Director of Continuous Improvement

Elkhart Plastics; Bristol (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Elkhart Plastics is seeking a Continuous Improvement Leader to drive standardized improvement systems across our manufacturing sites in Indiana, Bristol and nearby facilities. You will lead Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen initiatives with plant leadership to improve productivity, quality, and cost efficiency.

Responsibilities include developing metrics, training teams on RCA and CAPA, and coordinating cross-functional projects that sustain accountability and results across multiple facilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience building organizational continuous improvement skills.
• 10+ years in a manufacturing environment in a production or engineering leadership role leading people.
• Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, and/or Kaizen principles.
• Proficiency with data analysis, process mapping, and problem-solving tools.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and leadership skills.
• Up to 40% travel may be required.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: align continuous improvement strategy with enterprise goals.
• Process Improvement: lead Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen initiatives and CAPA implementations.
• Performance Measurement: establish KPIs and dashboards to track efficiency and progress.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: partner with Operations, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain.
• Project Management: manage multiple improvement projects from initiation to completion.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Project management

Change management

Leadership

Collaboration

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field

Tools

Power BI

Minitab

Job description

Elkhart Plastics is one of the nation’s largest rotational molders of plastic products and has been part of the Myers Industries family since 2020. Our manufacturing facilities in Middlebury, IN, Bristol, IN, Atlantic, IA, Ridgefield, WA, and Littleton, CO, design and produce a wide range of custom products in varying shapes, lengths, and thicknesses, serving more than 30 industries. Founded in 1933, Myers Industries has moved from a small storefront in Akron, Ohio, to become a family of over 2,400 employees.

Job Overview:

The business unit Continuous Improvement Leader drives organizational efforts across the business unit by supporting locations in establishing and deploying standardized improvement systems that eliminate loss, improve performance, and sustain a culture of accountability.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Ensure that the business unit continuous improvement strategy is aligned with enterprise continuous improvement, operational and business goals.
• Champion a culture of Lean thinking, problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making.
• Partner with plant leadership to prioritize initiatives tied to strategic goals and X-Matrix deployment.

Process Improvement

• Assist facility leaders to Identify, prioritize, and lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and value-stream mapping methodologies.
• Provide training resources to locations on the use of root cause analyses (RCA) and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Standardize best practices and ensure adoption across facilities.

Performance Measurement

• Establish metrics, dashboards, and reporting tools to track operational efficiency and improvement progress.
• Monitor KPIs (e.g., productivity, throughput, cost per unit, defects, downtime) and drive actions to improve them.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain to implement improvement initiatives.
• Support teams in project scoping, data collection, analysis, and execution.

Project Management

• Manage multiple improvement projects simultaneously from initiation to completion.
• Document project plans, results, and lessons learned.
• Facilitate the management of the Organization Excellence Assessment

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Analytical thinking
• Project management
• Change management
• Leadership and coaching
• Results orientation
• Collaboration and relationship-building

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience building organizational continuous improvement skills
• 10+ years in a manufacturing environment in a production or engineering leadership role leading people
• Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, and/or Kaizen principles.
• Proficiency with data analysis, process mapping, and problem‑solving tools.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and leadership skills.
• Up to 40% travel may be required.

Preferred Experience

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Familiarity with ERP systems and analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Minitab).