Manufacturing Continuous Improvement Leader

Hershey Company; Edgerton (KS); On-site; USD 111,000 - 139,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing

401(k) match

Paid time off

Career development

Job summary

The Hershey Company in Edgerton, KS is seeking a Manager, Continuous Improvement to lead process enhancements in manufacturing. You will guide process mapping, implement Redzone and Hershey Lean, and strengthen operator capability across teams.

The role emphasizes data-driven problem solving, cross-functional collaboration, and sustaining improvements. A Bachelor's degree and 5+ years in manufacturing are required; travel up to 25% is expected.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience in manufacturing.
• Experience in an automated manufacturing environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and driving process, system, or operational improvements.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma tools, and Total Productive Maintenance preferred.
• Experience developing and facilitating training programs preferred.
• Experience collecting, analyzing, and translating data into practical action plans.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Lead teams responsible for day-to-day process execution, service delivery, and continuous improvement within an assigned manufacturing area.
• Set clear goals, roles, decision rights, performance expectations, and accountability for team members.
• Review performance against established metrics and standards, identify gaps, and implement corrective actions that improve service quality and operational consistency.
• Drive daily problem solving and data-driven planning for targeted manufacturing operations, using line-loss data to prioritize opportunities.
• Coach plant leadership and front-line teams on daily management systems and execution standards using Redzone, S/4, Hershey Lean, and related tools.
• Develop and implement improvements from loss diagnostics and ideation through process changes and capital projects.
• Coordinate process mapping and workflow redesign across teams, ensuring solutions are practical and aligned with customer needs.
• Support financial valuation for the continuous improvement pipeline, capital projects, new item costing, and related initiatives.
• Partner with stakeholders to clarify service delivery requirements, manage expectations, resolve cross-team issues, and sustain improvements.
• Establish training programs for front-line operators on Hershey Lean standards and build team capability through coaching and development.
• Promote alignment across sites by sharing standards, practices, and continuous improvement learnings.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Leadership

Problem Solving

Data Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Change Management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Redzone

OSI PI

Power Apps

Power BI

Microsoft 365

Job description

The Hershey Company in Edgerton, KS is seeking a Manager, Continuous Improvement to lead process enhancements in manufacturing. You will guide process mapping, implement Redzone and Hershey Lean, and strengthen operator capability across teams.

The role emphasizes data-driven problem solving, cross-functional collaboration, and sustaining improvements. A Bachelor's degree and 5+ years in manufacturing are required; travel up to 25% is expected.