Continuous Improvement Manager

Confidential Opportunity: Retained by Lean Six Search

Position: Continuous Improvement & Project Manager

Location: Greater Upstate New York Area

Industry: Global Food & Consumer Goods Manufacturing

About the Role

Our client, a leading global food and consumer goods manufacturer, has retained Lean Six Search to identify a Continuous Improvement & Project Manager to lead key capital, productivity, and operational excellence initiatives at one of their flagship North American sites.

This is a high-impact role responsible for driving measurable business performance through Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, capital investment projects, and cross-functional collaboration across operations, engineering, maintenance, and quality.

The successful candidate will act as a catalyst for change, embedding a culture of continuous improvement and delivering tangible results across safety, efficiency, and profitability.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management

• Lead multiple capital and productivity projects from concept through execution, ensuring delivery within scope, budget, and timeline.
• Develop project charters, schedules, and risk management frameworks to ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, finance, and quality.
• Manage vendor relationships, contract compliance, and site safety during project execution.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead initiatives to reduce waste, optimize processes, and enhance operational efficiency.
• Coach and mentor teams in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles.
• Facilitate Kaizen events, workshops, and process standardization programs.
• Analyze key operational metrics (OEE, downtime, waste, cost-to-produce) to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Partner closely with site and functional leadership to identify bottlenecks and deliver sustainable solutions.
• Champion a data-driven, people-centric approach to problem-solving.
• Serve as a continuous improvement ambassador — influencing at all levels and communicating success stories across the organization.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Technology, or related discipline.
• 7 years of experience in manufacturing operations (food, beverage, or consumer goods preferred).
• Proven success managing capital or productivity projects ranging from $250K–$5M.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent CI certification required.
• PMP or equivalent project management certification strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of SAP, Power BI, and other project management systems.
• Experience in automation or digital transformation environments is an asset.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Confident communicator, capable of influencing across all levels of the organization.
• Hands-on, collaborative leader who thrives in fast-paced manufacturing environments.
• Able to simplify complex concepts and translate technical data into actionable business outcomes.
• Resilient, pragmatic, and deeply committed to operational excellence.

About the Partnership

This search is being managed exclusively and confidentially by Lean Six Search, a global executive search firm specializing in end-to-end Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Operations leadership.

For more information or a confidential discussion, please contact our team at Lean Six Search Group.