Continuous Improvement Specialist

About the Company

Build something, rather than simply maintain it. Crocodile Cloth is a fast-growing wet wipes manufacturer based in Columbus, Ohio. As we grow, we want improvement to be part of how every team works, every day, from the production line to the warehouse to customer service.

About the Role

We are looking for our first Continuous Improvement Specialist to lead that change. This is a hands-on role. You will spend most of your time on the floor with our teams, identifying problems, solving them and teaching others to do the same. This role is based on-site in Columbus and includes some early, late or weekend hours to support all shifts.

Responsibilities

• Design and launch our CI program across Production, Warehouse, Inventory, Sourcing, Quality, Maintenance and Customer Service.
• Act as a change agent across the business, building buy-in and bringing teams along with new ways of working, often without formal authority.
• Establish daily tiered huddles, visual management boards and regular gemba walks.
• Train team members in 5S, standard work, root cause analysis, A3 and kaizen, and coach supervisors to lead their own improvements.
• Own our operational data, including Latitude WMS and Guidewheel, and build the KPI dashboards our teams rely on.
• Lead improvement projects and kaizen events that reduce downtime, scrap, changeover time and waste.
• Manage our pipeline of longer-term improvements and validate savings with Finance.
• Partner with Quality and Safety to ensure every change is compliant and safe.

Qualifications

• A degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations, Business or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.

What you will bring

• Two to four years in continuous improvement, operations or industrial engineering within manufacturing, warehousing or distribution.
• Practical experience with Lean tools and leading improvement projects or kaizen events.
• Strong Excel skills and the ability to turn data into clear, actionable findings.
• Confidence training groups and coaching individuals, from operators to managers.
• Experience leading change without direct authority.
• You have developed, trained and implemented new programs or ways of working and made them stick.
• A proven ability to drive actions through to completion.

Highly regarded

• Lean Six Sigma Yellow or Green Belt, or progress toward one.
• Experience in consumer packaged goods, personal care, nonwovens or other high-speed packaging operations.
• Knowledge of TPM, SMED and OEE.
• Experience with Power BI or Tableau, a WMS or machine monitoring software.
• Exposure to GMP-regulated manufacturing and change control.
• Formal CI certification is not required. We will support the right person to obtain one.

Preferred Skills

• [Benefits: medical, dental, 401(k), PTO, etc.]

How to Apply

• We welcome a brief note describing an improvement you are proud of.