At Link Snacks, we show up hungry, roll up our sleeves, plaid or otherwise, and dive straight into the hard work. We don’t hide from challenges; we hunt them down. We push harder, move faster, and take the kinds of big swings that built this business in the North Woods of Wisconsin four decades ago.
We’re everyday people who deliver extraordinary results. Innovation, creativity, and urgency aren’t buzzwords, they’re expectations. And just like the real protein snacks we make across our global house of brands—Jack Link’s®, Lorissa’s Kitchen®, Golden Island®, BiFi®, and Peperami® and KOOEE!® to name a few—there’s nothing artificial about us. What you see is exactly what you get: humble, gritty, passionate people who show up every day ready to not just be a participate in the meat snack industry that the Link Family created, but to move faster, innovate harder and keep raising the bar so high, the rest of the world needs a ladder just to see it.
Dominating this space across the world takes a team. A team that runs together, succeeds together, and celebrates together. A team that’s full of relentless energy and spirit that can only be fueled by one thing: a fist full of our delicious meat snacks.
Real Meat Protein. Real People. Real Results. THAT is Link Snacks.
Job DescriptionJOB 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.
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.
Additional Information
The salary range for this role is $195,000 - 225,000 annually
Link Snacks provides a variety of benefits to eligible Team Members, including medical, dental and vision benefits, life and disability insurance, 401k participation, paid holidays, and paid time off.
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in operations, manufacturing, supply chain, business, engineering, food science, or a related field, or equivalent experience in continuous improvement
- 7 to 10 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, including a leadership role
- 5 or more years in influencing roles such as continuous improvement, 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 management operating system playbook and continuous improvement program across sites
- Experience with SAP and Power BI for operational reporting
- Experience in food or consumer packaged goods manufacturing
- Experience with Total Productive Maintenance, including exposure to Autonomous Maintenance and Planned Maintenance pillars
- Strong written, verbal communication, presentation, and leader-influencing skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
What We Do
When it comes to being wild, we know a thing or two. We're not afraid of trying something new or the hard work it takes to make it happen. It's in our DNA. We've turned a family recipe into a new snacking category. And the wilderness into the world's largest meat snack business, that's still proudly family owned and operated. We're a company built by innovators, and are driven to not only satisfy your hunger, but to also feed your journey – whether that journey is on the road, on the run, at the campground, at the playground, in the office or in the moment. It’s a journey we share with you. It’s the journey forward of our people, of our communities, of our category…with a reverence for quality and an irreverence for the status quo. At Jack Link's Protein Snacks, we see every moment of every day as an opportunity to move forward, to forge new ground. To realize our vision of becoming the World’s #1 Protein Snacking Company. We never give up. You never give up. Together, we keep going. Are you wild enough to join us?
