Columbia Forest Products

Continuous Improvement and Safety Manager

Columbia Forest Products  •  $80k - $85k/yr  •  Kitchener, CA (Onsite)  •  4 days ago
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Job Description

Key Responsibilities

The salary range for this role is 80-85k.

Safety Leadership

  • Champion a safety-first culture by ensuring compliance with all safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
  • Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
  • Conduct regular safety audits, observations, and training to reinforce safe work practices.
  • Partner with supervisors and employees to proactively identify risks and eliminate hazards.

Production & Operational Management

  • Oversee daily production operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and productivity targets in coordination with the supervisor.
  • Monitor key performance metrics (e.g., output, downtime, quality, scrap) and take action to address gaps.
  • Drive consistency in work practices through adherence to standard work and operating procedures.

Continuous Improvement (Lean / Columbia Way)

  • Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, and efficiency.
  • Apply Lean tools such as 5S, standard work, problem solving (A3/5-Why), and visual management systems.
  • Facilitate or participate in Kaizen events and improvement projects to optimize processes.
  • Support implementation and sustainment of Daily Management Systems (DMS) and performance tracking.
  • Engage directly with operators and teams on the shop floor (gemba) to identify and act on improvement opportunities.

People Leadership & Development

  • Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and frontline team members to strengthen performance and engagement.
  • Promote accountability, teamwork, and adherence to safety and production expectations.
  • Support training initiatives, including onboarding, job instruction, and skill development.
  • Foster a culture of continuous learning, feedback, and improvement.

Qualifications

Required

  • 3–5+ years of experience in manufacturing, production supervision, or operations management
  • Demonstrated commitment to safety leadership in an industrial environment
  • Experience leading teams in a fast-paced, production setting
  • Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
Columbia Forest Products

About Columbia Forest Products

Founded in 1957, Columbia Forest Products is North America's premier manufacturer of hardwood plywood and hardwood veneer products. Columbia's decorative interior veneers and panels are used in cabinetry, fine furniture, architectural millwork and commercial fixtures.

Employee-owned and headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, Columbia Forest Products operates plants throughout the United States and Canada, with an operational network that spans the globe.

Columbia's products are sold through a network of wholesale distributors, mass merchandisers and original equipment manufacturers from three distinct business units: plywood, veneer and imports.

At the end of 2006 Columbia has converted all of its standard hardwood plywood production to produce formaldehyde-free panels called PureBond®.

Industry
Manufacturing & Production
Company Size
501-1,000 employees
Headquarters
Greensboro, North Carolina
Year Founded
1957
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