CI Manager

Maker's Pride; Front Royal (VA); On-site; USD 86,000 - 137,000; Full time

Job summary

Maker's Pride is seeking a CI Manager to drive sustainable process improvements at our Virginia facility, delivering gains in safety, quality, delivery, cost and morale. The role reports to the Plant Manager and partners with plant leadership, Regional CI, and department teams to achieve results through strong technical, Lean, and hands‑on leadership.

You will lead Kaizen events, coach facilitators, develop action plans, advance center lining and SMED, and promote a culture of continuous

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business, or Operations.
• 2+ years continuous improvement leadership.
• 2+ years leadership in manufacturing; food/beverage a plus.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher preferred.
• Experience with center lining and SMED required.
• Experience leading projects; knowledge of P&L preferred.
• No relocation available.

Responsibilities

• Lead, facilitate, and coach Kaizen events to drive improvements.
• Develop and execute improvement action plans.
• Drive center lining, SMED, and heatmaps to improve throughput.
• Build an engaged, Lean culture across the plant.
• Coach RCA and waste-elimination methods.
• Track CI initiatives and cost-savings toward targets.
• Work with customers, suppliers, and all management levels.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

Problem solving

Change management

MS Office / Excel

P&L awareness

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering / Business / Operations

Tools

SAP

MS Office

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Job Summary

The CI Manager is responsible for driving sustainable Process Improvements in the facility by delivering breakthrough results in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale. The CI Manager reports into the Plant Manager and works closely with plant leadership, Regional CI, and department employees to achieve results. This position requires strong technical, Lean Manufacturing, and hands‑on leadership skills to drive cultural change in the plant.

Job Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Leads, facilitates, and coaches full week Kaizen events to drive sustainable improvements
• Coach Point Kaizen facilitators through prework, the event, and sustainment
• Works closely with Plant CI team and CI Champions to:
• Develop and execute improvement action plans
• Executes and improves Center lining, SMED, and other various heatmaps to drive improvement within the facility
• Build an employee engaged work environment
• Provide and teach CI tools to CI and Non‑CI employees
• Ability to perform theory of constraints analysis, identify the constraint, and implement practical and effective solutions to improving throughput
• Establishes and drives productivity pipeline roadmaps across departments and facility
• Tracks and analyzes the CI initiatives including driving the cost savings program for the site to meet annual cost savings target.
• Working knowledge of P&L/financial acumen to course correct CI plans based on weekly financial and P&L results as needed, identify cost savings, and to track effectiveness of lean activities
• Understands and drives the use of SAP tools to understand the needs of the plant
• Responsible for implementing and coaching HPS tools to improve all areas of plants
• Build cultural Lean change throughout the plant
• Leverage resources and share best practices across multiple plants when possible
• Facilitate and coach RCA tools and methodology to drive waste out of the process
• Work with customers, suppliers and all levels of management staff
• Responsible for managing multiple projects concurrently
• Ensure the facility implements and maintains Continuous Improvement initiatives

Required Competencies & Knowledge

Knowledge and experience with SAP The CI Manager should possess extensive technical skills and hands‑on experience in continuous improvement manufacturing activities Bias for action, change agent, challenging the status quo to drive to operations excellence Strong will to drive change and influence without authority Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to work with autonomy. Must be accurate, detail-oriented and maintain the utmost confidentiality. Ability To: Effectively present information to employees, top management, public groups and/or board of directors. Ability to define problems, collect and calculate data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions. Write routine reports and correspondence. Interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram and/or schedule form. Ability to work well with others in stressful situations and meet deadlines as necessary. Work in a fast‑paced environment, while at the same time making sound decisions. Must have a strong will to drive change and sustain. Proficiency In: MS Office Suite, Excel, and PP Work Environment: Maintain harmonious working relations with employees from all departments and with management from all levels.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required, preferably in Engineering, Business or Operations.
• 2 or more years' experience in the Continuous Improvement leadership.
• 2 or more years' of leadership experience working in a manufacturing environment, with food or beverage manufacturing a plus.
• Training background or experience.
• Six Sigma background, either a Green Belt or higher is preferred.
• Experience with center lining and SMED is required.
• Problem-solving using 5 Why, Fishbone, Kaizen or A3's is needed.
• Ideal to have knowledge of P&L or financial acumen.
• Experience leading projects is a requirement.
• No relocation is available for the opportunity.

The pay range for this full-time, salaried position is $85,788 - $137,025/year. Individual base pay depends on work location and additional factors such as experience, job‑related skills, and relevant education or training. The position is eligible for a discretionary annual incentive based on company and individual performance. #LI-MA1 #LI-Onsite