CI Manager at Hearthside USA in Woodridge, Illinois

Job Description:

Who We Are:

With over 11,000 employees at over 40 facilities across US & Europe, Hearthside Food Solutions is one of the fastest growing food companies and the industry's largest contract manufacturer. Our secret to success? Our people. We know an investment in our people is an investment in our company. We strive to understand our team members and support them however we can. By empowering employees through skill development and career advancement opportunities, we emphasize a culture of continuous improvement - both for the business and our people. We want team members that will support us in owning safety together - speaking up when they see a problem. When we focus on our people and safety, it ensures we all are driving better performance as well as on time delivery to our customers!

What We Want to Give You:

We offer a competitive wage and wide array of benefits including: • health/dental/vision insurance • flex spending accounts • short & long-term disability • paid holidays and vacation • bonus opportunities

Job Summary:
CI Manager is responsible for driving sustainable continuous improvements in the facility by delivering breakthrough results in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale. The CI Manager works closely with plant leadership and department employees to achieve results. This position requires strong technical Lean Manufacturing and hands-on leadership skills.

Job Duties:

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:
•Leads and facilitates Kaizen events to drive sustainable improvements
•Works closely with Plant CI teams and CI Champions to:

o Develop and execute improvement action plans

o Build an employee engaged work environment

o Develop tracking tools and measures to support CI initiatives

o Develops business case justification for projects and initiatives

o Leverage resources and share best practices across all facilities

o Provide and teach CI tools to CI and Non-CI employees
•Establishes and drives productivity pipeline roadmaps across departments and facility
•Tracks and analyzes the CI initiatives
•Building cultural change throughout the organization
•Work with customers, suppliers and all levels of management staff.
•Responsible for managing multiple projects at the same time.
•Ensure the facility implements and maintains Continuous Improvement initiatives within the facility.

Required Competencies & Knowledge:

Knowledge of:
•Knowledge and experience with SAP

Skill in:
•A strong application knowledge of LEAN Manufacturing techniques and related CI tools are required: Root Cause Analysis, Kaizen Blitz, Value Stream Mapping, OEE, First Hour Full Power, Labor Analysis, 5S, 8Wastes, Changeovers, etc.
•The CI Manager should possess extensive technical skills and hands-on experience in continuous improvement manufacturing activities
•Change agent, challenging the status quo to drive to operations excellence
•Strong will to drive change.
•Excellent problem solving skills and the ability to work with autonomy.
•Must be accurate, detail-oriented and maintain the utmost confidentiality.

Ability to:
•Ability to effectively present information to employees, top management, public groups and/or board of directors.
•Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
•Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
•Ability to work well with others in stressful situations and meet deadlines as necessary.
•Ability to handle multiple priorities and tasks.
•Ability to work in a fast paced environment, while at the same time making sound decisions.
•Must have a strong will to drive change and sustain.
* Bilingual in Spanish is a plus

Proficiency in: MS Office Suite, Excel, and PP

Work Environment:
•Maintain harmonious working relations with employees and management from all departments and levels.
•Communicate effectively with all employees and management.

Physical Requirements:
•Reaching with hands/arms throughout the day.
•Ability to use hands and fingers.
•Ability to see, hear and talk.
•Ability to stand, walk, climb and/or balance approximately.
•Ability to work in light to moderate noise levels.
•May climb steps to and from work and break areas.
•Ability to work across multiple shifts

Minimum Qualifications:
•Bachelor's Degree, preferably in Engineering, Business or Operations. Experience in lieu of education will be reviewed.
•Three (3) - 5(five) years' experience in the Continuous Improvement
•Three (3) - 5(five) years' in a manufacturing environment, preferred (perishable food preferred)

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer