Lean Transformation Leader - Manufacturing Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Why this role exists

You will champion a plant-wide pursuit of excellence across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Productivity, and People. As our equipment, automation, and data capabilities advance, you’ll connect teams, codify best practices, and scale a robust Lean Management System so our facilities deliver consistent, high-quality output.

A day in the life

Your morning begins on the floor—observing flow, checking OEE dashboards, and confirming that 5S, Standard Work, and Daily Management routines are creating stability. You huddle with operations to align on an A3 you’re leading, then shift to coach supervisors on PEPS methodology. By mid-day, you’re reviewing the CI portfolio, ensuring the budget is returning the savings you committed. In the afternoon, you prepare a monthly readiness presentation for group leaders and CI leadership, highlighting progress, gaps, and the next Kaizen priorities. You close the day partnering with quality engineering on a molded fiber scrap-reduction initiative and updating layered audit findings.

What you will own

• Steward the CI budget and deliver hard savings through well-scoped Lean and Six Sigma projects.
• Present weekly/monthly updates to group leaders and CI leadership on site capability and readiness.
• Drive measurable gains in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Productivity, and People development.
• Execute CI initiatives using a full toolbox (e.g., Kaizen, A3, 5 Why, SMED, VSM, PDCA) to reduce waste and improve throughput.
• Build and maintain a facility CI strategy—project charters, schedules, and budgets—to enhance current processes.
• Institutionalize Lean practices including 5S, Standard Work, Daily Management, Layered Audits, and Business Plan deployment.
• Provide quality engineering support during in-process and final acceptance stages of projects; oversee data gathering, analytics, and research for quality initiatives.
• Offer technical operations support for molded fiber manufacturing challenges; lead targeted improvements focused on scrap reduction.
• Co-create OEE and Quality improvement plans with operations; serve as the central conduit for performance information and insights.
• Diagnose weak systems; strengthen them via written procedures, training, and compliance monitoring.
• Oversee training at all levels in PEPS methodology; assess leadership training needs and help design and deploy solutions.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Your background

• 3–5 years in lean and quality within complex manufacturing; dedicated CI experience preferred.
• Strong command of statistical methods and process improvement techniques; superior math and statistical capability.
• Supervisory or management experience preferred.
• Hands-on experience with Six Sigma, Lean, automation, and SAP strongly preferred.
• Proven project management ability—comfortable running multiple initiatives with cross-functional teams.
• Microsoft Office proficiency with advanced Excel skills.
• Safety-first mindset in every situation.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to Business, Engineering, or the Packaging industry.

Core proficiencies

• Continuous Improvement
• 5 Why (root cause analysis)
• Kaizen
• Six Sigma experience

Scaling our Lean Management System

As automation and optimization opportunities grow, you will connect sites, transfer knowledge, and leverage best practices so our Lean Management System continues to mature across the manufacturing network.