CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT/OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE MANAGER (US)

Treatt USA 4900 Lakeland Commerce Parkway, Lakeland, Florida, 33805

Full Time | Posted 1 days ago

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Job title: CI/OPEX MANAGER
Reporting to: HEAD OF ENDINEERING
Location: Lakeland, USA

The Opportunity

To lead and embed a culture of continuous improvement across Treatt’s manufacturing and operational functions, driving operational excellence (OPEX) initiatives that enhance productivity, reduce waste, and optimize processes. This role will work closely with cross-functional teams to identify improvement opportunities and implement sustainable solutions aligned with Treatt’s strategic goals.

What it’s like to work here

We’ve been making the world taste better since 1886 and sell over 3000 products in more than 90 countries, but we’re only just getting started. We’re on an exciting journey and have ambitious plans to become the indispensable partner of choice for the world’s leading flavor and fragrance houses, beverage and consumer brands.

On joining Treatt, you’ll become one of over 300 international experts, working together to collectively surprise and delight our customers. Nothing is more important to us than the happiness of our people as without them, we’d never succeed.

Duties & Responsibilities

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement:

  • Develop and implement Treatt’s OPEX strategy in alignment with business objectives.
  • Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and other CI methodologies to improve efficiency, quality, and safety.
  • Facilitate workshops, Kaizen events, and training sessions to build CI capability across teams.
  • Analyze operational data to identify trends, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities.
  • Collaborate with production, quality, and supply chain teams to streamline workflows and reduce costs.
  • Work with the inventory control supervisor to ensure optimization of storage space across the sites and that regular and accurate inventory counts are performed and reconciled.
  • Lead integration and implementation of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), driving improvements in process flow, inventory accuracy, and logistics efficiency across operations.

Project Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement:

  • Manage improvement projects from concept to completion, ensuring timely delivery and measurable impact.
  • Partner with Engineering, Production, and other departments to ensure alignment and buy-in.
  • Report progress and outcomes to the Head of Engineering and senior leadership.
  • Support the development of KPIs and dashboards to monitor performance improvements.

Change Management & Culture Building:

  • Champion a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
  • Coach and mentor employees at all levels to adopt CI tools and thinking.
  • Drive employee engagement through recognition of improvement efforts and successes.

Skills & Abilities

Leadership & People Management

  • Proven ability to lead, manage, motivate, and influence diverse teams.
  • Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
  • Skilled in identifying development areas and improving performance across direct reports.
  • Ownership mentality with the ability to work independently and drive team success.
  • Talent for bringing the right people together to make meaningful organizational impact.

Strategic & Analytical Thinking

  • Conceptual and strategic mindset to translate future needs into actionable growth opportunities.
  • Excellent analytical and financial modeling skills.
  • Action-oriented with a proactive approach to problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives.

Communication & Collaboration

  • Outstanding verbal and written communication skills—clear, concise, and persuasive.
  • Ability to communicate complex issues effectively across all levels of the organization.

Education & Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Industrial Management, or related field (Master’s preferred).
  • 5+ years of experience in continuous improvement, operational excellence, or manufacturing leadership.
  • Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, and other CI methodologies (Green Belt or higher preferred).
  • Proven track record of delivering measurable improvements in a manufacturing or process-driven environment.
  • Experience with enterprise systems such as JDE (JD Edwards) or similar ERP/MES platforms.
  • Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.

We want you to love your work and bring that energy to the job every day, no matter what the task. You’ll be someone who keeps up to date with the latest technologies and is always willing to share their knowledge with colleagues.
Our department is busy. We need someone who can run with the pack but also bring their own personality to their work.
You should be personable, friendly and supportive, acknowledging that you’ll get to work with colleagues from all seniority levels across all departments on a daily basis.

What we’ll do for you

We offer an excellent package which includes a competitive salary; vacation time as well as the opportunity to purchase additional vacation, we also offer a discretionary annual bonus, medical, dental and vision coverage, AFLAC, 401k employer matching up to 6%, company-paid short term and long term disability insurance, company-paid life insurance and stock purchase options.
With the encouragement and development you need, we help you to become your ultimate you. Beyond building a successful career, we also support the wishes and ambitions of our staff outside of the office in achieving a health work/life balance - the wellbeing of our staff is paramount to us, which we actively promote and support by regularly delivering a variety of wellbeing initiatives. There will also be opportunities to be actively involved in community and charity projects and to take part in numerous subsidized social events.

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Polite Notice

We politely request that we are not contacted by any recruitment agencies. We have a preferred supplier list and high volumes of speculative calls from agencies negatively impact upon the efficiency of our business. Please help us to maintain the highest levels of customer service by respecting our wishes.