Manager Plant Continuous Improvement

Conagra Brands; Hagerstown (MD); On-site; USD 81,000 - 118,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the food industry is seeking a Continuous Improvement Manager to spearhead transformation initiatives within their Maryland plant. The successful candidate will leverage expertise in the ConAgra Performance System (CPS), guiding teams towards operational excellence and implementing key improvement strategies to enhance productivity. This role offers a competitive salary and numerous benefits, including career development opportunities.

Benefits

Comprehensive healthcare plans

Bonus incentive opportunity

Tuition reimbursement

Paid-time off

Qualifications

• 3+ years of manufacturing experience.
• 3+ years in Continuous Improvement environments like TPM, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma.
• Experience leading and mentoring teams.

Responsibilities

• Guide CPS roll-out and manage plant improvement strategies.
• Engage teams through hands-on mentoring and audits.
• Lead and implement cost-saving improvement projects.

Skills

Leadership

Problem Solving

Communication

Continuous Improvement

Coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Position Responsibilities:

• Essential Job Functions: (To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be assigned.)
• Guide CPS roll-out; lead the cultural shift to managing through pillars
• Provides leadership and subject matter expertise in the ConAgra Performance System (CPS) best practices.
• Coordinate and support plant pillar and platform Leads (5S, Safety, Planned Maintenance, Focused Improvement, etc.)
• Engage all associates through hands-on mentoring, audits, etc.
• Monitor Sprint Plan timeline and engage pillar leads and plant leadership to ensure successful completion
• Participate in pillar activities (e.g., Kaizen events)
• Lead the Reliability Improvement Plans (RIP); establish, as necessary, action plans; and follow-up meetings
• Instill a “hands-on,” systematic approach to problem solving (“Gemba”)
• Works closely with cross functional teams (i.e. Project Engineers, Contractors, Technicians, Peers, other CPS Pillars Leads, etc.) to plan, implement, lead and/or execute actions that will assist in CPS implementation in the facility.
• Leads and engages team members to in improve systems, processes and procedures.
• Coaches teams in personal accountability, giving and receiving feedback, root cause analysis, problem solving, decision making, trade-off analysis, interpersonal communications and external interactions
• Troubleshoots problems and implements corrective actions through root cause analysis.
• Works closely with the Operations teams to create an Autonomous Maintenance work culture and run to centerline.
• Develop Plant CI Implementation Strategy
• Manages CI resources to deliver year over year cost savings
• Facilitate Kaizen Events
• Lead plant MVP process and projects
• Implement cost savings improvement projects
• Implement 6S, SMED and Standard Work projects
• Implement corporate/plant CI systems
• Develop, implement and manage standard work for all operational areas
• Actively reinforces key CPS concepts everyday through coaching and auditing across the organization.
• Facilitates and reacts to non-routine and crisis situations.
• Work with Enterprise Pillar Lead to build skills in plant pillar teams.
• Works as a CPS Practitioner with plant manager and plant CPS Leads to build skills in plant pillar teams and facilitate improvement efforts.
• Work with Line Structure Leaders to develop leadership skills.
• Works with plant Leadership Team to develop High Performance Production Teams.
• Responsible for helping the plant Leadership Team achieve business metrics through implementation of CPS.
• Responsible for the sites training plan / certification process utilizing the CPS pillar

Position Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Three (3) plus years of manufacturing experience
• Three (3) plus years of experience in Continuous Improvement environment – TPM, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and related process improvement systems.
• Three (3) plus years of experience leading, guiding, and mentoring teams and individuals along with practical experience in understanding group dynamics and team development
• Three (3) plus years in facilitating cross-functional teams; overseeing root-cause analysis, data collection, and problem solving utilizing key TPM/ CPS concepts such as “Why, Why/ How How”, Phenomena Thinking, etc.
• Working knowledge of production equipment and systems including maintenance activities.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Self-motivated and ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to manage and prioritize one’s own time consistent with the needs of the business
• Excellent communication skills including oral, written and listening.
• Excellent coaching skills to be utilized at all levels of the organization
• Ability to interpret a variety of technical information in mathematical and/or narrative form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Compensation:

Pay Range:$81,000-$118,000

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.

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.