Safety & Lean Improvement Leader (Manufacturing)

Columbia Forest Products; Kitchener; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia Forest Products is seeking a Continuous Improvement and Safety Manager to lead safety initiatives and drive production efficiency on the plant floor.

You will champion a safety-first culture, lead Kaizen events, apply Lean tools (5S, standard work), and coach supervisors to improve metrics while ensuring compliance.

This role requires 3–5+ years in manufacturing and a passion for learning, teamwork, and continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in manufacturing, production supervision, or operations management
• Demonstrated commitment to safety leadership in an industrial environment
• Experience leading teams in a fast-paced, production setting
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills

Responsibilities

• Champion a safety-first culture by ensuring compliance with all safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Conduct regular safety audits, observations, and training to reinforce safe work practices.
• Partner with supervisors and employees to proactively identify risks and eliminate hazards.
• Oversee daily production operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and productivity targets in coordination with the supervisor.
• Monitor key performance metrics (e.g., output, downtime, quality, scrap) and take action to address gaps.
• Drive consistency in work practices through adherence to standard work and operating procedures.
• Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, and efficiency.
• Apply Lean tools such as 5S, standard work, problem solving (A3/5-Why), and visual management systems.
• Facilitate or participate in Kaizen events and improvement projects to optimize processes.
• Support implementation and sustainment of Daily Management Systems (DMS) and performance tracking.
• Engage directly with operators and teams on the shop floor (gemba) to identify and act on improvement opportunities.
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and frontline team members to strengthen performance and engagement.
• Promote accountability, teamwork, and adherence to safety and production expectations.
• Support training initiatives, including onboarding, job instruction, and skill development.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, feedback, and improvement.

Job description

Columbia Forest Products is seeking a Continuous Improvement and Safety Manager to lead safety initiatives and drive production efficiency on the plant floor.

You will champion a safety-first culture, lead Kaizen events, apply Lean tools (5S, standard work), and coach supervisors to improve metrics while ensuring compliance.

This role requires 3–5+ years in manufacturing and a passion for learning, teamwork, and continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.