Sr. Director Operational Excellence

Jack Link's · Perry, GA

Level: Director+
Team: Lean / CI
Degree: Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked: 10+ years
Industry: Food & beverage
Posted: Today

The role in 30 seconds

A director-level continuous improvement role at Jack Link's (food & beverage) in Perry, GA. Develop a network of plant-level Continuous Improvement champions to accelerate adoption and share knowledge.

They ask for: 10+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Tools it names: Lean, Kaizen, 5S, Value stream mapping, TPM, Root cause

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–$150k.

Median of the low and high ends of 148 live postings that list pay, out of 393 continuous improvement openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

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

How this role compares

Against 392 other live lean / ci postings in the US.

Base pay: Not listed in this posting
Experience asked: More than usual (10+ vs 5+)

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Lean 85%
Six Sigma 55%
✓ Kaizen 50%
✓ Value stream mapping 49%
✓ Root cause 46%
✓ 5S 33%

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

Stands out: this posting asks for SPC, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 10+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

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
Pick 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at Jack Link's
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
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.
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?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
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
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: Jack Link's in Perry

2 other open roles at this site.

Maintenance Technician · Reliability · Technician
Maintenance Supervisor- Overnight Shift · Reliability · Supervisor

Full description from Jack Link'sAs posted on their careers site.Show

Job summary

The Sr Director of Operational Excellence leads the company's continuous improvement strategy across all manufacturing sites. This role will build the process, capabilities, tools, and governance necessary to create a consistent and sustainable approach to continuous improvement across all factories. The Sr Director will establish a standardized manufacturing excellence framework grounded in lean principles, structured problem solving, loss elimination, standard work, and performance management.

Key responsibilities

◆Lead the CI change effort. Develop and lead the company’s Continuous Improvement strategy and roadmap across all factories.
◆Establish a common CI methodology, tools, governance, terminology, and expectations across the manufacturing network.
◆Establish common standards for Lean practices, structured problem solving, daily management, standard work, and performance improvement.
◆Establish and advance Lean manufacturing practices including standard work, Kaizen, 5S, value-stream mapping, visual management, root-cause analysis, waste elimination, centerlining, and structured problem solving.
◆Develop CI training, tools, playbooks and learning programs.
◆Develop a network of plant-level Continuous Improvement champions to accelerate adoption and share knowledge.
◆Manage performance. Work with the Plant Leadership Team to track plant targets and KPIs regularly and set action plans and follow-up meetings to close gaps.
◆Own KPI visibility. Manage the daily, weekly, and monthly KPI charting and posting process to keep teams accountable.
◆Simplify data. Use Power BI and SAP to turn complex operational data into clear, usable information for plant and operations leaders.
◆Apply analytics. Use statistics and other analytical methods to identify improvement opportunities and support decisions.
◆Track savings. Implement and manage a cost savings tracking process aligned with corporate standards and deliver against savings targets.
◆Partner on safety. Partner with the Safety Director to embed safety into improvement work, including incident investigation, hazard reduction, and safety considerations in kaizen events.
◆Perform other duties as assigned

Required

✓Bachelor’s degree in operations, manufacturing, supply chain, business, engineering, food science, or related field, or equivalent experience in continuous improvement.
✓7 to 10 years experience in a manufacturing environment, including a leadership role.
✓5+ years in influencing roles, such as CI, Lean, or support functions.
✓Experience or education in statistical process control, root cause analysis, or other analytical methods.
✓Training and hands-on experience with value stream mapping, kaizen methods, 5S, leader standard work, and other Lean tools.
✓Project management experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver on timelines, budgets, and goals.
✓Experience developing or implementing a playbook for a management operating system (MOS) and a continuous improvement program, including how the playbook was rolled out across sites.

Show full description ↓

Preferred

+Experience with SAP and Power BI for operational reporting.
+Experience in food or consumer packaged goods manufacturing.
+Experience with Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), with at least working exposure to its Autonomous Maintenance (AM) and Planned Maintenance (PM) pillars.

Skill and Competencies

•Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence leaders at every level.
•Diplomacy in communicating needs and recommendations, with credibility that earns trust across functions.
•A proactive style that drives projects to completion despite obstacles.
•A collaborative team approach in all situations.
•Ability to manage multiple priorities and workstreams at once.
•Proficiency in Microsoft Office.