Project Manager of Lean Excellence

September 7, 2026

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About the position

The Project Manager of Lean Excellence will propagate scalable operational improvement across the Containerboard business through lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and disciplined execution. The Lean Leader will serve as a hands-on change agent, partnering with mill teams to deploy lean tools and methodologies, lead Kaizen events, and embed standard work and problem-solving capabilities into daily operations. The ideal candidate will have significant and relevant direct manufacturing experience using and leading continuous improvement tools, systems, and methodologies. The candidate must be a proven shop floor leader who is comfortable influencing others, coaching teams, and delivering measurable gains in safety, quality, delivery and cost.

Responsibilities

Implement lean tools such as 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, Visual Management, SMED and Value Stream Mapping
Drive waste elimination, process flow optimization, and variation reduction
Facilitate structured problem solving using A3, DMAIC, 5-Why, RCFA, and similar methodologies
Deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost
Use data to identify gaps in performance versus best practices and work with the mill team to execute an improvement plan
Document best practices and share improvements to leverage results
Understand and apply financial drivers and key performance indicators
Assist with implementing and managing systems that will sustain improvement efforts
Lead and coach CI events / kaizen through hands-on participation
Assist with developing and effectively delivering training materials in multiple formats to ensure team members throughout the organization are trained in CI concepts and philosophy
Evaluate and drive opportunities for appropriate CI and lean tool applications
Provide support, assistance, and communication to the mill leadership teams regarding CI initiatives

Requirements

Bachelor's degree preferred in business, engineering, operations management, or related field
Minimum 5 years of manufacturing experience with proven change leadership skills
Demonstrated success utilizing and deploying lean tools
Strong analytical, facilitation, coaching and change leadership skills
Ability to influence without formal authority across multiple functions
Proficiency with Microsoft Office

Benefits

Medical
Dental
Life insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Short-term and Long-term Disability
401(k)
Company-funded retirement contributions
Paid Time Off
Education & Development (including Tuition Reimbursement)
Student Loan Repayment Assistance
Voluntary Benefits including insurance for home, auto, vision and pets

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