Continuous Improvement Manager

Neenah Inc.; Neenah (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Mativ is seeking a Continuous Improvement Manager for the Neenah Mill and Converting facilities in Neenah, WI. You will own and drive site CI strategies, safety leadership, and OpEx execution across both Neenah sites, guiding CI engineers and cross-functional teams to deliver on safety, quality, productivity, and cost goals.

You will lead strategic planning, measure performance, and develop people while collaborating with operations, marketing, and supply chain to sustain a Continuous

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management or related field.
• Lean Six Sigma certification is a plus.
• Experience leading initiatives with measurable business results.
• Experience implementing Visual Management and digital dashboards.
• Proven ability to manage projects and lead teams at all organizational levels.
• Strong professionalism and quality standards.
• Ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Strong change-management skills and building a CI culture.
• Solid business acumen and communication skills.
• Experience with Excel, Word, PowerPoint; Oracle helpful; MS Project/Power BI/Minitab is a plus.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced production environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety-centric Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Drive OpEx framework and site strategies across Neenah sites.
• Set daily direction and accountability for CI teams.
• Optimize cross-functional team structures for execution.
• Provide timely updates on performance metrics to enable decision making.
• Lead strategy deployment with site leaders and monthly reviews.
• Coach and develop CI engineers and site leaders.
• Lead problem-solving using formal methodologies (A3/Kaizen).
• Manage a portfolio of cost-savings projects.
• Champion operational data integrity and real-time dashboarding.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Change management

Cross-functional leadership

Data analytics

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/operations management

Tools

Power BI

Minitab

Oracle

MS Project

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Mativ is a global leader in specialty materials headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia. The Company offers a wide range of critical components and engineered solutions that connect, protect, and purify our world.

Mativ's Paper Division is seeking a Continuous Improvement Manager to join its dynamic team at the Neenah Mill and Converting facilities in Neenah, WI. This role will have direct and indirect onsite responsibilities across both sites, providing support and work direction to the site's Continuous Improvement Engineers. This position is a key member of the Operations team reporting to the Operational Excellence Regional Lead.

The successful candidate will take the ownership and initiative to develop and execute site strategies which will drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, productivity, cost and people by working collaboratively within Operations and other functions to deliver on business metrics and goals.

The ideal candidate has a can-do attitude to break down barriers in support of Mativ's high achievement, results oriented culture.

Core Job Functions:

• Safety leadership is our core value and forms the epicenter on which we make all our decisions and perform all our work. Safety it isn't a "thing" we do, but rather how we do everything. As a Mativ team member, personal safety leadership is an essential requirement for any position:
• Actively seek daily, proactive safety interaction with employees and incorporate safety into routine and non-routine activities.
• • Provide support to projects that focus on enhancing our safety systems.
  • Support HOP and Just Culture through learning team participation.
  • In all process improvements / changes, consider from the perspective of the worker & seek solutions with highest level of control hierarchy.

Be the primary driver for the OpEx framework at the Mativ, Neenah sites:

• Daily Direction Setting (DDS) and Daily Layered Accountability (DLA)
• • Optimizing organized, cross-functional team structures to promote great execution daily.

• Tiered Escalation and Mission Control
• • Support operations with timely updates and reviews of leading and lagging performance metrics to enable decision making and problem solving.

• Strategy Deployment
• • Lead strategic planning functions with site leaders to develop yearly and monthly goals and strategies.
  • Participate in site monthly plan progress reviews and regional strategy reviews.

• People Development
• • Coach and provide guidance and direction to CI engineers.
  • Be a coach for the leaders of our daily management processes.

• Lead and coach problem solving:
• • Be an expert in defining problems, utilizing formal methodologies and engaging others in the process of solving problems.

• Lead Process Improvement projects:
• • Facilitate team-based events that follow the A3 methodology or Kaizen framework.
  • Regularly update project documentation and be able to speak to progress and/or barriers.
  • Manage overall cost savings project portfolio.

• Business intelligence and data analytics:
• • Champion for operational data integrity and performance metrics (Work Order Variances, Rates of Operation, ERP transactions).
  • Become proficient in displaying / dashboarding data that it may be used for real time decision making on the operating floor.
  • Analize trends and patterns in data to quantify either opportunities or improvements made.

• Further our evolution from a system of knowledge to a system of process:
• • Identify opportunities by mapping out knowledge-based gaps then delivering solutions:
  • • Define decision points, proper triggers and appropriate responses for more predictable outcomes.
    • Collaborate with our talented workforce to understand the best-known ways.

PREFERRED qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management or a related field with five plus years' experience within a complex, process-oriented manufacturing environment.
• Experience applying formal continuous improvement methodologies (such as Lean or Six Sigma). Third party certification a plus.
• Can show examples of success leading initiatives that produced measurable business results.
• Experience implementing Visual Management and digital dashboards.
• Proven performance and ability to manage projects and lead teams at all organizational levels.
• Has a high degree of professionalism with high standards in quality of work.
• Proven ability to influence and lead employees and cross-functional teams without direct reporting authority.
• Strong change-management skills with demonstrated success changing behaviors and establishing a Continuous Improvement culture.
• Solid business acumen.
• Strong group facilitation with clear communication and presentation skills.
• Enjoys working and collaborating with members of cross-functional groups outside of operations such as marketing, customer service and supply chain.
• Strong computer skills including a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Experience in Oracle is helpful. MS Project, Power BI, Minitab or other statistical software experience a plus.
• Ability to multi-task and pivot quickly in a fast-paced production setting.

WHAT WE OFFER

Mativ benefits say a lot about how we care for each other. Our employees and their families have many different needs. As a result, our benefits offer choices on many levels and are high in quality, competitive in the marketplace, and affordable.

ABOUT MATIV

Mativ Holdings, Inc. is a global leader in specialty materials headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia. The company connects, protects, and purifies the world every day through a wide range of critical components and engineered solutions that solve our customers' most complex challenges. We manufacture on three continents and generate sales in nearly 100 countries through our family of business-to-business and consumer product brands. The company's two segments, Filtration & Advanced Materials and Sustainable & Adhesive Solutions, target premium applications across diversified and growing end-markets, from filtration to healthcare to sustainable packaging and more. Our broad portfolio of technologies combines polymers, fibers, and resins to optimize the performance of our customers' products across multiple stages of the value chain. Our leading positions are a testament to our best-in-class global manufacturing, supply chain, and materials science capabilities. We drive innovation and enhance performance, finding potential in the impossible.