Manufacturing Leadership Development Program

Kerry Group; Town of Jackson (WI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Paid time off

401(k) plan with company contribution

Employee share plan

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Kerry Group invites you to join the Manufacturing Leadership Development Program in Wisconsin. This 24-month rotation program develops future leaders by pairing hands-on plant exposure with structured leadership training.

Successful candidates will rotate through manufacturing functions, gain cross-functional experience, and work toward People Manager responsibilities while contributing to safety, quality, and efficiency improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science Technology, Process Engineering, Manufacturing/Mechanical Engineering, or Chemical/BioChemical Engineering with expected graduation Dec 2026–May 2027.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Motivated self-starter with drive to succeed.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and drive the delivery of operational targets, initiatives, and improvements.
• Support department managers in achieving factory performance improvements via lean tools.
• Facilitate site teams and manage major transformational projects.
• Ensure direct reports are trained with safety and wellbeing in mind.
• Assist in training and deployment of Kerry's improvement principles, projects, tools, and KPIs.
• Maintain awareness of best practices and modern improvement techniques.
• Familiarize with Kerry's problem-solving method (root cause, 8 steps, etc.).
• Live Kerry values of Courage, Ownership, Inclusiveness, Open-mindedness, and Enterprising Spirit.

Skills

Problem-solving

Self-starter

Interpersonal skills

Team work

MS Office

Curious mindset

Willingness to travel

Relocation for rotation

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Job description

Manufacturing Leadership Development Program

About Kerry

At Kerry we're obsessed with food and an ambition to provide 2 billion people access to more sustainable nutrition. Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for 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.

The Kerry Leadership Development Program is a 24-month rotational program, which will begin on July 12, 2027.

Manufacturing Overview

You will have responsibility to co-ordinate and drive the delivery of operational targets, initiatives and improvements at one of our manufacturing facilities. You will be required to support department managers in delivering factory performance improvements through the facilitation of Site teams using lean tools and techniques. Initially with a very hands-on approach to developing capability and leadership skills, you'll develop into a People Manager with potential Shift Management responsibility. You'll have specific project tasks related to driving the introduction of aspects of strategic change as the business continues to grow. Your direct line manager will be the Production Manager, but you may also receive instruction from the Operations Manager or other Managers as appropriate. You'll have real opportunity to engage right across the business and make a difference early in your career. You will be supported and work alongside one of the most experienced food manufacturing teams in the world.

Key Responsibilities

What you'll do

• Support the Site Strategic Agenda and the successful implementation and maintenance of the Kerry Manufacturing Standard (Site Audit Standard)
• Identify, manage, and execute initiatives to deliver significant improvements in the areas of: Safety, Quality, Delivery / Service, Operating efficiency, People Management, Materials control and efficiency
• Facilitate and support management teams (and other teams) involved in major transformational projects (e.g. re-engineering the major Site business processes)
• Ensure all direct reports are fully trained and equipped with the necessary skills to operate in an environment that promotes safety and well-being
• Support site programs to ensure the effective training and deployment of the principles, projects, tools and techniques (as appropriate) and KPIs etc.
• Maintain awareness of best practice and modern improvement techniques
• Ensure familiarity is achieved with Kerry's preferred method of problem solving (root cause, 8 steps etc.)
• Actively live the Kerry values of Courage, Ownership, Inclusiveness, Open-mindedness, & Enterprising Spirit

Qualifications and Skills

What you'll need to be successful

• Bachelor's degree from a four-year accredited college or university in Food Science Technology, Process Engineering, Manufacturing/Mechanical Engineering, or Chemical/BioChemical Engineering with an expected graduation date between December 2026 - May 2027
• Exceptional problem-solving skills
• Motivated self-starter with the determination and drive to succeed
• Strong interpersonal skills with the proven ability to communicate effectively to all levels of an organization
• Ability to work in a team environmentProficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• A curious mindset
• Willingness to travel
• Relocation for the second rotation is required

Compensation Data

The pay range for this position is $65,000 - $70,000 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. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement.

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 hiring decisions are made by our 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) .