
Manager, Continuous Improvement, Global OpEx
PCI Pharma Services · Rockford, IL
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Pharma & life sciences
- Posted
- Yesterday
The role in 30 seconds
A management continuous improvement role at PCI Pharma Services (pharma & life sciences) in Rockford, IL.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Kaizen, Value stream mapping, Root cause
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026
Continuous Improvement roles in Illinois: typical posted base $120k–$169k.
Median of the low and high ends of 16 live postings that list pay, out of 21 continuous improvement openings in Illinois, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Illinois plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 20 other live lean / ci postings in Illinois.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Typical (10+ years)
Typical $113k–$152k, from 11 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 10+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 90%
- ✓ Six Sigma 71%
- ✓ Kaizen 57%
- ✓ Root cause 52%
- ✓ Black Belt 43%
- ✓ Value stream mapping 38%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Union environment, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
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 PCI Pharma Services
We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See 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.
Write to Julie → (free) - 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 Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- 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: PCI Pharma Services in Rockford
11 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in lean / ci roles at PCI Pharma Services.
- Global Data Analyst, OpEx · Lean / CI · Specialist
- Maintenance Mechanic 3 - Linden Rd · Reliability · Technician
- Maintenance Mechanic 2 - Weekend B (Fri, Sat, & Sun; 7pm-7am) · Reliability · Technician
- Maintenance Mechanic 2 - 2nd Shift · Reliability · Technician
- Packaging Engineer Designer · Manufacturing
- Maintenance Mechanic 2 - 3rd Shift (Mon-Thurs; 9pm-7am) · Reliability · Technician
Full description from PCI Pharma ServicesAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The essential duties and
responsibilities
include the following but other duties may be assigned. ***This position will be located at our facility in Rockford, IL***
- ◆Develop and deploy global Operational Excellence programs that establish a consistent framework for continuous improvement across sites, functions, and business units.
- ◆Build Operational Excellence capabilities from the ground up including governance structures, standards, tools, training programs, and performance management systems that support sustainable transformation.
- ◆Drive a data-driven culture of continuous improvement by leveraging operational, financial, quality, and customer performance metrics to identify opportunities, prioritize actions, and measure results.
- ◆Partner with site and functional leadership teams to align improvement priorities with business strategy and key performance indicators.
- ◆Lead and facilitate continuous improvement initiatives including Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, Root Cause Analysis, and other operational excellence methodologies.
- ◆Establish performance measurement and reporting processes to monitor program effectiveness, communicate results, and support data-based decision making at all levels of the organization.
- ◆Manage and strengthen continuous improvement pipelines ensuring a balanced portfolio of initiatives that delivers operational, quality, service, and financial benefits.
- ◆Lead cross-functional and cross-site improvement efforts promoting the sharing of best practices and standardization of successful solutions across the global network.
- ◆Coach, mentor, and develop site teams and leaders to build continuous improvement capability, problem-solving skills, and operational excellence leadership.
- ◆Support development of Operational Excellence training and learning programs ensuring employees have the tools and skills necessary to drive sustainable improvement.
- ◆Champion a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and customer focus serving as an Operational Excellence role model across the organization.
- ◆Utilize advanced data analysis and performance insights to identify trends, uncover root causes, validate improvements, and ensure benefits realization.
- ◆Develop site-level talent through coaching, mentoring, capability-building programs, and continuous improvement initiatives, influencing employee growth and performance across the organization
- ◆Deliver measurable business impact through successful execution of continuous improvement and transformation initiatives , including achievement of project milestones, adoption of standardized processes, sustainment of performance improvements, and realization of financial benefits validated in partnership with Finance.
- ◆Establish sustainment plans for completed initiatives, including process ownership, standard work, follow-up reviews, and measures demonstrating continued improvement.
- ◆Partners with Quality and site leadership to ensure improvement initiatives comply with applicable GMP, quality system, validation, and change control
requirements
, resulting in compliant, sustainable, and audit-ready process improvements.
- ✓Prepare concise updates for Operational Excellence leadership and site leaders covering initiative progress, benefits, risks, corrective actions, and decisions needed.
- ✓Support change adoption through stakeholder engagement, clear communication, practical implementation plans, and follow-up on agreed actions.
- ✓Maintain knowledge of and comply with applicable PCI policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
- ✓Maintain regular attendance and availability to perform essential duties. Additional hours or weekend work may be required to support business needs.
- ✓Perform other duties as assigned by the Manager/Supervisor.
Qualifications
The
requirements
listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required for the stated position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Required
- ✓Bachelor's Degree in a related field and/or 5-10 years related experience and/or training.
- ✓College Level Mathematical Skills
- ✓Advanced Computer Skills: Ability to perform the most complex computer tasks and operate various computer programs.
- ✓Full Professional Proficiency: Ability to speak, read, and write fluently and accurately on all levels pertinent to professional needs.
- ✓High Reasoning: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where there is only limited standardization. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions that may be provided in various forms.
- ✓Other Required Skills.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Life changing therapies. Global impact. Bridge to thousands of biopharma companies and their patients.
We are PCI.
Our investment is in People who make an impact, drive progress and create a better tomorrow. Our strategy includes building teams across our global network to pioneer and shape the future of PCI.
Preferred
- +Ability to effectively present information to various people as the job requires.
- +Ability to travel.
- +Ability to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner.
- +Familiarity with ERP systems (JD Edwards, SAP, other).
- +Six Sigma Black Belt certification
- +GMP experience
Join us and be part of building the bridge between life changing therapies and patients. Let’s talk future
