Process Improvement Manager

Lean Six Sigma / Process Improvement Manager

Location: Stockton or Modesto, CA (preferred) with travel throughout California facilities

Duration: 6+ Month Contract Engagement with potential for extension and future opportunities across the Tide Rock portfolio

Schedule: Monday-Wednesday onsite at facilities, Thursday virtual, Friday remote/home office

Travel: Frequent travel required between facilities. Mileage, hotel, and travel expenses accommodated.

Overview

American Recycling, a Tide Rock portfolio company, is seeking a Lean Six Sigma / Process Improvement Manager to drive operational excellence initiatives across five recycling facilities in California. The organization has experienced rapid growth, expanding approximately 30-40%, and is looking for a dedicated resource to establish operational standards, improve efficiency, increase throughput, and drive profitability.

This individual will work directly with ownership, facility leadership, operations teams, and accounting stakeholders to evaluate current processes, identify improvement opportunities, and implement sustainable operational frameworks that can be replicated across the business.

Facility Locations

• Stockton, CA (2 facilities)
• Modesto, CA

The ideal candidate will be based in Stockton or Modesto, though strong regional candidates will be considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead Lean Six Sigma initiatives across five recycling and material processing facilities.
• Travel between locations to evaluate operations, workflows, and material movement processes.
• Analyze current-state operations and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability.
• Standardize operating procedures and establish consistent ways of working across facilities.
• Optimize material handling, production flow, and facility throughput.
• Develop and implement operational KPIs, scorecards, and performance dashboards.
• Improve labor utilization, inventory controls, and operational visibility.
• Evaluate facility layouts and recommend improvements to reduce bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
• Partner with operations, accounting, and executive leadership teams to drive accountability and performance.
• Lead change management efforts and build buy-in across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Deliver data-driven recommendations and measurable business improvements.
• Create repeatable operational processes that can scale across future Tide Rock acquisitions.

Initial Focus Areas

• Process mapping and workflow analysis
• Throughput optimization
• Inventory visibility and controls
• Facility operations and material flow
• KPI creation and performance management
• Cost reduction initiatives
• Operational profitability improvements
• Standard operating procedures and best practices

Required Qualifications

• Experience leading process improvement initiatives within manufacturing, industrial, logistics, recycling, distribution, or operations environments.
• Proven track record implementing operational excellence programs that resulted in measurable productivity, efficiency, and profitability gains.
• Experience evaluating workflows, production processes, and facility operations.
• Strong analytical, project management, and change management skills.
• Ability to work independently while influencing stakeholders across multiple locations.
• Comfortable spending significant time onsite within operational environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Recycling, waste management, commodities processing, or manufacturing experience.
• Experience building KPIs, operational scorecards, and reporting dashboards.
• Experience working in private equity-backed, high-growth, or turnaround environments.
• Background driving operational transformation initiatives across geographically dispersed facilities.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with a hands-on approach and willingness to spend time in facilities identifying opportunities firsthand.

Success in the Role

Within the first six months, this individual will:

• Visit and evaluate all five facilities.
• Establish standardized operational processes across locations.
• Create KPI and performance tracking frameworks.
• Identify and implement throughput and efficiency improvements.
• Improve visibility into labor, inventory, and operational performance.
• Deliver measurable cost savings and profitability improvements.
• Develop a scalable operational excellence framework for future Tide Rock portfolio growth.