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Operational Excellence Change Agent

Elanco · Fort Dodge, IA

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Level
Specialist
Team
Lean / CI
Degree
Preferred
Experience asked
2+ years
Certification
Green Belt preferred
Industry
Pharma & life sciences
Posted
2 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A specialist continuous improvement role at Elanco (pharma & life sciences) in Fort Dodge, IA. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

They ask for
2+ years · degree preferred · Green Belt preferred
Tools it names
Lean, Green Belt
Day to day
relocation help

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026

Continuous Improvement roles in the US: typical posted base $105k–$152k.

Median of the low and high ends of 126 live postings that list pay, out of 326 continuous improvement openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Iowa plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 325 other live lean / ci postings in the US.

Base pay
Not listed in this posting

Typical $103k–$149k, from 113 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Less than usual (2+ vs 5+)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Lean 86%
  • Six Sigma 55%
  • Value stream mapping 49%
  • Kaizen 49%
  • Root cause 44%
  • 5S 32%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

It asks for 2+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Relocation help

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

  1. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at Elanco

    We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

    Write to Nicole → (free)
  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • Is CI run from the plant floor or from a corporate OpEx group?
    • Which metrics does leadership actually watch: OEE, scrap, cost per unit?
    • The posting mentions a Green Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 4

    Apply with someone vouching for you

    If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

  5. 5

    Bring proof to the interview

    One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Elanco in Fort Dodge

2 other open roles at this site · 1 person we found in lean / ci roles at Elanco.

Full description from ElancoAs posted on their careers site.Show

Your Role: Operational Excellence Change Agent

This role leads and participates in cross-functional teams, focusing on continuous improvement projects aligned with company priorities.

Responsibilities

include identifying, implementing, and tracking process improvement projects. This role actively champions a culture of lean continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Your

Responsibilities

  • ◆Responsible for implementing lean initiatives utilizing lean methodology covering Operations, management, and people systems.
  • ◆Identify improvement opportunities and implement solutions using process improvement tools, relevant metrics, and improvement objectives to create cost savings through direct expense reduction or process improvement savings.
  • ◆Responsible for analyzing data and creating analytical dashboards for trend analysis.
  • ◆Identification and creation of appropriate measures for tracking success through the development of Key Performance Indicators (KPI).
  • ◆Participate in site projects as necessary.

to Succeed (Minimum Qualifications)

  • ✓Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
  • ✓Minimum 2 years of experience in continuous improvement or industrial engineering or operations.
  • ✓Influential change agent who will engage all organizational levels and lead sustained improvement.
  • ✓Competent in project planning, execution, post implementation support, while having the ability to work on multiple projects in various stages simultaneously.
  • ✓Excellent written and verbal communication skills are necessary to successfully ask the right critical questions and present, coordinate and implement his/her plans and procedures.
  • ✓Problem solving includes critical thinking, statistical analysis and ability to focus.
  • ✓Lead or support teams in a limited project size capacity or cross-functional project team.

What Will Give You the Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

  • ✓Lean green belt or black certification preferred.
  • ✓Advanced degree, or professional designation a plus.
Show full description ↓

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

Additional Information

  • •Flexible schedule to accommodate workload. May require off shift work hours as job demands.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Elanco we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive work environment. If you think you might be a good fit for a role but don't necessarily meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this role or other roles!

Elanco Benefits and Perks

We offer a comprehensive benefits package focusing on financial, physical, and mental well-being while encouraging our employees to pursue our purpose! Some highlights include:

  • •Multiple relocation packages
  • •Two weeklong shutdowns (mid-summer and year-end) in the US (in addition to PTO)
  • •8-week parental leave
  • •9 Employee Resource Groups
  • •Annual bonus offering
  • •Flexible work arrangements
  • •Up to 6% 401K matching

Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status

Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.

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