OpEx Site Leader

Kruger Products Inc.; Memphis, Northern (TN, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kruger Products Inc. in Memphis seeks an Operational Excellence Site Leader to drive Lean transformation and accountability across tissue manufacturing operations.

You will champion a culture of ownership, engage teams, and partner with maintenance, engineering, quality, and HR to deliver sustainable results on safety, quality, and cost. You will guide cross-functional improvement initiatives, develop leadership capabilities, and leverage data-driven decision making to elevate site performance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field preferred; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience considered.
• 5+ years of experience leading operational excellence, continuous improvement, manufacturing, engineering, or supply chain initiatives.
• Experience in Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence systems.
• Knowledge of tissue manufacturing, converting, papermaking, consumer packaged goods, or other high-speed manufacturing environments preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change and influencing without direct authority.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and coaching skills.
• Green Belt or Black Belt certification is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the site's Operational Excellence strategy and continuous improvement roadmap.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, safety, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Coach leaders and teams on Lean principles, problem solving, standard work, TPM, visual management, and operational discipline.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reliability, quality, cost, and manufacturing performance across tissue production and converting operations.
• Facilitate cross-functional improvement initiatives that eliminate waste, reduce process variation, and improve operational efficiency.
• Drive employee engagement and create alignment around site goals, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Partner with manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, quality, supply chain, and HR teams to deliver sustainable business results.
• Champion innovation, digital tools, and data-driven decision making to support future growth and operational excellence.
• Develop organizational capability through training, coaching, mentoring, and leadership development initiatives.
• Support strategic planning, site pillar systems, performance management, and execution of key business objectives.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Continuous Improvement

Leadership

Problem Solving

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Operations

5+ years in OE/CI/operations

Tools

TPM

Visual management

Job description

Lead the Future of Tissue Manufacturing

At Kruger Products, we are driven by innovation, teamwork, continuous improvement, and a commitment to making everyday essentials better for our customers. We are seeking a passionate, high-energy Operational Excellence Site Leader to drive transformation across our tissue manufacturing operations, champion a culture of accountability and engagement, and help position our Memphis facility as a benchmark for operational excellence.

This role partners closely with site leadership to accelerate business results through Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, employee engagement, and strategic execution while creating an environment where people thrive, grow, and succeed together.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead the site's Operational Excellence strategy and continuous improvement roadmap.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, safety, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Coach leaders and teams on Lean principles, problem solving, standard work, TPM, visual management, and operational discipline.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reliability, quality, cost, and manufacturing performance across tissue production and converting operations.
• Facilitate cross-functional improvement initiatives that eliminate waste, reduce process variation, and improve operational efficiency.
• Drive employee engagement and create alignment around site goals, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Partner with manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, quality, supply chain, and HR teams to deliver sustainable business results.
• Champion innovation, digital tools, and data-driven decision making to support future growth and operational excellence.
• Develop organizational capability through training, coaching, mentoring, and leadership development initiatives.
• Support strategic planning, site pillar systems, performance management, and execution of key business objectives.

What Makes You Successful

• Strategic & Forward-Thinking
• Sees opportunities others miss and translates vision into action.
• Embraces innovation, technology, and new ways of working.
• Thinks beyond today's challenges to create future capabilities.
• Influential Leader
• Energizes and inspires teams around a common purpose.
• Builds commitment and drives engagement at every level.
• Influences outcomes through collaboration, not authority alone.
• Collaborative Team Builder
• Develops strong relationships across functions.
• Creates trust, inclusion, and a positive team culture.
• Brings people together to solve problems and achieve results.
• Results-Oriented Change Agent
• Holds self and others accountable for commitments.
• Drives execution with urgency and discipline.
• Uses data and structured problem solving to improve performance.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field preferred; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience considered.
• 5+ years of experience leading operational excellence, continuous improvement, manufacturing, engineering, or supply chain initiatives.
• Experience in Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence systems.
• Knowledge of tissue manufacturing, converting, papermaking, consumer packaged goods, or other high-speed manufacturing environments preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change and influencing without direct authority.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and coaching skills.
• Green Belt or Black Belt certification is highly desirable.

The Ideal Candidate

You are a high-energy, people-focused leader who thrives on building strong teams and delivering meaningful results. You bring a positive attitude, an innovative mindset, and a passion for helping others succeed. You are equally comfortable on the manufacturing floor, in a leadership meeting, or coaching employees through change. Most importantly, you believe that operational excellence starts with people and culture.

Join Kruger Products and help shape the future of tissue manufacturing through innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this job description.

Kruger Products is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals. We thank all applicants for their interest in Kruger Products but only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.