Continuous Improvement Manager

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Continuous Improvement Leadership

· Proactively identify improvement opportunities and independently move from observation to analysis, recommendation, and execution.

· Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, service, cost, productivity, and customer experience.

· Facilitate Lean, Kaizen, A3, value stream mapping, and structured problem-solving activities.

· Coach leaders and frontline teams on continuous improvement principles, standard work, and daily accountability.

Sustainable Process Development and Implementation

· Design and implement standardized processes that are practical, documented, trainable, measurable, and sustainable over time.

· Build process controls, ownership, KPIs, audit routines, training materials, and escalation paths to prevent regression after implementation.

· Validate that improvement solutions are adopted by the business and conduct post-implementation reviews to confirm effectiveness and sustainment.

· Develop SOPs, workflows, visual controls, checklists, and governance mechanisms that support consistent execution across locations and functions.

Operational Excellence

· Analyze warehouse, transportation, inventory, customer service, procurement, and food distribution processes to identify waste, constraints, and risk.

· Lead workflow redesign, labor productivity, network optimization, facility readiness, automation, and process standardization initiatives.

· Conduct observations and time studies, translate findings into actionable improvements, and support implementation with operational teams.

· Balance service, compliance, food safety, cost, and efficiency when evaluating process changes.

Data Analytics and Performance Management

· Develop and monitor KPIs, scorecards, dashboards, and management routines that create visibility and accountability.

· Use data to identify trends, quantify root causes, prioritize opportunities, and measure realized benefits.

· Prepare business cases and operational or financial analyses that define expected impact, required resources, and return on investment.

· Present concise findings, risks, recommendations, and results to operational and executive leadership.

Project and Change Management

· Execute against a Continuous Improvement Roadmap (CIR)

· Lead cross-functional projects from charter and current-state assessment through implementation, stabilization, and closeout.

· Develop project plans, milestones, risk registers, stakeholder maps, communication plans, and benefit-tracking methods.

· Manage multiple initiatives simultaneously while maintaining clear ownership, timely follow-through, and high-quality deliverables.

· Engage affected employees early, address resistance, and ensure changes are understood, adopted, and incorporated into standard work.

Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action

· Lead investigations into service failures, inventory variances, customer complaints, audit findings, compliance issues, and operational disruptions.

· Apply methods such as 5 Whys, fishbone analysis, Pareto analysis, process mapping, FMEA, CAPA, and A3 problem solving.

· Differentiate containment, corrective action, and preventive action; assign ownership and verify effectiveness before closure.

· Ensure root causes and corrective actions are supported by evidence and translated into sustainable process controls.

Technology and Systems Improvement

· Partner with IT and business stakeholders to improve workflows involving Microsoft Dynamics 365, WMS, Power BI, EDI, and related business systems.

· Translate operational requirements into clear process and system requirements, test cases, controls, and implementation plans.

· Identify appropriate opportunities for automation, digital workflows, reporting improvements, and error-proofing.

Compliance, Quality, and Food Supply Chain

· Support processes that meet company, customer, regulatory, food safety, inventory control, traceability, and quality requirements.

· Incorporate food supply chain risks, including product integrity, lot and batch control, temperature requirements, sanitation, and service continuity, into improvement work as applicable.

· Support audits, corrective action programs, process governance, and documentation readiness.

· Partner with warehouse, transportation, quality, inventory, customer service, and commercial teams to improve end-to-end execution.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

· Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, Logistics, or a related field.

· Five or more years of progressive experience in continuous improvement, operational excellence, supply chain, logistics, manufacturing, or distribution operations.

· Demonstrated experience independently identifying opportunities and leading cross-functional improvements from concept through sustained implementation.

· Experience developing standard work, SOPs, process controls, KPIs, and governance routines.

· Strong analytical, facilitation, project management, communication, and change leadership skills.

· Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience with data visualization or business intelligence tools.

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience in the food supply chain, food distribution, food-grade warehousing, temperature-controlled logistics, or consumer packaged goods.

· Experience in third-party logistics, multi-site distribution, warehouse operations, or transportation management.

· Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

· Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent project management training.

· Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365, warehouse management systems, transportation management systems, Power BI, EDI, or process automation.

· Master's degree or an ASCM/APICS certification.

Physical and Travel Requirements

· Ability to travel up to 25%, based on business needs.

· Ability to walk operational areas, observe work processes, and work in office, warehouse, refrigerated, and industrial environments as required.

· Ability to use a computer and standard office equipment for extended periods.

Benefits

salary of $86,000–$106,000