Plant Process Manager of Lean Excellence

Plant Process Manager of Lean Excellence

Waterloo, IA, United States

Plant Process Manager of Lean Excellence

Pay Range: $107,680 - $134,600 (PL 14)

Multiple factors, including individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range.

Physical

Location:

Waterloo, IA

The Plant Process Manager of Lean Excellence will be responsible for plant level execution of the Lean Transformation Initiative across PSNA. In this role they will partner with Plant leadership and operations to establish Lean capabilities, driving measurable improvements in safety, employee engagement, quality, cost and delivery metrics.

The ideal candidate will have significant and relevant direct manufacturing experience using and leading continuous improvement tools, systems, and methodologies. The preferred candidate exhibits strong leadership capabilities, has knowledge of / experience with 5S, Kaizen events, Standard Work, Visual Management, SMED, problem solving, value stream mapping, and related process improvement methodologies.

• Lead with a safety mindset, drive employee engagement through trust vs. fear. Invest in time to shape a culture that controls exposure and supports our employees.
• Ability to influence without direct responsibility.
• Use data to identify gaps in performance versus best practices, working with the Plant leadership and operations will execute the agreed upon improvement plan.
• Utilize continuous improvement tools, processes and systems to better safety, quality, efficiency, cost, and reduce waste overall.
• Assist with implementing and managing systems that will sustain improvement efforts.
• Lead and coach CI events/Kaizen through hands‑on participation.
• Partner with site leadership and operations for the improvement of asset utilization and equipment management.
• Assist with the development of training materials and effectively deliver in multiple formats to ensure team members throughout the Plant understand CI concepts and philosophy.
• Understanding of financial drivers and key performance indicators.
• Assist plant teams to drive changeover improvements.
• Partner with Plant leadership and Project Manager Lead Excellence to evaluate and drive opportunities for appropriate CI and Lean tool application.
• Document best practices and share improvements to leverage results.
• Key liaison between Plant leadership and Lean Excellence leadership, creating alignment with the strategic stakeholders.

Bachelor’s Degree preferred, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field.

Minimum 2-5 years of manufacturing experience with progressively greater responsibility (leadership / operations).

Positive and self‑motivated attitude with proven determination and passion to manage projects, maintain KPI’s, and see problems through to resolution.

Strong interpersonal skills with ability to relate to people at all levels of the organization, including diverse cultures.

Ability to analyze data, draw conclusions, make recommendations, and present findings.

Demonstrated ability to model the corporate values and principles, including instilling a high performance, people‑driven culture.

A high level of accuracy with strong attention to detail and quality of work is required.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.).

Corrugated box manufacturing experience preferred.

• Courage
• Builds Effective Teams
• Manages Complexity
• Situational Adaptability Balances Stakeholders

The Benefits You Will Enjoy:

International Paper offers a benefits package that includes health, welfare and retirement plans including Medical, Dental, Life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Short-term and Long-term Disability, 401(k), Company‑funded retirement contributions, Paid Time Off, Education & Development (including Tuition Reimbursement), Student Loan Repayment Assistance, and Voluntary Benefits including insurance for home, auto, vision and pets.

The Career You Will Build:

Leadership training, promotional opportunities.

The Impact You Will Make:

We continue to build a better future…