Continuous Improvement Manager

Guardian Protection Products; Pleasant Prairie (WI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

401(k) plan

Paid holidays

Vacation and sick leave

Parental leave

Employee stock purchases

Job summary

Rust-Oleum is seeking a manufacturing professional to lead lean initiatives at our Pleasant Prairie, WI plant. You will drive continuous improvement projects across production lines and partner with teams to deliver measurable performance gains.

The role requires strong leadership, data-driven problem solving, and the ability to translate complex information into clear actions. The successful candidate will foster a culture of safety, quality, and efficiency, aligning with our global

Qualifications

• Experience leading lean manufacturing initiatives and continuous improvement projects.
• Ability to interpret control charts and translate data into action.
• Strong communication and leadership across all levels of the organization.
• Experience in manufacturing plant operations and safety procedures.

Responsibilities

• Plan and implement lean manufacturing strategies to support global business goals.
• Lead and coordinate lean events (kaizen, value stream mapping, statistical problem solving).
• Provide leadership in continuous improvement to improve reliability, ease of use, and reduce losses.
• Coach operations teams to apply standard methods and deliver sustained improvements.
• Develop lean leadership to empower local teams to run their own CI activities.
• Transition project ownership to local teams and sustain results.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Kaizen / CI events

Value stream mapping

Data-driven decision making

Leadership / coaching

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Solving challenges is the very foundation of who we are. After all, in the beginning, our founder, sea captain Robert Fergusson, didn't particularly care about paint. When he founded our company in 1921, he just wanted to keep his ship intact and stumbled upon a valuable solution. Today, that discovery is Rust-Oleum Corporation. The same passion that drove the Captain to spend his next few years creating the world's first rust-preventative paint still drives us today. When we see a problem, we work diligently until we've perfected a solution, which has led to some of the most cutting edge, durable and innovative products in the industry. Our creative and talented team of over 2000 people across every corner of the world, help us remain the global leader in protective paints and coatings for both home and industry.

Typical tasks for this position include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Plan and implement lean manufacturing strategies to achieve overarching global business strategy.
• Lead/coordinate lean manufacturing events/activities (i.e., kaizen/continuous improvement, value stream mapping, statistical problem solving, etc.) as required, including the planning of events and resources, training and leading teams, achieving event objectives, and documenting performance.
• Provide leadership in continuous improvement efforts to improve reliability, ease of use & maintenance, minimize changeover times, and to eradicate production losses.
• Coach & mentor operations' team, including staff, supervisors, and crew leads on continuous improvement methods & processes to establish a culture where tools and methods are utilized in a standard way to deliver improvements.
• Develop lean leadership within local operations' team to enable them to lead and execute their own lean activities within the plant according to the business strategy.
• Transition ownership of completed projects to the local operations' team, and support sustaining activities to ensure results are maintained.
• Maintain positive work relationships with members of other teams to communicate effectively, and to ensure compliance with cross-team responsibilities.

Responsibilities/Expectations:

• Ability to establish plant management processes for reporting metrics.
• Ability to understand plant financial measures and how they are generated.
• Ability to interpret control charts.
• Ability to motivate others to take action dictated by data.
• Ability to drive projects to achieve business objectives
• Ability to translate complex business, operational, or technical information into clear and actionable messages
• Strong communication skill with the ability to effectively communicate with employees at all levels of the organization
• Communicate, influence, and relationship build with Supervisors, peers, or subordinates: provide information to supervisors and co-workers in written form or in person.
• Maintain a good record of attendance and punctuality.
• Perform tasks assigned using specific operating procedures and following department specific quality control processes and procedures.
• Treat people with dignity and respect.
• Conduct all business with integrity.
• Follow all safety procedures and company policies.

From big benefits to small, we take care of our associates! After 30 days of employment, you will be eligible for a benefits package that includes medical, dental, life, disability and business travel insurance, flexible spending accounts, EAP, stock purchases and vacation/sick days/parental leave. We also offer a 401(k) plan after three months of employment. Associates are vested in the RPM Pension plan after completing five years of service. Rust-Oleum offers (9.5) paid holidays and (2) floating holidays per year. You are also eligible to earn three weeks of vacation on an annualized basis.

Rust-Oleum is an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, or any other protected class.