Sr Continuous Improvement Specialist

• Department:
  Operations

At Link Snacks, we show up hungry, roll up our sleeves, plaid or otherwise, and dive straight into the hard work. We don’t hide from challenges; we hunt them down. We push harder, move faster, and take the kinds of big swings that built this business in the North Woods of Wisconsin four decades ago.

We’re everyday people who deliver extraordinary results. Innovation, creativity, and urgency aren’t buzzwords, they’re expectations. And just like the real protein snacks we make across our global house of brands—Jack Link’s, Lorissa’s Kitchen, Golden Island, BiFi, Peperami and KOOEE! to name a few—there’s nothing artificial about us. What you see is exactly what you get: humble, gritty, passionate people who show up every day ready to not just be a participate in the meat snack industry that the Link Family created, but to move faster, innovate harder and keep raising the bar so high, the rest of the world needs a ladder just to see it.

Dominating this space across the world takes a team. A team that runs together, succeeds together, and celebrates together. A team that’s full of relentless energy and spirit that can only be fueled by one thing: a fist full of our delicious meat snacks.

Real Meat Protein. Real People. Real Results. THAT is Link Snacks.

The Senior Continuous Improvement Engineer/Specialist is a hands‑on team member responsible for driving sustainable performance improvements across the plant. This role partners with operations, engineering, quality, finance and supply chain teams to identify waste, improve process capability, and embed a culture of continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, and problem‑solving methodologies.

This position requires a strong balance of leadership influence, change management, and individual contributor expertise, with the ability to lead complex improvement initiatives while coaching and mentoring others.

• Lead and execute high‑impact initiatives across manufacturing operations, including safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem‑solving methodologies.
• Develop and implement a culture of Continuous Improvement at the plant including 5S, standard work, and visual management.
• Facilitate Continuous Improvement events including but not limited to Kaizen events, value stream mapping, A3 problem‑solving, and root cause analysis.
• Identify and prioritize improvement opportunities aligned with business strategy and operational goals.
• Analyze manufacturing processes using data‑driven approaches to identify waste, variation, and inefficiencies.
• Track, validate, and report improvement results using KPIs and financial metrics.

• Coach and mentor engineers, supervisors, and frontline teams in Lean and continuous improvement tools.
• Support and develop Green Belt and Yellow Belt practitioners.
• Influence leaders at multiple levels to adopt CI behaviors and sustain improvements.
• Act as a change agent to strengthen a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

• Partner with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, and EHS teams to drive end‑to‑end improvements.
• Communicate effectively with leadership, translating data and analysis into clear recommendations.
• Support strategic initiatives such as cost reduction, throughput improvement, and operational excellence programs.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field
• 5 + years of experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment, with demonstrated continuous improvement, leadership and impact
• Proven experience leading improvement projects and influencing cross‑functional teams
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and data analysis skills
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills

• Experience in multi-site or complex manufacturing environments
• Formal leadership or supervisory experience
• Familiarity with…