Continuous Improvement Manager

Do you want to work for a global company that creates remarkable experiences through people, products, and food? If you want to be part of a rewarding People First culture that values relationships, trust, and taking the long view, then this is the place for you. Henny Penny was named the 2021 Dayton Business of the Year for many good reasons. Read on to learn more!

The Manager, Continuous Improvement's primary responsibility is to develop and execute Lean Six Sigma strategies aligned with organizational goals and to guide teams, ensuring efficient implementation of process improvements. This position will lead a team of analysts that are green and black belt certified, takes the lead on driving continuous improvement throughout the company and effects organizational change aligned to our company's core values. This role serves as a mentor and coach to Lean projects across the business and includes training team members, the business, and leadership on Lean Six Sigma principles and techniques.

What We Offer:

·         An opportunity to work for a company that is 100% employee-owned. As an employee-owner, you will be enrolled in our employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) program following one year of service. This is a qualified retirement plan that is separate from your 401k and consists only of Henny Penny shares that will be paid out when you retire (or when you leave the company, but we hope you’ll stay)

·         Annual company performance bonus in addition to base salary

·         Flexibility to work from home 2 days per week

·         Defined career paths so you’ll always know what’s next and what steps can get where you want to go

·         Professional development opportunities including tuition reimbursement and unlimited free access to LinkedIn Learning courses

·         A competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, PTO, and paid holidays

·         Expanded onsite wellness clinic offering preventive care services such as wellness screenings, annual physicals, and related lab work at no cost to employee-owners

·         Achieve total well-being at our new Wellspring and Owners Hall facility, featuring 24/7 fitness center with a wide variety of cardio and strength training equipment. This facility reflects our continuous evolution in supporting our valued employee owners.

·         Activities including department outings, holiday parties, and our annual company-wide Thanksgiving Dinner

What You'll Be Doing:

·         Develop Lean Six Sigma training curriculum and deliver training to all levels of the organization

·         Develop and maintain a culture of continuous improvement through engagement, coaching, and mentoring.

·         Lead Lean workshops and train team to facilitate Lean workshops and Kaizen events.

·         Perform resource gap analysis and determine resources needed to drive the program forward.

·         Develop the Standard Operating Procedures for the Continuous Improvement team and provide the necessary deliverable templates needed to facilitate the work.

·         Build and manage a strong Lean Six Sigma team and leverage their skills to align to the needs of the business.

·         Collaborate with the Lean Manufacturing team to ensure alignment in foundational approach to Lean Six Sigma.

·         Determine an appropriate solution to track the improvements realized across the organization.

·         Define procedures to audit and check progress of completed CI initiatives over time to drive accountability toward continuous improvement.

·         Ensure appropriate use of Lean Six Sigma tools to assess and prioritize identified improvement opportunities.

·         Play active role in the kickoff of Lean Six sigma projects to ensure project teams are aligned and expectations are clear and understood.

·         Lead teams through root cause analysis to identify underlying issues.

·         Use data-driven approaches to solve complex problems.

·         Work closely with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and department leaders to recognize organizational change management issues and risks.

·         Collaborate with stakeholders to gain buy-in for improvement initiatives.

·         Provide regular updates to senior management on project status.

·         Serve as the key contact for the business in all areas of continuous improvement for non-manufacturing processes.

·         Consistently models the Company values and expected behaviors.

·         Other duties as assigned.

What We're Looking For:

·         Bachelor of Science (B.S) Engineering, Business or related field

·         10+ years of experience in process improvement

·         Knowledge and experience with Six Sigma methodology and lean process implementation.

·         Ability to facilitate Lean Six Sigma training and conduct workshops.

·         Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills

·         Strong understanding of organizational change management

·         Ability to use BI applications to track, monitor and report benefits/business impact.

·         Ability to use and recommend Business Process Management tools based on industry best practice

·         Proven track record of leading successful improvement programs.

·         Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.

·         Excellent communication and presentation skills.

·         Ability to influence the strategy and direction of the continuous improvement program

·         Strong leadership and mentoring skills.

·         Ability to work independently and take initiative.

·         Experience in a manufacturing industry is a plus.

·         Commitment to continuous improvement and quality.

·         Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Required. Master Black Belt Preferred

About Us

We’re known in our industry for making the best commercial food equipment in the world. Every day, millions of people eat in restaurants operating Henny Penny equipment. We’re a behind-the-scenes engine in the world’s most demanding kitchens, including long-term partners like McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, KFC, and Wendy’s. We’re 1,000+ employee-owners who thrive by living a People First mission: to support employees in becoming the best version of themselves both personally and professionally.

We recently completed the largest expansion in our history with the addition of 150,000 square feet on our Eaton campus. This expansion drives development of the world’s most reliable, easy-to-use equipment with an innovative new space for global research and development. We have several collaborative spaces for our project teams, a dedicated electrical engineering lab for our hardware and software engineers, a full model shop for rapid prototyping, and a brand-new test lab that has 300 feet of hood space to test new equipment on our product roadmap. On top of that, we have a new state-of-the-art kitchen for our food science group to meet with our customers, understand what they need, and then dial in our equipment to help them make legendary menu items.

Henny Penny is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Qualified applicants are considered without regard to race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability or handicap, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), marital status, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.