Sr Manager, Continuous Improvement

Home Chef; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k match

Paid holidays

Job summary

Home Chef is seeking a Senior CI Manager to lead and execute continuous improvement across our national network. You will manage multi-site portfolios, drive strategic CI initiatives, and partner with cross-functional teams to deliver measurable efficiency gains.

The role requires strong leadership, analytics, and project management skills, with travel up to 50% to sites and facilities. You will champion standardized processes and scalable best practices across the plant network.

Qualifications

• Completion of a four-year degree in a related field
• 5+ years of experience in supply chain, operations, or engineering
• Background in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math preferred
• Excellent analytical skills; strong capabilities in Excel, Google Sheets

Responsibilities

• Leverage outputs from CI analytics and KPI reviews to identify opportunities for improvement at site and network levels.
• Develop and lead a structured CI Project Management approach with clear goals, data-driven recommendations and project implementations.
• Balance business priorities to deliver critical projects on time and within budget.
• Design and drive process improvement in Central Portioning, Drop Zone Management, Meal Bagging, Boxing Line, and general production processes.
• Identify opportunities to standardize and centralize through the Home Chef Operating System and scale best practices.
• Facilitate rapid improvement events and then standardize successful processes and workflows.
• Ensure trials are supported by the CI PM team and report project status and address barriers.

Skills

Analytical skills

Excel

Google Sheets

Project management

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Ambiguity handling

Large-scale projects

Education

Bachelor degree

Job description

Founded in 2013, Home Chef is the leading meal solutions company with both a retail and online presence. Available online athomechef.com and in retail at more than 2,100 Kroger grocery stores, Home Chef is committed to inspiring and enabling more people to cook simple, delicious meals, no matter how busy they are.

In 2023, Home Chef introduced a new brand, Tempo! Tempo features a rotating selection of ready-to-heat meals delivered directly to your door. These meals are better-for-you versions of familiar favorites, designed to save you time and reduce stress while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Our Tempo menu includes options that are protein-packed, fiber-rich, calorie and carb conscious, keto-friendly, and dietitian-approved.

Similar to our recipes, we recognize that variety is the spice of life, and therefore, our employees also bring their uniqueness and color to our fantastic team. We’re eager to work with humble team players and pragmatic next-level thinkers to innovate on Home Chef’s offerings.

The Senior CI Manager will serve as a strategic leader in Home Chef’s National CI team designing and implementing process improvement strategy, managing multi-site project portfolios, and collaborating with cross functional teams to deliver high-level business goals. As a leading strategist on the National CI team, this role is a plant facing, change driver that is constantly assessing plant performance and distance from target, assessing best practices, and leveraging the necessary plant process expertise to deliver continuous improvement to the plant fulfillment network. This role will support the CI Project Management team and process standardization and optimization initiatives across the program. This role will require strong leadership and analytics skills to create and deliver on the vision of enhanced operational efficiency, establishing priorities for CI Project Managers and Site CI teams to deliver lasting business impacting results. This hands‑on leader will own Home Chef’s Plant Impact processes, delivering clear communication, transparency, and smooth implementation of changes across the network.

Detailed Responsibilities

Setting Strategic Priorities

• Leverage outputs from CI analytics, fulfillment scorecards, and on site KPI reviews to identify opportunities for improvement at site and network levels.
• Develop and lead a structured approach to CI Project Management delivering clear goals, data driven recommendations, and project implementations.
• Balance business priorities and to deliver critical projects on time and within budget. Support establishing project charters, baseline metrics for project success, and reporting tools.

Process Ownership and Optimization

• Design and drive process improvement in Central Portioning, Drop Zone Management, Meal Bagging, Boxing Line, and general production processes.
• Identify opportunities for standardization and centralization through the lens of the Home Chef Operating System with a focus on scaling best practices.
• Identify opportunities to facilitate rapid improvement events and then standardize successful processes and workflows.
• Ensure process, product, and new technology trials are supported by the CI Project Management team members. Build mechanisms to regularly report on project status and address barriers in project timelines.

Collaboration with Cross Functional Stakeholders

• Serve as the primary bridge between corporate CI, plant operations, and cross-functional corporate stakeholders.
• Own critical Plant Impacting communications processes coordinating between corporate stakeholders and plants to ensure smooth implementation of projects and routine change management.
• Drive resolution of conflicts between stakeholder groups while managing project portfolio timelines.
• Coach and mentor corporate and site CI team members enhancing the overall capabilities of the Home Chef CI organization.

This position requires at least 50% travel.

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability needed for this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

• Completion of a four-year degree program in a related field
• 5+ years of experience in supply chain, operations, or engineering
• Background in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math preferred
• Excellent analytical skills; strong capabilities in Excel, Google Sheets.
• Continuous improvement mindset, experience identifying and driving process improvement
• Strong prioritization and project management skills
• Excellent communication skills, with experience creating buy in with a range of stakeholders such as hourly employees, customers, suppliers, and executives
• Proactive in identifying problems and finding innovative solutions
• Ability to understand the big picture as well as exceptional attention to detail
• Skilled at dealing with ambiguity and working in a fast-paced environment
• Experience spearheading execution on large-scale, high-impact projects
• Experience in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

More About Us

Perks and benefits

• Candidates can experience Home Chef as a customer - enter promo code PEOPLE30 for $30 off your first order!
• Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance available
• Paid holidays, sick time and vacation time
• 401k program
• Flexible spending accounts for qualified medical, dependent care, parking, or transit expenses

How We Work Together

We are humble team players.
We are warm and gracious with team members and customers. We seek feedback to improve ourselves - and respectfully listen to and accept input.

We are pragmatic next-level thinkers.
We come up with novel and unique ideas. We explore new strategies to avoid being constrained by conventional thinking.

We take ownership.
We approach ambiguous problems, prepared to dive in, get curious, and learn more. We are results-driven, always challenging ourselves to exceed goals.

We all show up authentically at Home Chef. Our team includes individuals with a variety of identities, backgrounds, and perspectives. You can trust that you’ll be able to bring your whole self to an inclusive and enjoyable workplace.

We welcome people of all races, colors, religions, national origin or ancestry, sex (including sexual identity), age, physical or mental disabilities, pregnancy, veteran or military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, order of protection status, citizenship status, arrest record or expunged/sealed convictions, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law.

Home Chef is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Home Chef will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact our People team [e-mail].

Home Chef offers the base salary range as posted below, with the exact offer depending on factors such as geographic location, experience, skills, and internal equity. While compensation is within the provided range, it is not typical for offers to be made at the upper end. In addition to base salary, Home Chef provides a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare coverage, 401k match, and paid time off.

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.