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Continuous Improvement Manager

Webster, New York, United States

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.

With nearly $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.

To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.

The construction of fairlife's manufacturing facility in Webster, NY is underway. This state-of-the-art, 750k sq ft, greenfield plant is expected to be operational in late 2025 and will lay the foundation for fairlife's next phase of growth as the leading dairy nutrition provider. While coupling the industry’s latest technologies and fairlife's operational excellence to build this world-class facility, fairlife plans to hire 250 new employees and bring in approximately 5 million lbs. of milk a day, with room to grow over the coming years.

job purpose:

The Manager of Operational Excellence is pivotal in designing and executing the Operational Excellence framework at Fairlife's specific site. This role is dedicated to enhancing safety, quality, productivity, and financial performance by leveraging training, coaching, and advanced Op-Ex tools and techniques. Acting as a key change agent, the position ensures alignment with organizational goals while driving operational transformation and efficiency. The ideal candidate will possess extensive hands-on expertise, coupled with the ability to inspire cultural change and champion continuous improvement through strong leadership and collaborative efforts.

responsibilities:

  • Lead the implementation of the Operational Excellence framework across Fairlife and its site to deliver measurable performance improvements.
  • Partner with leadership teams to execute and train employees on Operational Excellence principles and practices.
  • Provide strategic leadership, training, and mentorship to employees at all levels, fostering the effective adoption of Operational Excellence principles.
  • Supervise and guide the Op-Ex team (2 direct reports per line), offering coaching and support to ensure successful initiative execution.
  • Promote professional development within the team by creating growth plans, facilitating training opportunities, and delivering consistent performance feedback.
  • Champion cultural transformation to establish and sustain a continuous improvement environment.
  • Develop and deliver targeted training programs that engage employees across all organizational levels, ensuring broad participation and understanding.
  • Define, monitor, and analyze performance metrics, identifying gaps and driving actionable solutions for improvement.
  • Organize and facilitate Problem Solving workshops and Kaizen events to achieve significant, measurable process enhancements.
  • Present performance insights and actionable recommendations to stakeholders to support informed decision-making.
  • Establish and manage processes for selecting, scoping, and completing continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Oversee the Op-Ex Scorecard and design strategic Continuous Improvement (CI)/Kaizen roadmaps aligned with company objectives.
  • Collaborate with finance teams to monitor and report financial outcomes, ensuring ROI (Return on Investment) for Operational Excellence initiatives.
  • Provide ongoing coaching and cross-functional support to strengthen the deployment of Operational Excellence across teams.
  • Advocate for the Operational Excellence brand within Fairlife and its site, fostering alignment, enthusiasm, and engagement.

skills/qualifications required:

  • Strong expertise daily management, tier’s meetings cascade, problem solving, standard work, single minute exchange of die (SMED)
  • Strong leadership and team management skills, with experience overseeing a team to achieve organizational objectives.
  • Strong analytical skills and process-driven focus.
  • Strong communication, presentation skills both verbal/written, and coaching abilities.
  • Excellent organizational, time management, and project management skills
  • Demonstrated ability to create strong working relationships and lead the work of others.
  • Ability to gather and analyze data and draw logical conclusions.
  • Ability to handle ambiguity and work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

additional skills/qualifications required for Team Management:

  • Demonstrated ability to build and manage high-performing teams.
  • Experience in setting clear goals and expectations for direct reports.
  • Strong conflict resolution and decision-making skills.
  • Proven ability to foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement within a team setting.

experience:

  • Bachelor’s Degree required in engineering, business, or technical discipline from an accredited college or university.
  • 5 - 10 years of proven project management and process improvement skills including strong knowledge of root cause analysis, Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, certifications a plus.
  • Experience in process improvement implementation
  • Proven ability in strategy development, planning, and budgeting.
  • Proficient in MS Office products (Project, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio)
  • Proficient in basic data analysis with PowerBI, Tableau, or equivalent
  • Experience training others in the use of Lean and/or Six Sigma tools, and experience with lean approaches to improvement.

working conditions and physical requirements:

  • 8-10 hours sitting/standing/walking.
  • Ability to lift to 50 lbs.
  • Reaching/bending as needed
  • Exposure to hazards is minimal.

food safety requirements:

  • Notify supervision of any repairs or adjustments that are required that may affect product quality or food safety.
  • Understand, observe, and comply with the handling and usage of the color-coded container policy while in the Production Areas.
  • Perform all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer and/or Government requirements/standards as prioritized by the Company.
  • Ability to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of nonconformities relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the product, processes, quality system, or safety system.
  • Identify and record any problems relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the ingredients, processes, quality system, or safety system.
  • Control further processing or delivery of nonconforming products in terms of Food Safety and Quality issues until the deficiency or unsatisfactory condition has been corrected.
  • In the event of absence, another employee with the same skill level will assume the duties and responsibilities as required.

position location: Webster, NY

reports to: Director of Continuous improvement

travel requirements: 10%.

exempt/nonexempt: Exempt

salary range: $115,000 to $125,000

*Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All qualified applicants and employees will be given equal opportunity. Selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

In addition to its nondiscrimination commitment, the Company will also provide reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the Company. If you have a disability and would like to request accommodation in order to apply for a position with us, please email careers@fairlife.com.

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