to support Lean deployment and drive measurable improvement across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement.
Capture and share effective practices and learnings as the Lean system expands across International Paper.