Process Improvement Manager
Smurfit Westrock · Farmingdale, NY
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Certification
- Green Belt required
- Industry
- Packaging
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management continuous improvement role at Smurfit Westrock (packaging) in Farmingdale, NY. 401(k) retirement plan with company match and automatic contributions to support your long-term financial goals.
- They ask for
- Green Belt required
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Green Belt
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Continuous Improvement roles in New York: typical posted base $112k–$154k.
Median of the low and high ends of 8 live postings that list pay, out of 14 continuous improvement openings in New York, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
New York plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 13 other live lean / ci postings in New York.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $109k–$150k, from 7 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 7+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 93%
- ✓ Six Sigma 79%
- Value stream mapping 57%
- Kaizen 57%
- Root cause 50%
- Black Belt 43%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention 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 Smurfit Westrock
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 does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- The posting mentions a Green Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- 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.
Full description from Smurfit WestrockAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
responsibilities
include identifying / prioritizing improvement activities, tracking financial progress, and coaching / mentoring project leaders and teams. The ability to influence and lead others is key to success.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Process Improvement Manager - Farmingdale, NY
The Opportunity
The Continuous Improvement (CI) Leader plays a key role in building a sustainable culture of employee engagement in continuous improvement. This position will act as a change agent to elevate levels of plant performance and deliver high impact results. The CI Leader functions as a member of the site leadership team and is responsible for all operational excellence and world class manufacturing activities. This role serves as a site resource to drive local CI improvement. The role may also liaison with divisional and site resources to execute productivity strategies and ensure CI activities are aligned with business goals related to Safety, Quality, Cost, Service, and People. Success in this role requires a leader who can effectively drive change in a fast paced manufacturing environment utilizing continuous improvement methodologies and tools. Sample
How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock
The CI Leader is responsible for helping drive business results including productivity by leveraging continuous improvement systems, processes, and tools. She/he will help support the deployment of the standard WestRock Operating System and build a sustainable culture of employee engagement in continuous improvement. Specific
Include
- •Partnering with site leaders to ensure site CI priorities are aligned with overall business strategy and goals.
- •Leverage a zero-loss mindset to identify and prioritize areas of improvement.
- •Deliver value by both leading and supporting the focused execution of CI projects.
- •Manage the local pipeline of improvement projects aligned to productivity targets.
- •Work with site leaders to prioritize and assign resources to ensure project success.
- •Build capability in others through coaching and mentoring project leaders and teams.
- •Support implementation of enterprise initiatives including Daily Management System, Problem-Solving Practices, and Reliability Excellence.
- •Coordinate regular progress reviews of CI projects with project leaders and site leadership.
- •Function as a liaison to the divisional Operational Excellence team.
- •Tracking and reporting of results including cost / productivity benefits.
- •Ensuring all projects and savings are properly documented in the WestRock productivity tracker.
- •Sharing best practices within and outside of the site.
- •Supporting the enterprise Learning & Development framework, processes, and tools in partnership with the operations and support of technical floor trainers.
to Succeed
- •B.S or A.S in a technical field preferred but not required.
- •Prior experience in a manufacturing role is required. Paper and packaging experience is a plus.
- •Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification preferred but not required. Will be required to complete WestRock Yellow Belt and Green Belt training within 6 months of hire and become certified within 18 months.
- •Knowledge and skill of continuous improvement tools including structured problem-solving methodology
- •Experience with leading team-based process improvement projects for manufacturing applications with proven results.
- •Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- •Ability to lead and influence to drive positive change
- •Demonstrated ability to coach, teach, and mentor others
What We Offer
- •Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence
- •Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities
- •Competitive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential
- •A career with a global packaging company where sustainability, safety, and inclusion are foundational to how we operate
- •Competitive total rewards package including medical, dental, and vision coverage options starting on your first day
- •Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contributions and flexible spending account (FSA) options
- •401(k) retirement plan with company match and automatic contributions to support your long-term financial goals
- •Company-paid life insurance and disability coverage for financial protection
- •Mental health support and wellness programs designed to promote overall well-being
- •Generous paid time off, including company holidays, vacation, and paid parental leave
- •Tuition reimbursement and ongoing learning and development opportunities
- •Additional voluntary benefits such as legal services, identity protection, pet insurance, and more