Senior Manager, Waste Management

Danone•Louisville, CO

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Waste Elimination is responsible for accelerating the reduction of raw material losses and finished goods losses (FGL) across Danone's U.S. manufacturing network. Reporting to the Director, Positive Impact Operations, this role acts as a trusted partner to Plant Managers, Operations Leaders, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain teams to drive sustainable waste reduction and yield improvement. The role will achieve results through strong influencing, coaching, facilitation, and change leadership capabilities. This position requires a highly visible presence within manufacturing sites, working closely with leadership teams to identify opportunities, challenge performance gaps, facilitate problem solving, and drive accountability for results. Success will depend on the ability to influence without authority, build strong partnerships, and embed a culture of waste elimination across the network.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Food Science, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or related field required.
8+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, continuous improvement, operational excellence, engineering, quality, or supply chain environments.
Demonstrated success driving waste reduction, yield improvement, loss elimination, or manufacturing performance improvement initiatives.
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and operational performance drivers.
Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
Proven ability to facilitate root cause analysis, structured problem solving, and change management efforts.
Strong analytical, financial, and business acumen.
Exceptional influencing and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to drive action and accountability without direct authority.
Strong coaching and capability-building mindset.
Credibility with plant leadership and frontline operational teams.
Skilled facilitator of cross-functional collaboration and problem-solving.
Strong change management and organizational effectiveness capabilities.
Data-driven decision maker with strong analytical thinking.
Effective communicator capable of engaging both shop-floor teams and senior leadership.
Results-oriented with a bias for action and execution.
Passion for continuous improvement, operational excellence, and sustainability.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree preferred.
Lean Six Sigma certification preferred.
Experience working within FMCG, Food & Beverage, Consumer Products, or other process manufacturing environments preferred.

Responsibilities

Drive Raw Material Loss Reduction Across the Network: Partner with site leadership teams to improve raw material utilization and reduce losses throughout the manufacturing process. Influence and coach plant teams to identify, quantify, and prioritize material loss reduction opportunities. Facilitate structured problem-solving activities to address recurring loss drivers and improve process performance. Support the development and execution of site-level waste reduction roadmaps aligned with network objectives. Promote adoption of standardized methodologies, tools, and performance management routines related to material loss reduction. Share best practices across sites to accelerate learning and replication of successful initiatives. Monitor progress against targets and challenge barriers to execution through regular performance reviews.
Accelerate Finished Goods Loss (FGL) Reduction: Partner with manufacturing leadership teams to reduce finished goods losses caused by process variation, quality defects, startup losses, packaging issues, and operational inefficiencies. Drive cross-functional alignment around FGL reduction priorities and improvement plans. Facilitate root cause analysis and corrective action reviews following significant loss events. Ensure successful practices are standardized and replicated across the manufacturing network. Track and communicate performance trends, risks, and opportunities to key stakeholders.
Lead Waste Elimination Performance Management: Establish effective governance routines that create visibility and accountability for waste reduction performance. Support the development of site-level targets, action plans, and performance scorecards. Facilitate regular reviews with plant leadership teams to assess progress and remove obstacles. Analyze network performance data to identify trends, prioritize opportunities, and support decision-making. Ensure waste reduction initiatives deliver measurable operational, financial, and sustainability benefits.
Build Capability and Drive Sustainable Change: Coach and develop site leaders and operational teams on waste elimination methodologies and continuous improvement principles. Foster ownership and accountability for waste reduction at all levels of the organization. Support development of practical tools, standards, and best practices that strengthen waste management capabilities. Lead workshops, kaizen events, and cross-functional forums to accelerate organizational learning. Act as a change agent, helping sites embed sustainable behaviors and disciplines that deliver lasting results.
Network Collaboration and Best Practice Deployment: Serve as a key connector across manufacturing sites to facilitate knowledge sharing and performance improvement. Partner closely with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Finance teams. Identify opportunities for network-wide standardization and replication of successful approaches. Support the Director, Positive Impact Operations in advancing the broader waste elimination and sustainability agenda. Provide regular updates on performance, key risks, major opportunities, and progress against objectives.