Continuous Improvement Specialist

Kerry Group; Sturtevant (WI); On-site; USD 63,000 - 103,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

401(k) plan

Employee Share Plan

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Kerry Group in the United States seeks a Continuous Improvement Specialist to lead site CI efforts, drive cost savings, and advance safety and quality through structured problem solving and lean routines. You will partner with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and other teams to sustain improvements and optimize performance across the site.

The role requires 2–5 years in manufacturing or CI, strong analytical and project management skills, and ability to coach teams in Lean practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management or related field; equivalent manufacturing experience may be considered.
• 2–5 years in manufacturing or continuous improvement, Lean initiatives, or process improvement.
• Strong analytical, communication, facilitation, and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage the site WAVE/cost-savings process.
• Facilitate continuous improvement initiatives that improve safety, quality, service, cost, efficiency, reliability, waste reduction, labor utilization, and employee engagement.
• Lead structured problem-solving activities, including root cause analysis, DMAIC, process mapping, waste walks, standard work reviews, corrective action follow-up, and sustainment checks.
• Support Lean manufacturing routines, including 5S, Kaizen, visual management, daily management, leader standard work, workplace organization, and performance review routines.
• Analyze production data, KPI trends, downtime, waste, yield, throughput, labor efficiency, action completion, and process performance to identify improvement opportunities and validate results.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Training, Supply Chain, RDA, and site leadership to prioritize improvement efforts and align resources.
• Support RDA and commercialization activities by connecting trials, new product learnings, process observations, and post-run feedback to actionable improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain CI tools, dashboards, trackers, action plans, standard work, SOP updates, one-point lessons, training materials, and communication materials.
• Coach employees and leaders on continuous improvement behaviors and performance ownership.
• Support safety, food safety, quality, GMP, PPE, and workplace organization requirements.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Continuous Improvement

Project Management

Data Analysis

Communication

Cross-functional Collaboration

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/related field

Tools

KPI tracking tools

Data analysis tools

Office software

Job description

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

The Continuous Improvement Specialist is responsible for leading and sustaining site continuous improvement efforts that improve safety, quality, service, cost, efficiency, reliability, and employee engagement. This role owns the site WAVE/cost-savings management process, including project pipeline development, savings tracking, benefit validation, governance routines, and sustained-results follow-up.

Working closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Training, Supply Chain, RDA, and other cross-functional teams, the Continuous Improvement Specialist will facilitate structured problem solving, strengthen standard work, improve KPI routines, support change adoption, and help build a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities

• Own and manage the site WAVE/cost-savings process.
• Facilitate continuous improvement initiatives that improve safety, quality, service, cost, efficiency, reliability, waste reduction, labor utilization, and employee engagement.
• Lead structured problem-solving activities, including root cause analysis, DMAIC, process mapping, waste walks, standard work reviews, corrective action follow-up, and sustainment checks.
• Support Lean manufacturing routines, including 5S, Kaizen, visual management, daily management, leader standard work, workplace organization, and performance review routines.
• Analyze production data, KPI trends, downtime, waste, yield, throughput, labor efficiency, action completion, and process performance to identify improvement opportunities and validate results.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Training, Supply Chain, RDA, and site leadership to prioritize improvement efforts and align resources.
• Support RDA and commercialization activities by connecting trials, new product learnings, process observations, and post-run feedback to actionable improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain CI tools, dashboards, trackers, action plans, standard work, SOP updates, one-point lessons, training materials, and communication materials.
• Coach employees and leaders on continuous improvement behaviors and performance ownership.
• Support safety, food safety, quality, GMP, PPE, and workplace organization requirements.

Qualifications and skills

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Business, Food Science, Industrial Technology, or a related field preferred; equivalent manufacturing or operations experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 2–5 years of experience in manufacturing, operations, continuous improvement, Lean initiatives, quality systems, commercialization support, project management, or process improvement environments.
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience supporting cost-savings initiatives, project pipelines, productivity programs, KPI management, action tracking, benefit validation, or operational performance reporting.
• Strong analytical, communication, facilitation, coaching, project management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally across Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Training, Supply Chain, and RDA.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and data analysis tools.
• Knowledge of workplace safety requirements, GMPs, PPE standards, food safety systems, and quality expectations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Practitioner, or other Continuous Improvement certification.
• Experience leading or supporting WAVE, cost-savings, productivity, operational excellence, or benefit validation processes.
• Experience facilitating Kaizen events, 5S programs, standard work implementation, root cause analysis workshops, visual management systems, or daily management routines.

The pay range for this position is $63,000 - $103,425 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. In addition, this position is also eligible to earn a performance-based incentive compensation.

Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including

• medical
• dental
• vision
• paid time off
• a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities
• Employee Share Plan
• Life, disability, and accident insurance
• tuition reimbursement

This job posting is anticipated to expire on November 2, 2026.

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support the review and assessment of applications and assist with scheduling interviews. We do not use AI to make decisions during the interview process. All candidate assessments and employment decisions are made by human recruitment and leadership teams.

Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen. Additional information can be found at: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (dol.gov).