Director, Continuous Improvement

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, Llc; Oakbrook Terrace (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, a stand-alone company, seeks a Continuous Improvement Director to lead CI strategy across multiple bakeries in North America. You will drive TPM/Lean initiatives, develop training content, and deliver data-driven improvements to reliability and cost.

The role combines strategic CI planning with hands-on project leadership, requiring 10–15+ years in manufacturing, strong collaboration with plant leadership, and frequent travel.

Qualifications

• 10–15+ years in manufacturing leadership overseeing multiple facilities.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to influence without authority.
• Experience with TPM/TQM, Lean, Six Sigma, or Toyota Production System.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and enterprise systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle).

Responsibilities

• Own the corporate three-year Continuous Improvement funnel to drive reliability and financial value.
• Lead rollout of CI, Root Cause Analysis, Waste Elimination, and daily direction setting across bakeries.
• Build CI and Lean/Six Sigma capabilities, including 5S, VSM, Kaizen, and data-driven decision making.
• Travel 50%–75% within North America.
• Develop training programs and mentor team members.
• Communicate strategic CI plans and progress to leadership.

Skills

Six Sigma

TPM/TPS

Manufacturing leadership

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Data-driven problem solving

ERP & MS Office

Education

B.S. in Engineering or technical field

Graduate degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Oracle/SAP ERP

Redzone

WMS/MA systems

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

CI & EH&S Full Time Management Oakbrook Terrace, IL, US

2 days ago Requisition ID: 2705

Salary Range: $180,000.00 To $210,000.00 Annually

About Sara Lee:

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery became a stand- alone company in 2018 when it was purchased by Kohlberg and Company (private equity) from Tyson Foods. Our desserts have always stood for incredible flavor and superior value in the frozen food aisle and away from home markets. The Sara Lee Frozen Bakery collection of top brands includes Sara Lee®, Chef Pierre®, Bistro Collection®, Superior on Main® and Cyrus O’Leary’s®.

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is proud to take these iconic brands into a new era and to continue the evolution that transformed one small Chicago bakery into an American institution. Using carefully sourced ingredients and time-honored recipes, the company is committed to making life’s moments a little sweeter, putting its customers first and discovering new ways to make everyone’s favorite foods even better.

Working for Sara Lee:

Our vision is to be the world’s most beloved bakery by creating irresistible foods, growing with our customers, and delivering value for all. We will achieve success through collaboration and innovation in an environment where employees feel empowered to execute with speed. We believe that each of us has unique points of difference and experience to offer. We believe that there is always a better way, and we will never be satisfied with status quo. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, continually seek process improvements and a strong sense of customer service, then this is the right type of environment for you.

Summary:

The Continuous Improvement Director manages the development and implementation of continuous improvement strategies across assigned manufacturing facilities. The role is responsible for creating and maintaining tools, content, and training programs to support implementation and communication. This position requires strong analytical capabilities to identify trends and perform root cause analysis.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Own the development and delivery of a corporate three-year Continuous Improvement (CI) funnel to drive reliability and financial value across bakeries.
• Lead the rollout of Continuous Improvement, Root Cause Analysis, Waste Elimination, Employee Engagement, and Daily Direction Setting processes across all bakeries.
• Build Continuous Improvement and Lean/Six Sigma capabilities, including methodologies such as 5S, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Kaizen, statistical analysis, SPC, and data-driven decision-making.
• Demonstrate a proven record implementing TPM pillars, including Focused Improvement (FI), Autonomous Maintenance (AM), Planned Maintenance (PM), Early Management (EM), and Quality Maintenance (QM).
• Build strong working relationships with plant leadership, corporate teams, and CI resources company-wide.
• Play a central role in best-practice sharing across the entire manufacturing enterprise.
• Work collaboratively with site leadership to identify initiatives and establish priorities based on corporate business objectives and corporate CI team input.
• Lead continuous improvement teams working on projects that deliver process improvements and financially contribute to the business, leveraging the results throughout the organization.
• Understand the CQV process – Commissioning, Qualification, Verification process
• Identify opportunities to improve team members’ knowledge base. Helps coordinate training, education programs, and mentoring relationships.
• Be a field change agent, pushing to continuously challenge the status quo, and find new ways to achieve SLFB’s business strategies.
• Implement appropriate visual controls to ensure lasting results, including, standard work, improvement opportunity walks and process audits.
• Apply reliability expertise to stabilize and improve the operation, driving variation down and seeking improved OEE through capital, procedural, and operational improvements in both planned and unplanned downtime areas
• Develop and maintain staffing and scrap standards for new and revised manufacturing process
• Diagnose and evaluate performance (cost, quality, delivery) challenges stemming from plant demand management and forecasting, inventory management, capacity, production planning, and production processes
• Demonstrate good oral and written communication skills through leading meetings and preparing written plant communications
• Prepares and presents clear and concise information and presentations to convey:
  • Strategic CI Plans (three-years) and productivity funnel
  • Status of initiatives, delivery of results and support required.

The position responsibilities outlined above are not to be construed as all-encompassing. Other duties and responsibilities may be required and/or assigned as necessary.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or other technical field. Graduate degree preferred.
• Six Sigma Green or Black Belt, TPM or TPS Practitioner Knowledge of Continuous Improvement, TPM / TQM, Lean, Six Sigma, or Toyota Production System methodologies & tools.
• 10-15+ Years in manufacturing environment managing people/projects, ideally in a food manufacturing company overseeing multiple facilities.
• Strong interpersonal skills, clear communicator, and demonstrated relationship‑building skills. Ability to function through influence in the absence of having positional authority.
• Able to interact with a wide variety of contacts, both internal and external.
• Talented influencer and team builder. Can form a team without official authority to do so and motivate that team to accomplish self‑directed goals.
• Demonstrated project management skills on cross functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to use data for creative problem solving.
• Proven success in working with people in a change program.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, Project, Visio), enterprise systems (e.g., Redzone, Oracle, SAP), inventory systems (WMS, MA), and efficiency improvement or system implementation tools.

Travel: 50%–75% within North America.

Personal Attributes:

• Role Models Integrity - Creates a culture of respect and inclusion, where all team members are empowered to contribute.
• Masters their Craft - Continually develops their skills and expertise to drive self, team, and company forward. Is intellectually curious, asking questions to inspire a better way.
• Values Partnerships - Frames the tough issues and works productively through them. Paves the way for their team to build relationships and collaborate effectively.
• Behaves Like a Business Owner - Perseveres toward a goal, despite obstacles and distractions.
• Navigates Change – Adapts quickly to address the most critical business needs. Leads the charge around capabilities, processes, and systems.

Benefits & Compensation:

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery offers a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to support your whole‑life well‑being. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, tax‑advantaged savings accounts (HSA/FSA), a 401(k) plan with company match, company‑paid life and disability insurance, and access to wellness resources such as virtual healthcare and an employee assistance program. Employees are also provided a generous paid‑time off program including company‑paid holidays.

Compensation is based on factors such as experience, education, skills, and role scope, ensuring a fair and competitive salary aligned with market standards. - $180,000 - $210,000 + bonus.

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.