[Hiring] Manager of Lean Excellence @International Paper

Role Description

Lead initiatives that improve efficiency, scalability, and operational consistency across the organization.

• Align strategy and tactics with the Corporate Lean Team and site-level operations leadership.
• Report to members of the business leadership team on status of lean road maps and adoption within each facility.
• Use data to identify gaps in performance versus best practices and work with the mill team to execute an improvement plan.
• Document best practices and share improvements to leverage results.
• Understand and apply financial drivers and key performance indicators.
• Implement lean tools such as 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, Visual Management, SMED, and Value Stream Mapping.
• Drive waste elimination, process flow optimization, and variation reduction.
• Facilitate structured problem solving using A3, DMAIC, 5-Why, RCFA, and similar methodologies.
• Deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Implement and manage systems, including daily management, that will sustain improvement efforts.
• Lead and coach kaizen events through hands-on participation.
• Develop training materials and effectively deliver those materials in multiple formats to ensure team members throughout the organization are trained in CI / lean concepts and philosophy.
• Evaluate and drive opportunities for appropriate CI and lean tool applications.
• Provide overall support, assistance, direction, and communication to the mill leadership teams regarding CI initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred in business, engineering, operations management, or related field.
• Significant operational and change management experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated success implementing lean manufacturing initiatives.
• Strong analytical, facilitation, coaching, and change leadership skills.
• Ability to influence without formal authority across multiple functions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• This position will require 50-75% travel.

Benefits

• Health, welfare, and retirement plans including Medical, Dental, Life insurance.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Short-term and Long-term Disability.
• 401(k) with company-funded retirement contributions.
• Paid Time Off.
• Education & Development (including Tuition Reimbursement).
• Student Loan Repayment Assistance.
• Voluntary Benefits including insurance for home, auto, vision, and pets.