Job Description

Job Title: Continuous Improvement Leader

Company Overview:
Tara Foods, a proud member of the nation-wide Kroger Manufacturing, is looking for a Continuous Improvement Leader to be part of our team. At Tara Foods, we uniquely offer the resources and benefits of a Fortune 500 company while maintaining a hometown atmosphere centered around teamwork, support, and development. Tara Foods is in the city of Albany, Georgia, which is strategically located an hour from the Florida border, 2 1/2 hours south from Atlanta and about 3 hours from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. We have been in business under the Kroger name since 1977 and are currently producing Peanut Butter, Juices, Sauces and Liquid Water Enhancers for Kroger grocery stores nationwide.

Why Live in Albany?
You can watch Ray Charles play piano, enjoy divine climate conditions or get an eyeful of the universe and come face to face with creatures of the deep. You can do all of that and more in Albany, located on the Flint River in southwest Georgia. With a lively lineup of attractions - Chehaw Park; Thronateeska Heritage Center with Wetherbee Planetarium, Science Discovery Center and Museum of History; the Flint RiverQuarium and Imagination Theater - Albany transports visitors to good times. You can visit the Art Museum of Albany, Theatre Albany, beautiful parks and trails, and Radium Springs Gardens, one of Georgia's seven natural wonders. Albany has more than two dozen hotels, lots of eateries, a family- and pet-friendly brewery, and a mild year-round climate. It is an affordable home base for day trips to regional attractions, such as the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains and Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta.

Why Work at the Tara Foods?
To support and reward our hardworking and friendly associates, we offer much more than just a paycheck. We strive to feed your future by offering the ingredients you need to create your own recipe for success at work and in life. Our associates receive a full plate of benefits that promote their physical, emotional, and financial well-being, including access to competitive health care and retirement benefits, vacation, mental health resources, associate discounts, and opportunities to learn, grow and advance.

• Competitive wages depending on experience.
• Annual Bonus potential.
• Vacation.
• 10 Paid Holidays (4 of your own choosing).
• Full benefits package (Low Cost), including medical, dental, vision, 401k and life insurance.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Employee discounts at all Kroger stores nationwide.
• Many other perks.

Job Description:
Lead and facilitate plant Continuous Improvement (CI) efforts. Apply appropriate tools to drive improvements in Safety, Quality and Reliability (SQR). Perform all jobs safely, efficiently and accurately to maintain and improve the performance of the entire plant in the areas of Safety, Quality, Reliability (SQR) and our Customer 1st strategy. Provide leadership that embodies our 7 Kroger Manufacturing High Performance Work System principles. Demonstrate the company's core values of respect, honesty, integrity, diversity, inclusion and safety.

Responsibilities:

• Assist plant teams with goal-setting and tracking CI measures.
• Select/apply appropriate CI tools to improve line capacity, line efficiency, process reliability, mean time between failure and other key measures.
• Apply Lean Six Sigma tools and the DMAIC process to complete projects with annual savings and provide technical expertise to support root cause analysis process.
• Create control plans to produce sustainable gains.
• Lead teams to solve problems, eliminate waste and reduce variation.
• Participate in all relevant aspects of project management initiatives and support commissioning, qualification and verification for capital projects.
• Mentor/coach teams on CI and Lean/Six Sigma methodology.
• Utilize Kroger downtime system to identify/prioritize improvement opportunities.
• Develop/ leverage collaborative relationships to achieve work goals.
• Identify and understand issues and opportunities; compare data from different sources to draw conclusions, use effective approaches for choosing a course of action, & take action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, & probable consequences.
• Travel occasionally to attend CI training and CI leader conferences.
• Follow established programs, policies and practices to produce safe quality foods that meet regulatory and company requirements.
• Accountable to the Kroger Manufacturing Food Safety and Quality Principles.
• Must be able to perform the essential job functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be able to work around ingredients and/or finished products known to contain food allergens.

Qualifications:
Minimum:

• Bachelor's Degree engineering or a related field
• 2+ years of proven, successful leadership of teams
• Manufacturing experience
• Ability to guide a teams to collectively create actionable solutions
• Ability to remain flexible and adjust promptly and effectively during times of change
• Proven ability to leverage the capabilities and insights of individuals with diverse styles, abilities and motivations to achieve strong results
• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Achieve Black Belt certification
• Strong negotiation, oral and written communication skills
• Strong mathematical, analytical and conceptual skills, balanced by ability to apply common sense

Desired:

• Experience developing/reengineering business processes from current to future state
• Black Belt certified and level 8 requirements complete as outlined in the CI training manual (pay level - 8)
• Green Belt certified and level 7 requirements completed as outlined in the CI training manual (pay level - 7)
• Experience with Lean or Six Sigma implementation and project management
• Training or exposure to statistical analysis

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