Continuous Improvement Manager

King's Hawaiian Bakery Southeast, Inc; United States; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

King’s Hawaiian California Operations is seeking a Senior Continuous Improvement leader to drive strategic process improvements across Safety, Quality, Productivity, and Cost. You will coordinate with production, R&D, and marketing to deliver new capabilities and sustain CI excellence across CA Operations.

The role requires 5+ years in CI/Operations within manufacturing, with Lean Six Sigma certification preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or related field required; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Engineering or Operations Management within manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies – certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee a comprehensive Continuous Improvement strategy for King’s Hawaiian California Operations across Safety, Quality, Productivity, and Cost Metrics.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to identify improvement opportunities and implement solutions.
• Own roadmaps for California Operations Performance to inform Capacity Planning.
• Lead CI team delivering measurable process improvements and nurture CI culture across departments.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Financial acumen

GMP SQF

PM certification

Data analysis

Travel readiness

Education

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

Master’s degree in related field

Tools

Tableau

PowerBI

Job description

Joining King’s Hawaiian makes you part of our `ohana (family). We are a family-owned business for over seventy years, respecting our roots while thinking about our future as we continue to grow and care for our customers and the communities we serve. Our `ohana members build an environment of inclusivity as they freely collaborate, pursue learning through curiosity, and explore innovation as critical thinkers. Beyond that, we are also passionate about supporting the long-term health and well-being of our employees and their families. If you’re excited to rise with our team, come and join our `ohana! As a leader for King’s Hawaiian California Operations, reporting to the Plant Director, the Continuous Improvement (“CI”) Manager plays a pivotal role in enhancing manufacturing processes, ensuring irresistible product quality, and implementing cost-saving measures. This role leads the Continuous Improvement organization in delivering multiple projects of varying complexity in alignment with our strategic business goals. This role is responsible for shepherding the growth of Continuous Improvement culture for California Operations and developing the skill level and future success of the CI Team. Success in this position is defined as leading the CI organization to deliver measurable process improvements across safety, quality, productivity, and cost metrics as well as partnering with various stakeholders, including production, R&D, and marketing teams to deliver new capabilities and products that drive the business strategy. Employees in this position may interact with their leader daily, to receive guidance and feedback. Most non-routine activities may require their leader’s advance approval, but routine decisions within the general scope of the role may be made independently.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and oversee a comprehensive Continuous Improvement strategy for King’s Hawaiian California Operations that aligns with the broader Operational Excellence strategy to deliver measurable, meaningful performance improvement across Safety, Quality, Productivity, and Cost Metrics
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to understand their needs and deliver value through the identification of improvement opportunities, solution implementation, and ongoing support.
• Own the roadmaps and “glidepath” for CA Operations Performance to inform Capacity Planning
• Own manufacturing data and Performance Reporting striving for flawless, available, accessible data for users throughout CA Operations
• Tailor the Technical Learning & Development strategy to California Operations needs and lead deployment to ensure a safe, compliant, and highly capable Manufacturing staff
• Lead the Gross Margin Improvement process for CA Operations ensuring efficient use of resources by coordinating and driving delivery of Yield, Overhead Expenditure, and Direct Labor Improvements
• Coordinate with Engineering and Operations Excellence in the CAPEX planning for California Operations
• Own and shape plant cadences to ensure efficient and timely communication between departments
• Manage departmental and CI project budgets, ensuring efficient use of resources and achievement of project and organizational financial goals.
• Conduct risk assessments for CI projects, identifying potential issues and developing strategies to mitigate risks.
• Oversee resource planning and capacity management to ensure optimal project sequencing and execution.
• Own the growth of Continuous Improvement culture for CA Operations by leading development and delivery of learning curriculum, training, and Continuous Improvement events by example, mentoring team members, and promoting collaboration and innovation.
• Provide guidance and recommendations for plant structures and processes to ingrain Continuous Improvement philosophies across departments and functions, including project management, across CA Operations
• Provide direct supervision and development plans for CI Team members to improve their capabilities and enable their future success as potential leaders of King’s Hawaiian.
• Maintain relevant trackers, record keeping, project valuation standards, and documentation (e.g., project charters, roadmaps), to ensure operational excellence standards are met.
• Serve as an escalation point for resolving conflicts and project issues, driving them to resolution to ensure project success.
• Continuously seek opportunities to enhance processes and methodologies based on lessons learned, benchmarking, and community discussions.

BASIC AND PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE)

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or related field required; Master’s Degree in a related field preferred. At least 5 years of relevant experience in Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Engineering or Operations Management or a similar role within the manufacturing sector, preference for Food & Beverage manufacturing Demonstrated experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies – certification preferred.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (JOB SKILLS, ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE)

• High proficiency in project management principles, utilizing this knowledge to efficiently lead CI team in the delivery of projects from inception through to completion.
• Working level of Financial Acumen and demonstrated ability to manage budgets, build business plans, and collaborate with Finance Teams
• Functional understanding of GMP and SQF standards, with a focus on learning and applying these standards to enhance product quality and safety.
• Proficient ability to analyze complex data and translate findings into actionable insights, driving strategic decisions and operational improvements.
• Exposure to data visualization software (Tableau, PowerBI)
• Expert ability to lead, motivate, and manage cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time.
• A professional certification in Project Management (PMP, PgMP) or equivalent is preferred, indicating a working understanding of project management principles and practices that enhance the ability to effectively lead continuous improvement initiatives.

King's Hawaiian is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our ohana. We deliver irresistible Hawaiian food and aloha spirit, that families love everywhere, every day. After introducing Hawaiian foods to the world 70 years ago, we have grown into a company that provides irresistible foods and irresistible career opportunities to many. Our 'Ohana spans the country in our manufacturing plants, corporate locations, and restaurants. Our culture and work environments (both onsite and remote) help us to spread aloha culture as we nourish our employees' lives. We recognize that each of us has our home life and our work life, which is one life, and we strive to provide balance to our employees. We believe in excellence, dignity, and telling it like it is in a way that can be heard. We may not be excellent all the time, but we move toward excellence and embrace the change needed to continuously improve.

• Dignity and respect are always present.
• Treat everyone with kindness.
• Respect ourselves and others.
• Honor our commitments.
• Hold each other accountable.
• Practice what we preach.
• Appreciate each other’s differences.
• Exhibit professionalism.