Continuous Improvement Manager - Protein

Position Title: Continuous Improvement Manager
Department: Operations / Continuous Improvement
Reports To: Plant Manager or Director of Operations
FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Summary

The Continuous Improvement Manager leads, coordinates, and implements process improvement initiatives across the plant to drive operational excellence, reduce costs, improve yields, enhance throughput, and strengthen safety and quality performance. This role partners closely with production, maintenance, engineering, safety, and quality teams to advance Lean, Six Sigma, and problem-solving methodologies within a meat processing environment (beef, pork, or poultry).

Key Responsibilities

CI Strategy & Program Leadership

• Develop and execute the plant's continuous improvement roadmap aligned with corporate goals.

• Lead Lean/Six Sigma projects to improve productivity, reduce waste, optimize line performance, and enhance product quality.

• Facilitate Kaizen events, root-cause analyses, value stream mapping, SMED (changeover reduction), and 5S initiatives.

• Monitor, measure, and report project outcomes, ROI, and KPI performance to plant leadership.

Operational Excellence

• Analyze production data to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, rework causes, and yield loss.

• Partner with production managers and supervisors to implement sustainable process and workflow improvements.

• Standardize work instructions, SOPs, and visual management tools across production areas.

• Support automation and technology adoption to improve efficiency and labor utilization.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Maintenance, and Safety teams to ensure improvements meet regulatory, customer, and internal standards.

• Coordinate with engineering and maintenance to prioritize projects impacting equipment performance and downtime reduction.

• Collaborate with corporate CI resources to align methods and share best practices.

Training & Culture Development

• Provide training and coaching to supervisors, leads, and hourly team members on Lean principles and problem-solving tools.

• Build a culture of continuous improvement through employee engagement, idea systems, and empowerment.

• Lead or support plant-wide initiatives to reduce injuries, improve ergonomics, and enhance operational discipline.

Compliance & Safety

• Ensure that all CI projects comply with USDA regulations, HACCP, SSOPs, GMPs, and customer specifications.

• Champion a safety-first mindset when designing workflow improvements or equipment changes.

• Participate in incident investigations and support corrective/preventive actions (CAPAs).

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Animal/Meat Science, Industrial Technology, or related field preferred.

• 5+ years of experience in food manufacturing, preferably in the meat industry (harvest or fabrication operations a plus).

• Proven track record leading Lean, Six Sigma, or structured improvement initiatives; Green Belt required, Black Belt preferred.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of Lean manufacturing tools: 5S, Kaizen, VSM, SMED, SPC, Poka-Yoke, standard work, etc.

• Experience with yield analysis, throughput optimization, labor efficiency metrics, and capacity modeling.

• Proficiency with data analysis tools (Excel, Power BI, Minitab, or similar).

• Working knowledge of USDA regulations, food safety systems, HACCP, and industry GMPs.