Operations Excellence Practitioner

The Operations Excellence Practitioner serves as a continuous improvement expert supporting multiple sites by leading high-impact initiatives that advance the ROOT Operational Excellence program. This role evaluates performance, identifies improvement opportunities, and executes structured CI projects that drive measurable business results. Practitioners act as subject matter experts in developing and piloting new CI programs, provide hands-on problem-solving support, and deliver training that strengthens site capabilities. The ideal candidate combines strong analytical skills with practical operational insight to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and sustain long-term performance improvements across the network.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluate current-state processes against industry best practices and performance benchmarks to identify improvement opportunities.
• Prioritize continuous improvement initiatives based on return on investment, operational impact, and level of effort.
• Act as a subject matter expert in developing, piloting, and improving CI programs, standards, and methodologies within the ROOT Operational Excellence framework.
• Execute short- and long-term continuous improvement projects across sites, including planning, implementation, tracking, and documentation of process changes.
• Apply structured problem-solving methods and CI tools to eliminate causes of inefficiencies, margin erosion, and non-value-added activities.
• Analyze KPI and performance data to assess results, validate financial impact, and adjust improvement actions as needed.
• Create and maintain site-specific dashboards, reports, and metrics to demonstrate progress, sustainability, and long-term impact.
• Develop and deploy continuous improvement training and activities to support ROOT, Ardent Mills Operational Excellence program, across multiple sites.

Experience and Education:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, industrial engineering, mechanical engineer, or a related field or 4-6 years of experience in Continuous Improvement for manufacturing

• Experience with continuous improvement, 5S, lean manufacturing, kaizen, lean six sigma, root cause analysis, and value stream mapping

• Technical acumen including systems and data visualization

• Excellent written and verbal communication including facilitation skills

• 1-2 years managing projects using project management tools or technology

• Knowledge of capital expenditure process and requirements

• Proficiency in using various operations systems

• Leadership, coaching, and /or mentoring

Good to Have:

• Lean, Six Sigma, or related certification

• Ability to work in a fast paced and changing environment

• Ability to communicate with all levels of the organization

• Experience delivering transactional process improvement

• Flexibility and diplomacy with coworkers

• Ability to make decisions as well as influence decision-making

• Ability to weigh and manage priorities

• Ability to manage multiple projects and programs simultaneously

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions (With or without reasonable accommodation):

• Ability to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as is required by the operating areas

• Ability to work a machine paced continuous process that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with conditions which include:

o Heat / cold temperatures (inclement weather)

o Indoor/ outdoor environment

o Dusty environment

o Noisy environment

o Frequent moving/ vibration/ or other motion of equipment / process

o Elevated places, to include stairs/ladders

Other Considerations:

• Up to 40% travel

Team members must be clean shaven in order to perform tasks where respiratory protection is required and the use of a respirator (including N-95 dust mask) requires a proper seal for adequate protection.

Location:

Gibsonton FL

Address:

6041 Diana Toledo Almeida Road, Gibsonton FL, 33534

Additional Locations (if applicable):

Employment Type:

Full time

Additional Information:

Competitive Compensation:

We provide market-driven base pay, based on skills, abilities, and level of experiences. Our salary ranges are broad, and individual salary will be market competitive based on a candidate's unique set of skills and level of experience. The starting range for this position is $102,600.00 - $136,896.10, with additional earning potential possible commensurate with experience. Additionally, we believe that our team members are the reason for our success and all team members are incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and individual results achieved. While the specific bonus plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions, the targeted bonus plan and targeted percentage amount for this role is Bonus - OIP, 15% Annual.

Benefits:

At Ardent Mills we offer a wide range of benefits to our team members and their eligible family members. Some of our great benefit programs you may be eligible for include: • Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage• Health and Dependent Savings Accounts • Life and Disability Programs • Voluntary Benefit Programs • Company Sponsored Wellness Programs • Retirement Savings with Company Match • Team Member and Family Assistance Program (EAP) • Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays • Employee Recognition Program with Rewards (RAVE).