Sr Manager, Manufacturing Team Lead

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading home appliance company that continuously pursues improving life  the only major U.S.

-based manufacturer of kitchen and laundry appliances, the company delivers innovation to meet evolving consumer needs through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, Kitchen Aid, Jenn Air, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and In Sink Erator . In 2024, Whirlpool reported approximately $17 billion in global sales.

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The Business Process team develops, implements, and sustains cross‑functional process improvement projects and business‑wide initiatives, including training, mentoring, and consulting with Black Belts, Champions, and Green Belts. The team identifies, suggests, and implements best practices to optimize processes across all business areas.

Whirlpool is seeking a World Class Manufacturing (WCM) Senior Manager to lead the WCM Central Team for the North American Region (NAR). The role will operate from one of our manufacturing plants, the NAR Headquarters, or Global Headquarters and is accountable for driving manufacturing performance, strategic WCM transformation, and governance across the region, supporting 14 manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Mexico and additional businesses such as WCL and In Sink Erator .

The manager will be the regional owner of the WCM system, ensuring alignment between strategy, execution, digital enablement, and people development while partnering with Operations VPs, Plant Directors, and functional leaders. This role reports to the Strategy & Planning Regional Director and leads the WCM Central Team.

• Lead the WCM Central Team for the North American Region, providing strategic direction, prioritization, and governance across all WCM pillars and plants.
• Drive manufacturing business performance by translating WCM strategy into measurable KPI improvement (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Productivity) across the NAR network.
• Design, deploy, and evolve the WCM operating model, including standards, pillar frameworks, assessment methodologies, and route‑map governance.
• Oversee operational assessments, audits, and gap closure, ensuring consistent execution, clear prioritization of top opportunities, and disciplined follow‑up.
• Enable effective project execution and savings delivery through integration of cost deployment, Kaizen activities, and digital project management tools.
• Lead regional capability building programs, including Manufacturing Skills WCM modules, problem solving, Kaizen leadership, and front‑line leader development at scale.
• Own the WCM digital ecosystem, including App Sheet solutions, dashboards, AI assistants, and data governance to support decision‑making and execution.
• Establish and manage the regional benchmark and best‑practice system, ensuring scalable learning and cross‑plant knowledge transfer.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain leadership to embed WCM into core business processes and strategic initiatives.
• Ensure financial discipline and resource optimization, including budget management, audit costs, external partnerships, and ROI tracking of WCM initiatives.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 7+ years of experience in WCM, Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence.
• 7+ years of experience in Manufacturing Operations.
• Proven experience leading cross‑plant or regional initiatives.

• Engineering, Business, or Operations‑related degree.
• Prior experience leading a central or regional CI/WCM team.
• Deep expertise in WCM pillars, audits, and cost deployment.
• Strong digital mindset (App Sheet, analytics, AI enablement).
• Six Sigma Black Belt.
• Fluent English;
  Spanish strongly preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 50% (U.S. & Mexico).

• Always On Flexibility – autonomy to manage personal, family, and outside‑of‑work commitments.
• Two‑Week Work from Anywhere – minimum one‑week increments for a total of two weeks per year.
• Sabbatical – four weeks paid leave after every five years of service.

Whirlpool Corporation is committed to equal employment opportunity and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable law.