Continuous Improvement Manager

Join the California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) team, a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to sustainably producing the highest quality dairy products while fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. CDI products are delivered locally and around the world. Situated in Stanislaus County, our Turlock South manufacturing plant specializes in the production of butter and milk powder. We encourage you to be part of our team that's shaping the future of dairy, right from the heart of California!

Our commitment to CDI employees:

We believe in valuing our team with a total rewards package that goes beyond the basics. You'll find we offer competitive pay and incentive programs designed to recognize and reward your contributions. Competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, generous paid time off, sick days & holidays, retirement plans designed to secure your future. We don't stop there. We've also cultivated a variety of valuable programs focused on your personal well-being and professional growth, ensuring you have the support you need to both inside and outside of work.

Job Summary

The Continuous Improvement (CI) Manager is responsible for driving the improvement of processes and systems in California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) manufacturing facilities by implementing programs with continuing long-term benefits. This includes but is not limited to working with other CI Team Members, leading multi-disciplinary team projects to implement standardized systems and processes which assist teams in achieving enterprise goals.

Position is approximately 75% during normal business hours, while reachable by cell phone 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. Approximately 25% of time spent on site will be after hours and on weekends. This is flexible depending on the needs of the organization and active project(s). Travel to other sites and / or offsite training may be required.

This role responsible for delivering process innovation and continuous improvement initiatives across multiple departments. It will play an essential role in helping to foster a culture of sustainable change through the creation and embedding of LEAN-Six Sigma-Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) methodology and the supporting framework to deliver lasting results.

Essential Functions

• Implement sustainable improvements across the value chain by applying Lean-Six Sigma-TPM methodologies.
• Partner with plant leadership to develop execution plans for corporate initiatives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to deliver improvements and achieve business objectives.
• Lead and manage the plant productivity agenda across five productivity streams: Design, Source, Plan, Make, and Deliver.
• Execute loss analysis processes as needed to support the timely identification of trends, losses, and process variation to establish plant improvement projects.
• Define and implement processes to support a continuous improvement culture: annual improvement planning, results review, understanding issues, taking actions, launching problem-solving or projects, and implementing sustainable solutions to drive improvement.
• Elicit requirements and drive process change using staff interviews, document analysis, requirements workshops, surveys, site visits, business process descriptions, business analysis and workflow analysis.
• Provide accurate and timely progress against key objectives, savings projects, potential risks, and risk mitigation efforts to the Director of Program Management & Continuous Improvement.
• Function as a core team member and subject matter expert in working sessions designed to improve business operations cross-functionally.
• Coordinate with the Talent Team and Technical Services to develop and publish SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures), OPL's (One-point lesson), and SWI (Standard Work Instructions) for various manufacturing processes across the organization.
• Assist in building a Daily Management System platform for plants for 3 organizational levels: Operator, Supervisor, and Plant Leadership.
• Audit improved processes and CI initiatives for sustainability and compliance.
• Provide on-going training and expertise regarding Continuous Improvement tools.
• Provide analytical support to continuously identify gaps, project opportunities, and solutions.
• Share successful best practices with other plants and teams.
• Implement problem-solving and improvement methods of Lean-Six Sigma-TPM through formal training and hands-on coaching.
• Drive use of focused Kaizen improvement efforts aimed at breakthrough and incremental improvements in plant processes, department, and/or line-specific opportunities that meet and exceed performance metrics.
• Effectively deploy change management tools and techniques to ensure the adoption and buy-in of all stakeholders to improve processes and systems across CDI through documentation, training, and support to ensure sustainability.
• Make decisions independently on project topics that are in the best interest of the project, teams involved, and the business.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Must demonstrate good judgement when carrying out duties as assigned.
• This position requires the ability to lead teams of people to achieve positive results through others (e.g. Influence).
• Responsible for supervising project teams and assigned tasks.
• Manage project objectives to keep project in scope and on time.
• In conjunction with the Talent Team, coordinate on-the-job training.
• In conjunction with site management and Human Resources, oversee adherence to company policies and procedures.
• Must have the ability to work with all levels of the organization to facilitate change and improvements.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and communicate Lean / Six Sigma / TPM methodologies.
• Proven history of project execution while staying within scope and timeline.
• Ability to understand strategic plans and synthesize a roadmap including individual projects which ultimately achieve the objectives.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to achieve results in cross-functional teams.
• Strong demonstrated understanding of:
• Dairy/Food processing and packaging technology and methods
• Process qualification & validation in the dairy industry

• Bachelor of Science in related field or a minimum of 5 years of proven continuous improvement analytical experience from a similar role, with an excellent understanding of continuous improvement concepts, including Six Sigma, Lean, TPM or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Formal problem-solving training with examples of application and results.
• Possess an accredited Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt
• High tolerance for ambiguity in a complex environment, ability to shift priorities, settings, and audiences.
• Ability to set up, facilitate, and lead Kaizen-style improvement sessions with various business stakeholders.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office and experience with SharePoint and Power BI.
• Taking accountability for ideas from inception to delivery in an environment that requires robust metrics to confirm success.
• Experience in hands-on implementation of continuous improvement programs and Lean solutions.
• Experience designing remediation plans to address productivity and efficiency issues and a track record of following through to ensure closure.
• Demonstrated excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with diverse employees and subject matter experts. Able to make the complex clear and easily understood.
• Demonstrated strong analytical, project, and product management skills, including a thorough understanding of interpreting business needs and translating them into operational requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in the entire project life cycle, able to operate in the initial conceptual design stage, in the depths of system testing, and at each stage in between.
• Must have the ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions given in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Must be able to discern when issues may require input from levels of authority within the corporation.

• Employee will be subject to temperatures from 34 to above 100 degrees.
• This position will be exposed to industrial and office environments

• Sitting/Standing/Walking: Stands, walks and sits during completion of job responsibilities.
• Lifting/Carrying: Occasional lifting requirements as job demands. Must be able to lift a minimum of 40 lbs. on an occasional basis.
• Pushing/Pulling: Occasional pushing or pulling requirements.
• Bending/Stooping: Occasional bending and stooping requirements.
• Squatting/Kneeling/Crawling: Occasional kneeling or crawling requirements.
• Twisting/Turning: Ongoing twisting or turning requirements.
• Climbing/Balancing: Climbing and balancing is required during plant inspections, and other related job requirements.
• Reaching: Ongoing reaching requirements associated with job requirements.
• Grasping/Manipulating: Grasping and manipulating of papers, objects, and equipment will be required. Ability to keyboard for data input will be required on an ongoing basis.