What are the responsibilities and job description for the Continuous Improvement Leader position at Smurfit Westrock?
Description & Requirements
Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.
Career Opportunity
The Continuous Improvement (CI) Leader plays a key role in building a sustainable culture of employee engagement in continuous improvement and development. This position will act as a change agent to elevate levels of plant performance and deliver high impact results through CI practices and employee development. The CI Leader functions as a member of the site leadership team and is responsible for all operational excellence and world-class manufacturing activities. This role serves as a site resource to drive local CI improvement. The role may also liaison with divisional and site resources to execute productivity strategies and ensure CI activities are aligned with business goals related to Safety, Quality, Cost, Service, and People. Success in this role requires a leader who can effectively drive change in a fast-paced manufacturing environment utilizing continuous improvement methodologies and tools. Sample responsibilities include identifying / prioritizing improvement activities, tracking financial progress, and coaching / mentoring project leaders and teams. The ability to influence and lead others is key to success.
How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock
The CI Leader is responsible for helping drive business results including productivity by leveraging continuous improvement systems, processes, and tools. She/he will help support the deployment of the standard Smurfit Westrock Operating System and build a sustainable culture of employee engagement in continuous improvement. Specific responsibilities Include:
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.
Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.
Career Opportunity
The Continuous Improvement (CI) Leader plays a key role in building a sustainable culture of employee engagement in continuous improvement and development. This position will act as a change agent to elevate levels of plant performance and deliver high impact results through CI practices and employee development. The CI Leader functions as a member of the site leadership team and is responsible for all operational excellence and world-class manufacturing activities. This role serves as a site resource to drive local CI improvement. The role may also liaison with divisional and site resources to execute productivity strategies and ensure CI activities are aligned with business goals related to Safety, Quality, Cost, Service, and People. Success in this role requires a leader who can effectively drive change in a fast-paced manufacturing environment utilizing continuous improvement methodologies and tools. Sample responsibilities include identifying / prioritizing improvement activities, tracking financial progress, and coaching / mentoring project leaders and teams. The ability to influence and lead others is key to success.
How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock
The CI Leader is responsible for helping drive business results including productivity by leveraging continuous improvement systems, processes, and tools. She/he will help support the deployment of the standard Smurfit Westrock Operating System and build a sustainable culture of employee engagement in continuous improvement. Specific responsibilities Include:
- Partner with site leaders to ensure site CI priorities are aligned with overall business strategy and goals.
- Leverage a zero-loss mindset to identify and prioritize areas of improvement.
- Deliver value by both leading and supporting the focused execution of CI projects.
- Manage the local pipeline of improvement projects aligned to productivity targets.
- Work with site leaders to prioritize and assign resources to ensure project success.
- Build capability in others through coaching and mentoring project leaders and teams.
- Improve team efficiency and skill through development of learning programs and internal training courses.
- Identify and train internal on-the-job technical trainers.
- Support implementation of enterprise initiatives including Daily Management System, Problem-Solving Practices, and Reliability Excellence.
- Coordinate regular progress reviews of CI projects with project leaders and site leadership.
- Function as a liaison to the divisional Operational Excellence team.
- Tracking and reporting of results including cost / productivity benefits.
- Ensuring all projects and savings are properly documented in the WestRock productivity tracker.
- Sharing best practices within and outside of the site.
- Supporting the enterprise Learning & Development framework, processes, and tools in partnership with the operations and support of technical floor trainers.
- Bachelor’s or Associate degree in a technical field preferred but not required.
- Prior experience in a manufacturing role is required. Paper and packaging experience is a plus.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification preferred but not required. Will be required to complete Smurfit Westrock Yellow Belt and Green Belt training within 6 months of hire and become certified within 18 months.
- Knowledge and skill of continuous improvement tools including structured problem-solving methodology
- Experience with leading team-based process improvement projects for manufacturing applications with proven results.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to lead and influence to drive positive change
- Demonstrated ability to coach, teach, and mentor others
- Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability and excellence
- An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies and potential
- A generous benefits package starting on your first day of employment, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401k match, paid time off
- Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities
- A career with a global packaging company where sustainability, safety and inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.