Director of Continuous Improvement

S&D Coffee
United States, Arkansas, Conway
480 Exchange Avenue (Show on map)
Mar 06, 2025
The Director of Continuous Improvement (CI) for a company is the person in charge of developing, planning, and executing the strategy that results in eliminating waste, improving customer satisfaction, and increasing market share. A Continuous Improvement Director is not only highly competent as a process manager skilled in project design, planning, and implementation to ensure performance and process development, but also as a leader who drives the CI initiatives in the company. A Director of Continuous Improvement measures and tests corporate procedures to improve production efficiency. They are analytical project coordinators, understand complicated ideas, and develop strategic decisions through problem-solving skills. A successful Director of CI has a depth of process improvement experience in manufacturing and/or supply chain, including several years of experience leading and executing process improvement projects using Lean and Six Sigma and other continuous improvement principles. Additionally, this role requires hands-on knowledge of manufacturing, warehouse, logistics, distribution, or engineering as well as experience as a Lean transformation leader with a broad cross-functional background. Job Duties: Managing and facilitating all Continuous Improvement initiatives and strategy Driving a continuous improvement culture within the organization by prioritizing opportunities and execution of a Lean transformation strategy and metrics Using metrics to provide support to process owners in linking projects to strategic operational objectives Driving plant cost savings initiatives Assisting teams in developing Lean roadmaps to use in the deployment of strategic objectives Ensuring successful definition and execution of large, cross-functional improvement initiatives tied to annual strategic priorities Identifying best practices within and outside the company and serving as a channel for best-practice sharing and adoption across business units Providing guidance for projects and kaizen events Managing and facilitating continuous improvement projects and kaizen events to improve productivity and accelerate growth Challenging organizational leaders when necessary to create an action-based culture of continuous improvement and increase CI and Lean-oriented thinking throughout the organization Working with the finance department to evaluate project savings estimates, validate reported CI benefits, and ensure accurate accounting of CI productivity Analyzing company processes and procedures Developing process enhancement strategies Establishing norms and standards of company performance Monitoring staff performance and organizational processes Communicating ideas and opinions to other members of management Collaborating with other stakeholders to enhance productivity and staff satisfaction Training, mentoring, and guiding team members in new processes Staying up-to-date with developments in management and process optimization Qualifications: Excellent written and oral communication skills Predisposition to teach leaders and others a zero defect mentality Ability to weigh and manage priorities Skilled at synthesis and analysis Strategic and analytical thinker Leadership and coaching skills Project management 5+ years of experience in process optimization, operations, or business management Continual Improvement Process Kaizen Six Sigma Black Belt Lean Manufacturing Advanced skills in the use of data management tools to monitor progress toward goals Continuous Improvement 5S Root Cause Analysis Value Stream Mapping Proficiency in commonly used and specialized software Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Suite, including advanced skills with Excel Demonstrated ability to work in high paced and changing environments Bachelor's Degree in business administration, process management, operations, industrial engineering, or engineering management. Some employers require a graduate degree in engineering, business or an MBA concentrating in Business Administration, Economics, Educational Management, Marketing Management, Project Management, Accounting, or a related field.