Staff Continuous Improvement Professional

Crayola; Easton (Northampton County); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Bonus Potential for all Full-Time Employees

Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits

Education Assistance Program

Generous Product Discounts

Company Sponsored Employee Events

Job summary

Crayola is seeking a Staff Continuous Improvement Professional in Easton, PA to lead operational excellence initiatives. The role involves coaching employees, managing improvement projects, and leveraging AI to drive measurable enhancements in processes and service levels.

A minimum of 5 years experience in Continuous Improvement is required, with a Bachelor's degree preferred. Candidates should have strong problem-solving skills and be able to communicate effectively across teams. In this position, employees can enjoy a range of benefits including healthcare and annual bonuses.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of Continuous Improvement experience.
• Experience supporting technology adoption, automation, or AI-related initiatives.
• Demonstrated problem-solving capability.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational excellence initiatives across the organization.
• Manage training and development programs for employees.
• Project manage multiple improvement initiatives.

Skills

Continuous Improvement leadership

Problem-solving

Data-driven decision-making

Communication skills

Lean/Six Sigma methodologies

Education

Bachelor's degree

Black Belt Certification

Tools

Minitab

Microsoft Office

Job description

Crayola has inspired children to express their creativity since 1903. Crayolians take pride in fulfilling our mission of helping parents and educators raise creatively alive children around the world. Join our team and be part of an iconic brand that develops quality art products and experiences that are loved by families and preferred by teachers. Our company culture is mission focused, and encourages fun, collaboration, transparency, and helping others. Crayola believes our workforce benefits from a broad spectrum of diverse ideas and perspectives which enables us to understand our consumers better.

Staff Continuous Improvement Professional, Easton, PA

General Summary

This role leads operational excellence initiatives while enabling practical, responsible use of AI across the manufacturing organization. Identifies opportunities to streamline processes, reduce waste, and improve service levels through the Crayola Operating System (Safety, Quality, Operational Excellence, Maintenance Excellence). Manages training and development through planning, creating and implementing development programs and initiatives, including individual manufacturing development paths, machine and technical skills. Coaches and develops CI pillar Leads. Manages temporary CI resources. Develops a common Continuous Improvement culture to exceed customer expectations & deliver business results. The role partners across functions to translate business needs into measurable improvement initiatives, establish governance, support adoption, and ensure teams are equipped to use AI effectively and responsibly.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Work directly with department leader(s) (VP, GM, Directors, etc.) to implement the Crayola Operating System in assigned areas of coaching (within & outside Operations)
• Coach Crayola Operating System for 100+ employees.
• Project Manage 20+ improvement projects (planning what projects to execute through completion & benefit tracking).
• Lead teams in cross-functional work processes, root cause process issues, extended value streams and supply chains that directly impact goal of $2,000,000.
• Lead and manage a portfolio of continuous improvement initiatives focused on quality, efficiency, cost, service, and risk reduction. Analyze current-state processes, identify root causes of performance gaps, and design scalable improvements using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or similar methodologies.
• Work with CI Professionals and organization managers on standard work, standard work audits, standard work results & standard work improvement.
• Work with coordinators aligning development plans with SOPs & standard work checklist.
• Facilitate workshops, value stream mapping sessions, and cross-functional problem-solving efforts to improve workflows and decision-making.
• Partner with operations stakeholders to identify high-value AI use cases and prioritize opportunities based on impact, feasibility, and risk.
• Support the evaluation, pilot, and rollout of AI-enabled tools and automations that improve productivity, accuracy, and user experience.
• Coach teams and leaders on continuous improvement disciplines, data-driven decision-making, and practical application of AI in day-to-day operations.

Job Specifications

• Minimum 5 years of Continuous Improvement experience
• Must be able to work 8+ hours on second and/or third shift per week.
• Experience supporting technology adoption, automation, analytics, or AI-related initiatives in a business environment.
• Black Belt Certification preferred.
• Bachelor's degree preferred
• Proven leadership in a cross-functional team environment
• Demonstrated problem-solving capability.
• Able to engage in positive critical thinking and take proactive actions.
• Demonstrates exceptional communication skills.
• Must have strong computer skills including Minitab, Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, SharePoint and PowerPoint
• Ability to travel domestic/internationally 10-15%

Physical Conditions

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk; use hands and fingers to operate, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Why Crayola?

• Kid Inspired Culture
• Free Admission to Crayola Experience for Employees
• Community Volunteerism Opportunities
• Annual Bonus Potential for all Full-Time Employees
• Company Matched 401k & Employee Value Sharing Plan
• Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits for Eligible Employees
• Education Assistance Program
• Wellness Programs
• Employee Resource Groups
• Generous Product Discounts Onsite & Online
• Company Sponsored Employee Events
• Discounts on a wide variety of products and services - automotive, electronics, fitness, travel and entertainment

Green is our favorite color! Crayola cares about the environment and responsibly makes the products you love. Learn more about Crayola's creative solutions for greener tomorrows: https://www.crayola.com/about-us/sustainability

Crayola is committed to providing competitive market compensation. Our pay ranges are established using reliable market data and consider factors such as job responsibilities, industry benchmarks, and geographic location. Individual starting pay is determined by a candidate's skills, experience and qualifications. This role is eligible to participate in an annual incentive plan as per plan guidelines. For a full list of Crayola benefits, please visit https://www.crayola.com/company/employee-benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.