Operational Excellence Lead

Who We Are

At Freshpet, our goal is to change the way people nourish their pets forever. We strive to strengthen the bond between people and our pets so that we both live longer, healthier, and happier lives while being kind to the planet. We believe that if we can create fresh, real foods that pets love and help them live healthier lives that their pet parents will also enjoy the many benefits of a rich life shared with a pet.

We started off with a mission to change the way pet parents feed dogs and cats, but we also wanted to be a company that had a thoughtful approach to how we operate. We wanted to do things differently, make great products but be gentle to the planet, good to the people who touch our business, and leave a positive impact with everything we do. We work hard every day to ensure that the original vision is met, starting with making the highest quality foods in our kitchens to running our business with integrity, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility. IT’S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU START COMPLETELY FRESH!

What You Will Do

You will provide overall coordination for the implementation of the Operational Excellence System ensuring all internal and external resources are aligned with the priorities of the business including, safety, quality, productivity, cost, and service. You will analyze current operations to identify new project opportunities and financial benefits, determine key drivers to meet business objectives and monitor, track, and report on progress of improvement activity. You will have personal objectives aligned with the delivery of the assigned operations’ Masterplan and Key Performance Indicators.

How You Will Make an Impact

Proven track record of deploying Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) tools/approaches to improve operational performance (e.g. value stream mapping, 5S, standard work, visual management)

Lead, promote and coordinate the Operational Excellence System implementation and projects for assigned operation or business area

Mentor plant-wide Operational Excellence System activities to meet critical business objectives in collaboration with site Leaders

Assist team members at manufacturing sites, specifically with the Production, Process Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Safety and Purchasing organizations

Implement and promote the right Operational Excellence culture within the organization to enable focused improvement and the mitigation of losses

Develop and deliver necessary training to all levels of the organization in support of the Operational Excellence System deployment

Implement, maintain, and develop KPIs and manufacturing performance measurement systems, such as, Safety incident rates, OEE, on time delivery, scrap, costs, customer claims and complaints, etc.

Perform intuitive and data driven analysis, good understanding and practical application of how to identify losses and determine improvement opportunities through performance measurement

Create presentations/case studies for practical application of the Operational Excellence System, tracking progress on goals and plans, assist in creation of the Operational Excellence best practice bank

Facilitate Operational Excellence System team meetings, guide improvement teams through all the steps of the system and/or FI methods and tools

Exceptional ability to motivate and influence others without reliance on positional authority

Strong analytical skills; capable of breaking down complex issues and identifying key drivers

Collection and analysis of data related to manufacturing processes

The successful candidate must spend time on the floor to learn manufacturing processes and supporting business systems

Develop and drive CI initiatives, build project plans using basic project management tools to advanced Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies

Report improvement projects status and plans at regular intervals

Use process mapping and value and waste stream analysis when appropriate

Promote simple problem solving with 5 Why’s and other analytical tools

Deliver stable/steady improvement with standard work, 5S workplace organization, and simple/visual controls

Maintain knowledge, understanding and adhere to safety policies, USDA, GMP’s, QA, HACCP and company policies

Perform other duties in support of department or company needs as requested

Facilitate Zero Loss Analysis for area of ownership

What You Will Bring

Bachelor’s Degree in an Engineering or Operation Management discipline

3+ years of related experience in a Total Productive Maintenance(TPM) manufacturing environment preferably in pet food, food or CPG

Direct operations line management experience

Operational Excellence implementation/transformation experience preferred

Black Belt Certification in Lean/Six Sigma preferred

Proven track record of driving continuous improvement initiatives

Able to lead, direct and manage any and all phases of project management, Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling and Closing

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Good knowledge of Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), ERP-Microsoft D365

Ability to travel when necessary

Accountability to delivery of results while building the capability of all participating team members

What We Offer

At Freshpet, we offer a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental and vision insurance, basic and optional life insurance, short- and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts, and a 401(k) plan with company match, paid parental leave, pet insurance, tuition assistance, a generous PTO plan and so much more!

Our Commitment to a Diverse Workforce:

At Freshpet, we embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, sex, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Freshpet aims to foster, cultivate and preserve a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our employees are our most valuable assets. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and company’s achievement as well. Freshpet is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Disclaimers

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.

Freshpet is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Freshpet via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Freshpet. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Freshpet as a result of the referral or through other means.