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International Paper

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Project Manager of Lean Excellence

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Position Title:

Project Manager of Lean Excellence

Pay Rate:

$137,400 - $185,000

Multiple factors, including Individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range.

Category/Shift:

Salaried Full-Time

Physical Location:

Remote

or

6400 Poplar Avenue

Memphis, TN

The Job You Will Perform:

The Project Manager of Lean Excellence will propagate scalable operational improvement across the Containerboard business through lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and disciplined execution. The Lean Leader will serve as a hands-on change agent, partnering with mill teams to deploy lean tools and methodologies, lead Kaizen events, and embed standard work and problem-solving capabilities into daily operations.

The ideal candidate will have significant and relevant direct manufacturing experience using and leading continuous improvement tools, systems, and methodologies. The candidate must be a proven shop floor leader who is comfortable influencing others, coaching teams, and delivering measurable gains in safety, quality, delivery and cost.

Key Responsibilities

  • Implement lean tools such as 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, Visual Management, SMED and Value Stream Mapping

  • Drive waste elimination, process flow optimization, and variation reduction

  • Facilitate structured problem solving using A3, DMAIC, 5-Why, RCFA, and similar methodologies

  • Deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost

Process Optimization & Execution

  • Use data to identify gaps in performance versus best practices and work with the mill team to execute an improvement plan

  • Document best practices and share improvements to leverage results

  • Understand and apply financial drivers and key performance indicators

Culture & Capability Building

  • Assist with implementing and managing systems that will sustain improvement efforts

  • Lead and coach CI events / kaizen through hands-on participation

  • Assist with developing and effectively delivering training materials in multiple formats to ensure team members throughout the organization are trained in CI concepts and philosophy

  • Evaluate and drive opportunities for appropriate CI and lean tool applications

  • Provide support, assistance, and communication to the mill leadership teams regarding CI initiatives

This position will require 75-90% travel

The Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge You Will Bring:

  • Bachelor's degree preferred in business, engineering, operations management, or related field

  • Minimum 5 years of manufacturing experience with proven change leadership skills

  • Demonstrated success utilizing and deploying lean tools

  • Strong analytical, facilitation, coaching and change leadership skills

  • Ability to influence without formal authority across multiple functions

  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office

See also

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