Continuous Improvement Specialist

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

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Paid time off

401(k) plan

Employee Share Plan

Life Insurance

Disability insurance

Accident insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Kerry is seeking a Continuous Improvement Specialist in Wisconsin to lead site CI efforts, owning the WAVE/cost-savings process and driving improvements across safety, quality and efficiency.

You'll work with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Training, Supply Chain, and leadership to prioritize initiatives and sustain results with Lean routines and data-driven insights.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field preferred; equivalent manufacturing or operations experience may be considered.
• 2–5 years in manufacturing or CI environments.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and CI methodologies.
• Experience with cost-savings initiatives, KPI management, and reporting.
• Strong analytical, communication, facilitation, and project management skills.
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Supply Chain and RDA.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and data analysis tools.
• Knowledge of GMPs, PPE, food safety expectations.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage the site WAVE/cost-savings process.
• Lead CI initiatives to improve safety, quality, service, cost, efficiency, and engagement.
• Lead structured problem-solving including root cause analysis, DMAIC, process mapping.
• Support Lean routines: 5S, Kaizen, visual management, daily management.
• Analyze production data, KPI trends, downtime, waste, yield, and throughput to identify opportunities.
• Partner with site leadership to prioritize efforts and align resources.
• Connect trials/learnings to actionable improvements for RDA and commercialization.
• Develop CI tools, dashboards, trackers, SOP updates, and training materials.
• Coach employees and leaders on CI behaviors and performance ownership.
• Ensure safety, GMP, PPE, and workplace organization requirements.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing principles

Analytical skills

Communication

Facilitation

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Microsoft Excel / data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Data analysis tools

Job description

About Kerry

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.

Benefits

• 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

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. 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).