Continuous Improvement Manager

Company Description: Instinct® is a rapidly growing, family-owned marketer and manufacturer of science-based 100% natural pet food for dogs and cats. Instinct® is the Raw Brand, with a mission to get more raw nutrition into every bowl of dogs and cats, for proven healthier and happier long lives. Our company mission is to Empower people to transform the lives of pets. We are committed to hiring and developing a team of passionate, performance-oriented professionals who live by our 4 values of championing raw, empowered to make a difference, collaborating as one team, and striving for excellence through continuous learning and improvement. Our home office is located in St. Louis, Missouri with our Center of Excellence Raw Food kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Instinct® is part of the family-owned group, Agrolimen, who owns leading pet food and human food businesses in the US, China, Europe, and Africa.

Position Summary:

The Continuous Improvement Manager will play a pivotal role in driving operational excellence, minimizing waste, and elevating product quality across the organization. This position involves close collaboration with various teams to pinpoint improvement opportunities, devise and execute strategic plans, and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement within the company.

Key Responsibilities:

• Champion continuous improvement projects using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and other methodologies to enhance manufacturing and operational efficiency.
• Work alongside department leaders and teams to identify areas for improvement in processes, cost reduction, and efficiency gains.
• Organize and lead continuous improvement workshops and training sessions to embed a continuous improvement mindset throughout the organization.
• Develop, track, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness of continuous improvement efforts.
• Ensure process enhancements are in harmony with quality standards and regulatory compliance, in collaboration with the Quality Assurance team.
• Apply change management best practices to ensure seamless implementation and adoption of new processes and technologies.
• Liaise with suppliers and external partners to explore improvement opportunities in supply chain and procurement processes.
• Operations point person for COGS excellence program, partnering with accounting to update tracking and progress of program.
• Regularly update senior management on the progress and impact of continuous improvement initiatives.

Personal Attributes:

• Demonstrable success in leading and implementing continuous improvement projects.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, adept at data analysis and identifying improvement opportunities.
• Exceptional leadership and team facilitation skills, capable of motivating teams towards achieving improvement goals.
• Highly organized and detailed oriented
• Strong experience managing overlapping projects with adherence to timelines
• Effective communication (both written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent follow-up and communication skills (expressing ideas effectively verbally and in writing across all organizational levels)

Skills and Technical Expertise:

• Certification in Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent continuous improvement methodologies highly regarded.

Preferred Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in a continuous improvement capacity within manufacturing or operations, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Experience and understanding of statistical process control

Compensation and Benefits

Highly competitive compensation package includes health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, short and long-term disability, paid time off, Purpose Days off for company partner volunteer opportunities, and 401k with company match.

Our Instinct is to CHAMPION Diversity

At Instinct, we are as passionate about our people as we are about the pets we call family. We are committed to inclusion, empowerment, and respect. We believe that just like our pets, what sets us apart unleashes our greatest strengths. We thrive on the ability to not only empower people to transform the lives of pets through raw nutrition, but also to empower each other to inspire a culture that celebrates our differences. Our unique approach to pet food is what makes us who we are as a company, and our individual identities are what makes us a successful, innovative, authentic team.