Manager Continuous Improvement - Focused Improvement Certification & Methodology

CONAGRA • Council Bluffs, IA

12h • Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the Sr Director Continuous Improvement, you will serve as the enterprise owner of Conagra’s Focused Improvement (FI) system and guide methodology, certification standards, and practitioner capability to ensure consistency, rigor, and scalable value creation across the manufacturing network.
A Taste of Your Responsibilities
Govern Conagra’s FI methodology and ensure alignment with enterprise objectives.
Set standards for FI tools and approaches including Unified Problem Solving, Lean, DMAIC, SPC, and DOE.
Design, maintain, and govern the enterprise FI certification framework.
Establish certification criteria and serve as the final authority on certification decisions.
Develop FI training strategy, playbooks, toolkits, and supporting materials.
Coach FI practitioners and leaders to strengthen enterprise capability.
Assess FI work for rigor, quality, and sustainability; lead corrective actions when needed.
Track metrics related to FI adoption, certification health, and system impact.
Partner with Manufacturing Excellence pillars to ensure alignment and integration of FI practices.
Present FI standards, certification outcomes, and insights to senior leadership.
Promote disciplined problem‑solving and support a strong FI culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of experience in Industrial Engineering, Continuous Improvement, or manufacturing optimization.
• 4+ years of leadership experience within a manufacturing or enterprise environment.
• Expertise in FI tools and methodologies including Lean, Six Sigma, Unified Problem Solving, and DMAIC.
• Experience designing, teaching, or governing Continuous Improvement methodologies at scale.
• Demonstrated experience influencing and leading without direct authority in a matrixed environment.
• Strong executive communication skills, including presenting to senior leadership.
• Solid financial acumen connecting methodological rigor to business outcomes.
• Experience assessing and coaching Continuous Improvement practitioners.

Responsibilities

• Govern Conagra’s FI methodology and ensure alignment with enterprise objectives.
• Set standards for FI tools and approaches including Unified Problem Solving, Lean, DMAIC, SPC, and DOE.
• Design, maintain, and govern the enterprise FI certification framework.
• Establish certification criteria and serve as the final authority on certification decisions.
• Develop FI training strategy, playbooks, toolkits, and supporting materials.
• Coach FI practitioners and leaders to strengthen enterprise capability.
• Assess FI work for rigor, quality, and sustainability; lead corrective actions when needed.
• Track metrics related to FI adoption, certification health, and system impact.
• Partner with Manufacturing Excellence pillars to ensure alignment and integration of FI practices.
• Present FI standards, certification outcomes, and insights to senior leadership.
• Promote disciplined problem‑solving and support a strong FI culture.

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: Manager