Continuous Improvement Manager (FI)

Conagra Brands; Council Bluffs (IA); On-site; USD 109,000 - 159,000; Full time

Job summary

Conagra Brands is seeking an experienced Industrial Engineering professional to lead Focused Improvement initiatives across the manufacturing network. You will identify losses, guide structured problem solving, and enable cross-site collaboration while maintaining a strong on-site presence at facilities.

You will partner with plant teams and Manufacturing Excellence experts to drive cost reduction, efficiency, and scalable improvements with a significant travel commitment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years in Industrial Engineering or continuous improvement in manufacturing or supply chain.
• 4+ years leading teams, programs, or large-scale initiatives in manufacturing.
• Experience driving TPM-based CI initiatives in a plant environment.
• Proven track record of delivering continuous improvement programs with measurable value.
• Experience influencing cross-functional teams without direct reporting lines.
• Strong financial acumen with project cost justifications and capital evaluations.
• Experience presenting to senior leadership.
• Proficiency with MS Office and Power BI for analysis and visualization.
• Hands-on experience with Lean, Six Sigma, Unified Problem Solving, and Work Process Improvement.
• Experience with VSM, line balancing, SPC, and DOE.
• Manufacturing plant experience across multiple loss areas.
• Willingness to travel 60%+ to manufacturing sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support Focused Improvement initiatives across the network.
• Identify, prioritize, and eliminate chronic losses across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Analyze multi-site manufacturing data to identify trends and opportunities.
• Apply structured problem-solving methods and DOE to deliver sustainable improvements.
• Coach site leaders in Lean, Six Sigma, and related tools.
• Develop financial justifications for optimization initiatives and capital projects.
• Contribute to cross-site initiatives on line performance and equipment effectiveness.
• Collaborate with other Manufacturing Excellence pillars to align scope and prevent duplication.
• Develop enterprise toolkits, playbooks, and standardized processes.
• Communicate progress and insights to site leadership and senior management.

Skills

Lean

Six Sigma

VSM

Power BI

Problem solving

Financial acumen

Cross-functional

Project mgmt

Travel-ready

Education

Bachelors in IE/Manufacturing/related

Tools

MS Excel

SPC

Job description

As part of the Industrial Engineering Center of Excellence, reporting to the Director of Continuous Improvement - Industrial Engineering Focused Improvement, you will lead Focus Improvement initiatives to drive out loss across the network by identifying loss, guiding structured problem solving, and enabling collaboration across our manufacturing network. You will partner closely with plant teams and Manufacturing Excellence subject matter experts to drive cost reduction, efficiency, and scalable improvements while maintaining a strong on-site presence at manufacturing facilities.

This position can be located in the following states:

AR, IN, KY, MI, MO MN, NE, IL, WI, OH

A Taste of Your Responsibilities

• Lead and support Focused Improvement initiatives aligned with network and enterprise objectives within the Industrial Engineering center of excellence.
• Partner with manufacturing sites to identify, prioritize, and eliminate chronic losses across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Analyze multi‑site manufacturing data to identify trends, loss opportunities, and improvement priorities across multiple facilities.
• Apply structured problem‑solving methodologies such as Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control; Statistical Process Control; and Design of Experiments to deliver sustainable improvements.
• Coach site leaders and cross‑functional teams in Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Unified Problem Solving, Work Process Improvement, Value Stream Mapping, loss trees, and root cause analysis.
• Develop financial justifications for optimization initiatives and capital projects, including return on investment and cost‑savings validation.
• Contribute to cross‑site initiatives focused on line performance, throughput, labor utilization, and equipment effectiveness.
• Collaborate with other Manufacturing Excellence pillars to align scope, share best practices, and prevent duplication of effort.
• Support the development of enterprise toolkits, playbooks, and standardized processes that enable knowledge transfer across the network.
• Partner with senior Focused Improvement leadership to assess, prioritize, and justify network‑wide improvement and capital opportunities.
• Communicate progress, results, and insights to site leadership and senior management audiences.

Ingredients Required for Your Success

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of Industrial Engineering or continuous improvement experience in a manufacturing or supply chain environment.
• 4+ years of experience leading teams, programs, or large‑scale initiatives within manufacturing.
• Experience driving Total Productive Maintenance‑based continuous improvement initiatives in a plant environment.
• Demonstrated success developing and delivering continuous improvement programs that generate measurable, scalable value.
• Experience influencing and leading cross‑functional teams without direct reporting relationships.
• Strong financial acumen, including development of project cost justifications and capital evaluations.
• Experience presenting complex information to large audiences, including senior leadership.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Power BI for analysis and visualization and other related systems.
• Hands‑on experience with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Unified Problem Solving, and Work Process Improvement tools.
• Experience with Value Stream Mapping, line balancing, Statistical Process Control, and Design of Experiments.
• Manufacturing plant experience leading and supporting continuous improvement across multiple loss areas.
• Willingness to travel 60% or more to manufacturing sites depending on projects and proximity to plant locations.

Physical Requirements

More information about essential tasks and the facility will be shared during the hiring process. This role may require you to be in our manufacturing facilities. When visiting these sites, the physical requirements below may apply:

• You may be required to walk around the facility, climb stairs/ladders, kneel, or perform repetitive tasks that require hand-eye coordination.
• You may be required to lift or carry materials that can vary in weight and size.
• This is a manufacturing environment with large, moving equipment. Noise levels can be high, and temperatures may vary.

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-MSL

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Compensation

Pay Range:$109,000-$159,000

The annual salary listed above is the expected offering for this position. An employee’s actual annual salary will be based on but not limited to: location, relevant experience/level and skillset, while balancing internal Conagra employees’ equity. Conagra Brands will comply with applicable law regarding minimum salaries for exempt employees.

Anticipated Close Date

October 7, 2026

Our Benefits

We care about your total well-being and will support you with the following, subject to your location and role:

• Health: Comprehensive healthcare plans, wellness incentive program, mental wellbeing support and fitness reimbursement
• Wealth: Great pay, bonus incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan
• Growth: Career development opportunities, employee resource groups, on-demand learning and tuition reimbursement
• Balance: Paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role) and volunteer opportunities

Our Company

At Conagra Brands, we have a rich heritage of making great food. We aspire to have the most impactful, energized and inclusive culture in food. As a member of our 18,000+ person team across 40+ locations, you are empowered to reach your potential, make an impact and own your career. We're in the business of building champions – within our people and our iconic brands like Birds Eye, Slim Jim and Reddi-Wip.

Our focus on innovation extends beyond making great food, it also reflects our commitment to embracing new solutions that positively impact our team, the communities we serve and the health of our planet. Foodies Welcome.

Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law. Reasonable accommodation may be made upon request.