Job Description

Position Title:

Lean Project Lead

Category/Shift

Salaried Full-Time

Pay Range: PL 16

$134,500 – $157,800

Multiple factors, including Individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range.

Physical Location

Remote

85% Travel to facilities

The Job You Will Perform:

• Deploy Daily Management at assigned plants: stand up the tiered meeting cadence, coach shift leaders and supervisors on running it, and hand off ownership to plant leadership before the site closes out.

• Lead Gemba walk implementation — establish the routine, coach leaders on what to look for and how to engage the floor, and build the habit so it continues without a Lean team member present.

• Build and launch Visual Management boards (performance, safety, and problem-solving boards) using plain, plant-floor language — no Lean jargon on materials hourly workers will use.

• Coach hourly workers and frontline supervisors through structured Problem Solving (5-Why, A3) on real issues from their own line, positioning them as the process experts rather than recipients of top-down change.

• Support installation and go-live of digital visual management tools (LIME, ACE, Kiwi run screens) at the site, coordinating with maintenance/IT on hardware needs (monitors, wiring, mounting).

• Follow standard work for the Early Deployment process so the six-week cadence stays consistent and repeatable from site to site and wave to wave.

• Flag risks, adoption gaps, or resource needs to Ben in real time so the team can problem-solve during the deployment window, not after.

• Capture site-level progress and hand-off readiness to support steering committee and network-wide reporting.

The Skills You Will Bring:

Required:

• 2+ years of hands-on plant, manufacturing, or operations experience (corrugated/packaging industry strongly preferred); internal operational background is preferred over a consulting-only background.

• Working knowledge of Daily Management, Gemba, Visual Management, and structured Problem Solving — through direct application on a plant floor, not just classroom exposure.

• Ability to coach and build trust with hourly workers and frontline supervisors, and to translate Lean concepts into plain, operational language.

• Comfort working independently at a new site every few weeks, adapting to different plant cultures and leadership styles.

• Basic comfort with digital visual management tools and willingness to coordinate on-site hardware installation logistics.

• Willingness and ability to travel 80–85%, including regular Monday–Thursday or full-week site assignments.

Preferred:

• Experience in corrugated packaging, converting, or a similar high-mix manufacturing environment.

• Prior experience standing up a site from scratch (greenfield) or leading a rapid-cycle deployment.

• Exposure to FMEA or maintenance-linked problem solving.

Competencies needed for this position:

• Customer Focus

• Action Oriented

• Plans and Aligns

• Collaborates

• Communicates Effectively

• Situational Adaptability

• Instills Trust

The Benefits You Will Enjoy:

The Career You Will Build:

Leadership training, promotional opportunities

The Impact You Will Make:

We continue to build a better future for people, the planet, and our company! IP has been a good steward of sustainable practices across communities around the world for more than 125 years. Join our team and you’ll see why our team members say they’re Proud to be IP.

The Culture You Will Experience: