Manufacturing Excellence Manager

Unilever•Independence, MO

2d•$103,000 - $154,400

About The Position

This role exists to provide high-impact leadership with the opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing performance at the site level and beyond. You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet. Because here, we don’t just hire for jobs. We invite you to be part of something bigger. You will play a critical strategic leadership role in accelerating site performance by embedding a culture of continuous improvement, capability building, and operational rigor. This leader drives the end-to-end deployment of World Class Manufacturing (WCM) and MANEX methodologies, transforming how losses are identified, eliminated, and prevented while building a high-performing, future-ready manufacturing organization. You will lead the development and execution of a site-wide Manufacturing Excellence Master Plan, enabling sustainable improvements in key performance indicators such as OEE, Manufacturing Performance (MP), Output Reliability (OR), and Cost per Tonne (CPT). Acting as a trusted partner to Site Leadership, SU Directors, and global MANEX stakeholders, you will ensure alignment between strategy and execution while delivering measurable business impact. This role also leads the evolution of the site’s People Training Platform, ensuring training systems, governance, and capability-building processes are fully aligned with WCM standards and performance priorities—driving measurable improvements in workforce capability, certification, and operational readiness. Also, this role provides dotted-line oversight to Category Engineering, ensuring strong alignment between the factory, R&D, and the innovation teams and manufacturing excellence initiatives. All operational and technical capability development will transition under the leadership of the WCM pillar structure, ensuring standardized, scalable, and sustainable capability building.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred (Industrial Engineering or related field)
Minimum of 5 years in Supply Chain or Manufacturing Operations
Strong background in Continuous Improvement, Engineering, or Manufacturing Excellence
Demonstrated success leading performance transformation and delivering measurable results
Proven ability to drive sustainable performance improvement in complex manufacturing environments
Strong coaching, influencing, and stakeholder management skills
Data-driven decision-maker with strong problem-solving expertise
Ability to operate both strategically (long-term transformation) and tactically (day-to-day execution)

Nice To Haves

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (or equivalent)

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the site MANEX Master Plan aligned with business priorities and long-term transformation goals
Drive deployment of WCM methodologies, standards, and pillar maturity
Expand loss management across end-to-end operations, including manufacturing interfaces
Lead structured loss analysis to systematically reduce waste across safety, quality, delivery, and cost
Influence and improve key performance metrics, including OEE, MP, OR, and CPT
Ensure strong governance, tracking, and accountability for improvement initiatives
Build organizational capability by embedding WCM tools, problem-solving methodologies, and a continuous improvement mindset
Deliver coaching and structured development through WCM pillars (with all operational and technical training governed through WCM)
Lead site maturity assessments and close capability gaps to world-class benchmarks
Provide leadership oversight to the Training Supervisor, ensuring alignment of training delivery with WCM pillar standards and site priorities
Own and continuously improve the site training platform (e.g., LMS or digital learning systems) to ensure effective tracking, compliance, and capability progression
Establish a standardized training governance system, including skills matrices, certification processes, and capability roadmaps
Ensure training programs are tightly linked to loss elimination, performance improvement, and technical skill development
Drive adoption of modern learning methods (e.g., digital learning, on-the-job qualification, and structured certification pathways)
Partner with HR and global learning teams to align site capability development with enterprise frameworks
Lead and support implementation of key initiatives such as SMED, center-lining, and Kaizen events
Facilitate and ensure success of RVS/PG activities
Identify and deploy emerging CI tools, digital solutions, and best practices
Collaborate with Site Leadership, SU Directors, MANEX teams, Engineering, and global stakeholders
Provide dotted-line guidance and alignment to Category Engineering to ensure integration of engineering and operational excellence priorities
Share and implement best practices across sites and geographies