The Continuous Improvement (CI) Manager is responsible for driving a step change in business performance through the deployment of operational excellence principles, systems, and tools. This role serves as a key business partner to site leadership, leading the strategy and execution of continuous improvement initiatives across the facility. Key Responsibilities • Business Partnership & Strategy • Act as a strategic business partner to site leadership to identify opportunities for operational and financial performance improvement. • Analyze current processes, workflows, and systems to identify inefficiencies and develop improvement strategies that drive measurable results. • Operational Excellence & VITAL Ownership • Lead the deployment, sustainment, and continuous evolution of the VITAL Operating System at the site. • Ensure alignment with enterprise CI standards, tools, and methodologies through close collaboration with the Director of Continuous Improvement. • Project Leadership & Execution • Identify, prioritize, and lead high-impact CI projects and initiatives that deliver quality, operational, financial, and customer satisfaction improvements. • Drive successful execution of projects from concept through implementation and sustainment. • Frameworks & Capability Building • Establish and deploy structured CI frameworks, governance, and standard work across the organization. • Build organizational capability by training, coaching, developing and mentoring employees at all levels in CI methodologies and tools. • Cross-Functional Collaboration • Partner with operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, finance, safety and other functions to enhance productivity and drive cross-functional improvements. • Facilitate workshops, kaizen events, training and problem-solving sessions. • Performance & Analytics • Utilize data-driven methodologies to identify root causes, track performance, and validate improvement outcomes. • Develop and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure CI effectiveness. • Continuous Learning & Best Practices • Stay current with industry trends, tools, and best practices in continuous improvement and operational excellence. • Drive standardization and sharing of best practices across the organization. Qualifications • Minimum of 5+ years of experience delivering measurable, step-change improvements in business or operational performance. • Proven hands-on experience with continuous improvement tools and methodologies (e.g., Lean, Theory of Constraints, Kaizen), with relevant certifications preferred. • Demonstrated ability to lead and influence across multiple levels of the organization. • Strong understanding of operational excellence principles across manufacturing or industrial environments. • Analytical, data-driven approach to problem solving with strong attention to detail. • Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills. • Strong numerical and analytical capability. • Project Management certification preferred, but not required, or a strong project management background. • Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt) is a plus. Education Requirements • Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related technical discipline preferred.