Plant Continuous Improvement Leader

Location: Hodges

Relocation Assistance Offered Within Country Job Number #176108 - Hodges, South Carolina, United States Who We Are Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specializing in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!

Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values—Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous—we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.

Factory Performance & Reliability Leader Are you ready to drive manufacturing excellence and shape the future of site operations at our Hodges, SC facility? As the Factory Performance & Reliability (FP&R) Leader, you will lead site-wide continuous improvement initiatives, aligning plant capabilities with long-term strategy, capacity growth, and operational reliability. Reporting to our Director of Manufacturing, you will partner across all levels of the organization to cultivate a culture of innovation, lean execution, and sustainable performance.

Responsibilities Drive Site Strategy & Operational Alignment:
Partner with plant leadership to align continuous improvement, capacity growth, operational equipment master plans, and workforce development with overall site strategic goals.

Lead Continuous Improvement & Governance:
Oversee data-driven optimization systems, evaluating project value through return-on-investment (ROI) analysis and risk assessments to achieve target plant productivity and quality metrics.

Implement Visual Workplace & 5S Standards:
Direct site-wide 5S, visual management, and workplace organization initiatives in alignment with environmental, occupational health, safety, and quality expectations.

Advance Autonomous & Planned Maintenance:
Establish step-wise progression plans for autonomous maintenance and preventive/predictive maintenance systems to maximize equipment reliability and operational safety.

Optimize Production & Supply Chain Integration:
Collaborate with supply chain and production planning teams to streamline scheduling, and optimize inventory levels.

Build Capability & Knowledge Sharing:
Partner with Human Resources and line management to implement competency frameworks, conduct skill-gap analyses, and foster cross-functional training across operational teams.

Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree

Minimum of 5 years of experience in a manufacturing production environment.

Proven track record leading cross-functional continuous improvement or operational reliability programs.

Experience establishing and tracking manufacturing metrics, standard operating procedures and compliance standards.

Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial), Food Science, or a related technical field.
2+ years of direct supervisory or team leadership experience.

Practical expertise in Lean Six Sigma methodologies, Root Cause Analysis, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), or Statistical Process Control (SPC).

Experience with enterprise resource planning systems (such as SAP) and manufacturing planning tools.

Strong collaborative leadership, conflict resolution, and data-driven decision-making abilities.

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) or regulatory environment (FDA/USDA) experience.

Compensation and Benefits Salary Range $96,800.00 - $ USDPay is determined based on experience, qualifications, and location. Salaried employees may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, profit-sharing, and long-term incentives for…