Director, Continuous Improvement, Chemical

Milliken & Company is a global manufacturing leader whose focus on materials science delivers tomorrow’s breakthroughs today. From industry-leading molecules to sustainable innovations, Milliken creates products that enhance people’s lives and deliver solutions for its customers and communities. Drawing on thousands of patents and a portfolio with applications across the textile, flooring, chemical and healthcare businesses, the company harnesses a shared sense of integrity and excellence to positively impact the world for generations. Discover more about Milliken’s curious minds and inspired solutions at Milliken.com and on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Position Overview

The Director of Continuous Improvement leads the strategic deployment of the Milliken Performance System (MPS) across the Chemical global operations to drive continuous improvement, operational excellence, and strategic growth.

This role partners closely with plant and corporate leaders to develop organizational capability in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, lead cross-functional improvement initiatives, establish performance metrics, and deliver measurable gains in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and costs. The Director ensures successful execution of strategic initiatives through coaching, training, standardization, best-practice sharing, and rigorous performance management to enable a safe, efficient, reliable, and cost-effective supply chain.

Job Responsibilities

• Coordinate the implementation of the Milliken Performance System (MPS) across our manufacturing locations that will result in lowered operating cost and efficient, reliable supply of product.
• Develop organizational capability by coaching and mentoring leaders and associates in problem-solving, lean tools, and MPS methods to strengthen a culture of continuous improvement.
• Lead cross functional improvement events—including Kaizen, FI teams, and focused workshops—to deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and productivity.
• Lead the development and implementation of key strategic growth and change initiatives across all Operations functions to enable safe, efficient, and reliable supply to our customers
• Build and deliver training programs that advance MPS knowledge, enhance skills, and support system deployment across all organizational levels. Add train and develop associates in lean and Six Sigma methodologies
• Establish and manage KPIs by analyzing performance data, identifying gaps, setting challenging targets, and guiding teams toward data driven solutions.
• Ensure execution and sustainability of improvement initiatives, including benefit validation, project tracking, and progress reporting to corporate leadership.
• Promote standardization and best practice sharing by developing and maintaining a cross‑site practice database and facilitating global learning.
• Collaborate with plant and corporate CI/MPS leaders to align priorities, coordinate improvement roadmaps, and accelerate enterprise performance.
• Manage the cost reduction/hopper process and support ongoing strategic deployment and execution across the group.
  
  

Qualifications - Required

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, chemistry or related field
• 10 years of relevant manufacturing experience
• Lean Six Simga Black Belt certification
• Application experience and working knowledge of the Toyota Production System, Danaher Business System or related management control system
• Demonstrated ability to teach, coach and mentor individuals and project teams
• Applicable experience successfully leading and executing projects
• Strong financial acumen and experience linking CI results to business impact
• Ability to travel domestically and globally as required (typically 20%)
• Position based in Spartanburg, South Carolina
  
  

Qualifications - Preferred

• Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification
• Experience in chemical manufacutring or similar process industry
  
  

Milliken is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, including but not limited to lactation), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

To request a reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, a job interview, or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact TalentAcquisition@milliken.com.