McCormick & Co., Inc., a world leader in the spice, flavor & seasonings industry, is seeking a full time Continuous Improvement Manager in its US Industrial Group plant at 5820 Tulane Drive in Atlanta, GA.  This position reports to the Plant Manager.

As an employer recognized for our exceptional commitment to employees, McCormick & Co., Inc. offers a wide variety of benefits, programs and services which address the needs of employees and their families.  Benefits include, but are not limited to tuition assistance, medical & dental, disability, group life insurance, 401(k), pension plan, paid holidays and vacations.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Continuous Improvement Manager is responsible for overseeing and directing the process improvement activities at the Atlanta facility to include the management of equipment, resources, teams, committees, and any other necessary tools to deploy appropriate improvement activities.  Incumbent will report on results of projects and programs as well as oversee the efforts of site Black Belts, Green Belts and Continuous Improvement Teams.  In addition, the Continuous Improvement Manager will be responsible for the hands-on design and implementation of specific projects, in accordance with the traditional role of a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Establishing a robust process for project optimization and communication, including setting cost optimization goals and metrics to match organizational goals, and working with finance staff to identify appropriate lean accounting metrics to validate project results
• Supporting and assisting management and plant staff in implementing cost optimization tools, including Lean Six Sigma, High-Performance Work Teams, etc
• Participating in the functions of the USIG CI initiatives and facilitating the activities of the Site Steering Committee, including:  project selection, evaluation and prioritization; selection of resources for future Green Belt and Black Belt training; evaluation of project results; coordination of process improvement activities with corporate and local OGSMs
• Proposing process technology improvements and capital expenditures
• Identifying and managing equipment and human resources required for successful execution of projects
• Overseeing cost optimization projects, including project identification, prioritization and selection; tracking project results; monitoring project progress; and reporting on progress toward OGSMs
• Communicating team and project progress to Champions, Business Leaders, Green Belts, Steering Committees, other McCormick sites, and serving as the general spokesperson for projects, case studies, and program results as necessary
• Participating with accounting staff to validate financial results of projects and overall programs
• Applying process improvement tools to improve business capabilities:  specifically, Six Sigma tools and methodology to improve process capability and eliminate defects, and Lean Manufacturing tools and principles to eliminate waste and improve flow
• Leading and facilitating cross-functional project teams, including design of project workflow, capturing business processes and metrics, data analysis, coordination of internal and external resources as necessary to identify and implement improvement(s), tracking and monitoring project progress, and reporting to plant leadership team on progress toward project goals

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field required
• Industry-recognized Black Belt Certification preferred
• Minimum 5 years experience in a manufacturing facility required; food industry experience preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively interact with all levels within the facility and organization required
• Ability to work well with all levels of employees, as well as internal and external customers in both individual and team based situations, required
• Ability to work independently required
• Experience organizing and tracking short and long term projects and tasks required
• Experience successfully completing projects within established deadlines required
• Experience adapting to multiple and changing priorities and achieving results within a compressed time frame required
• Experience recognizing problems, analyzing them, offering solutions and using logical thought processes when making decisions required
• Proficiency with MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word required
• Experience with SAP, Minitab and Sigma Flow preferred
• Working knowledge of statistics preferred
• Ability to work flexible hours and days as needed to meet business demands required