Director of Continuous Improvement

Jostens; Clarksville (TN); On-site; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401K vesting

Paid time off

Holidays

Tuition reimbursement

Annual bonus

Job summary

Jostens in Clarksville, TN, seeks a Director of Continuous Improvement to shape and govern CI across print facilities, driving standardized governance, metrics, and accountable performance. You will establish CI roadmaps and partner with plant leaders to translate strategy into measurable outcomes.

You will build capability, deploy Lean Six Sigma and Kaizen methods, and collaborate with Engineering, IT, Supply Chain and HR to embed CI in daily operations and sustain improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field.
• 7+ years leading manufacturing or operations improvement initiatives in a manufacturing, supply chain, E-comm or distribution environment.
• Proven Experience deploying Continuous Improvement initiatives across one or more plants or divisions.
• Great interpersonal skills, strong communication and problem-solving skills. Well developed influencing, presentation and negotiating skills.
• Excellent analytical thinking, detail-oriented, and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Lean Six-Sigma, Kaizen, and/or Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement training or experience.
• Experience supporting automation or technology-enabled process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead a multi-plant Continuous Improvement strategy aligned with company operational and financial goals, establishing standard CI frameworks, tools, and metrics across all print facilities, prioritizing initiatives based on business impact and plant readiness, and translating strategic objectives into annual CI roadmaps for each site.
• Partner with Plant Managers to identify, scope, and execute improvement opportunities across changeover times, quality, waste, spoilage and rework reduction, labor efficiency, and on-time delivery, while ensuring all improvement efforts are embedded into daily management systems with sound control mechanisms.
• Lead the deployment of Lean, Six Sigma, and operational excellence tools across facilities, including Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Visual Management, A3 and Root Cause Analysis, Kaizen events and Rapid Improvement Workshops.
• Establish and maintain KPIs across plants; including OEE, waste percentage, labor variance, and throughput. Track and report CI benefits such as cost savings, capacity gains, and quality improvements, and lead regular CI governance reviews with operations leadership to ensure sustained performance improvements.
• Develop CI capability and ownership at all levels of the organization by delivering training for supervisors and frontline employees, coaching plant CI leads and facilitators, building problem-solving skills into daily operations, and driving employee engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement as enduring cultural norms.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: You will partner with Engineering, Maintenance, IT, Supply Chain, and HR to remove systemic barriers to performance, support the integration of new equipment, processes, and acquisitions into standard CI practices, and collaborate with Transformation and Digital teams as needed while maintaining a sharp focus on operational improvement.

Skills

Leadership & Innovation

Communication & Collaboration

Analytical & Organizational

Lean Six Sigma / Kaizen

Automation experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering / Operations / Business

Job description

Job Title: Director of Continuous Improvement

Location: Clarksville, TN

Shift: 1st Shift

ABOUT YOU:

Are you an experienced Director of Continuous Improvement looking for a challenging and rewarding role in Manufacturing?

Our Director of Continuous Improvement is responsible for defining and governing Continuous Improvement strategy, performance standards, and capability development to drive measurable operational results across seasonal manufacturing environments. They establish direction and performance expectations for Continuous Improvement initiatives and operational excellence, ensuring alignment with business priorities, disciplined execution, and sustained outcomes through standardized governance, metrics, and reporting mechanisms. This role supports our Print Division, ensuring seasonal readiness, post-season performance evaluation, and continuous improvement of operational execution from one season to the next.

YOU HAVE:

• Education: Bachelor's degree Engineer, Operations, Business, or related field.


• Experience: 7+ years of experience leading manufacturing or operations improvement initiatives in a manufacturing, supply chain, E-comm or distribution environment.


• Leadership & Innovation: Proven Experience deploying Continuous Improvement initiatives across one or more plants or divisions.


• Communication & Collaboration: Great interpersonal skills, strong communication and problem-solving skills. Well developed influencing, presentation and negotiating skills.


• Analytical & Organizational Strength: Excellent analytical thinking, detail-oriented, and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.


• Methodologies or Lean Principles: Lean Six-Sigma, Kaizen, and/or Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement training or experience.


• Preferred skills: Experience supporting automation or technology-enabled process improvements.

YOU WILL:

• Enterprise Continuous Improvement Strategy: Define and lead a multi-plant Continuous Improvement strategy aligned with company operational and financial goals, establishing standard CI frameworks, tools, and metrics across all print facilities, prioritizing initiatives based on business impact and plant readiness, and translating strategic objectives into annual CI roadmaps for each site.


• Plant-Level Execution & Support: Partner with Plant Managers to identify, scope, and execute improvement opportunities across changeover times, quality, waste, spoilage and rework reduction, labor efficiency, and on-time delivery, while ensuring all improvement efforts are embedded into daily management systems with sound control mechanisms.


• Lean & CI Methodologies: You will lead the deployment of Lean, Six Sigma, and operational excellence tools across facilities, including Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Visual Management, structured problem-solving methods such as A3 and Root Cause Analysis, and Kaizen events and Rapid Improvement Workshops.


• Performance Measurement & Governance : You will establish and maintain KPIs across plants; including OEE, waste percentage, labor variance, and throughput. Track and report CI benefits such as cost savings, capacity gains, and quality improvements, and lead regular CI governance reviews with operations leadership to ensure sustained performance improvements.


• Capability Building & Culture : You will develop CI capability and ownership at all levels of the organization by delivering training for supervisors and frontline employees, coaching plant CI leads and facilitators, building problem-solving skills into daily operations, and driving employee engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement as enduring cultural norms.


• Cross-Functional Collaboration: You will partner with Engineering, Maintenance, IT, Supply Chain, and HR to remove systemic barriers to performance, support the integration of new equipment, processes, and acquisitions into standard CI practices, and collaborate with Transformation and Digital teams as needed while maintaining a sharp focus on operational improvement.

LOVE WHERE YOU WORK:

• We care about your health. We offer competitive healthcare (health, dental, vision, coverage) in addition to voluntary benefits including home and car insurance, pet insurance, flexible spending account, amongst many more.


• We invest in your future. Our 401K plan has immediate vesting, so you can start saving for retirement right away.


• We want you to unplug when needed. We believe in taking your time off without guilt and offer accrued paid time off and company paid holidays.


• We care about your development. We support tuition reimbursement after 6 months of service.


• We believe in pay transparency. The salary range is $160,000 - $185,000 with annual bonus eligibility.

ABOUT US:

Jostens leads the student commemoration market and has been serving local communities for over 125 years. We work with thousands of K-12 schools, colleges and universities each year, and have the honor of partnering with beloved sports teams and esteemed organizations across the country. Our iconic products - like yearbooks, letter jackets, class jewelry and championship rings - keep meaningful traditions alive and inspire millions of people to celebrate their unique stories, milestone moments and biggest accomplishments every year. We have 13 first-class facilities across the globe, from North America to the Caribbean. Watch a short video about us here .

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA):

Jostens is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. If reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the position, please reach out to our HR team at [e-mail].

Jostens is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with applicable employment laws. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled are encouraged to apply.

California Privacy Policy: https://www.jostens.com/about/california-employee-privacy-policy