Continuous Improvement (CI) Analyst

Colony Brands, Inc. is one of North America’s largest and most successful direct marketing catalog and e-Commerce companies. Our company has grown from a premier mail-order cheese company to include a diverse portfolio of affiliates, brands and products ranging from apparel and food to home décor and kitchen appliances, while maintaining our roots as a private, customer-centric business based in Monroe, WI. Do you relentlessly pursue excellence from yourself and others? If so, then Colony Brands, Inc. may be the place for you to impact our business and your career!

What You’ll Do

Responsible for utilizing a combination of analytical skills, statistical analysis, and lean strategies to thoroughly understand losses/opportunities, and then take action to drive improvements. Candidate will analyze many sources of data, develop the capability of others to accurately record data and understand losses, and serve as a catalyst to drive positive change for the business by reducing costs and improving efficiencies. A successful candidate will work cross-functionally with others to use Lean Methodologies to get to root cause and will develop institutional fixes to drive sustainable improvements. Documenting processes, developing and measuring standards, creating training material, training others, facilitating problem solving sessions, conducting time studies, developing a road map of projects to drive out losses, and developing/working with all members of the business will be critical for success.

You’ll Also Be Responsible For

Culture Development & Strategy Support

• Influencing and collaborating effectively to engage stakeholders to gain buy-in for process improvement initiatives
• Promoting a culture of continuous improvement across the organization
• Coaching and mentoring team members to maximize their safety, performance and engagement
• Training and mentoring team regarding data analysis and lean tools/concepts to all necessary employees throughout the organization
• Working safely and effectively with others, and exhibiting a professional manner in dealing with others, striving to maintain constructive working relationships and always demonstrating respect
• Utilizing team members within the organization to work cross-functionally to investigate issues, analyze data, recommend improvements, and execute action plans
  
  

Project Management

• Managing improvement projects as determined by manager or executive staff to implement best practices, reduce operating costs and improve customer satisfaction
• Generating short- and long-term action plans based on impact and needed resources to prioritize a list of continuous improvement initiatives
• Developing applicable metrics, standards, scorecards, dashboards, and reporting tools to improve tracking and overall performance
• Monitoring financial and performance results and communicating them to management and executive staff
  
  

Lean Methodology

• Performing process mapping and documentation to identify and capitalize on improvement opportunities
• Identifying and eliminating waste, challenges and issues within processes
• Supporting and leading complex improvement and optimization projects/initiatives in the areas of Safety, Quality, Productivity and Cost savings
• Encouraging teams to think innovatively and test out new ideas to solve problems
  
  

Training and Coaching

• Actively sharing knowledge and best practices across value streams
• Developing, participating in, and leading training sessions on continuous improvement methodologies, mentoring others in their application
• Facilitating and assisting business process management and teams in supporting continuous improvement efforts
  
  

Production Support

• Driving continuous improvements to production metrics to gain efficiency and increase productivity
• Participating in product escalations and issues to determine root cause as needed
• Developing data collection and retrieval tools for organizational use
  
  

QualificationsWhat It Takes

Our diverse range of products, fluctuating workload, and dynamic schedules demand a candidate with exceptional planning and analytical skills, capable of adeptly managing scheduling and input changes. The ideal candidate will possess professional-level communication skills and excel in a collaborative, team-oriented environment. This role requires experience in operations, Continuous Improvement and Lean Methodology within a high-volume manufacturing setting.

In Addition, We Are Looking For

• A solution-oriented and customer-focused demeanor
• Ability to lead people and achieve positive results through others
• Demonstrate analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Strong computer systems knowledge, specifically with Microsoft programs
• Working with food manufacturing partners in driving and managing capital expenditures.