Vice President, Global Continuous Improvement & Quality

Description

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JOB TITLE: VP, Global Continuous Improvement and Quality

REPORTS TO: Group President, Converting

LOCATION: Green Bay, WI; must be local, or willingto relocate to Wisconsin

TRAVEL: 50% (domestic & international)

POSITION SUMMARY

The Vice President, Global Continuous Improvement and Quality leads the strategy, execution, and culture of operational excellence across the global manufacturing sites and segments within the Converting Solutions Platform. This role is responsible for driving transformational change, embedding Lean, Six Sigma, and quality best practices, and ensuring world-class standards in product and process quality throughout the organization. This includes ownership of Business Process Management (BPM) frameworks, alignment with global ISO standards, integration of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles, and implementation of Designing for Excellence (DfX) approaches to ensure long-term value creation and customer satisfaction. As a member of the senior leadership team, this individual works cross-functionally to enhance productivity, regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, and cost competitiveness.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBLITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a global strategy for continuous improvement and quality aligned with the company’s growth and operational goals.
• Build a culture of operational excellence, total quality, and accountability across all levels of the organization.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to integrate CI, BPM, and quality objectives into business strategy, supporting long-term operational scalability.
• Champion the adoption of TQM philosophies, including customer focus, process orientation, and continuous feedback loops.

Continuous Improvement (CI)

• Lead the deployment of Lean, Six Sigma, BPM, and other CI methodologies across global sites.
• Establish a unified BPM framework to standardize core operational processes, promote consistency, and ensure scalability.
• Identify, prioritize, and manage high-impact improvement projects to deliver measurable business outcomes (e.g., cost reduction, cycle time improvement, waste elimination).
• Drive DfX practices, including Design for Manufacturability, Design for Cost, and Design for Reliability, to optimize product development and operational efficiency.
• Develop capability and internal expertise through training, coaching, and certification programs (e.g., Green Belt, Black Belt).
• Train and mentor, all function process owners in concepts of continuous improvement and various tools.
• Responsible for platform KPI’s and pipeline of improvement events

Quality Management

• Oversee the development, implementation, and maintenance of a global Quality Management System (QMS) that supports both compliance and continuous improvement.
• Ensure consistent alignment with international standards such as ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100, and customer-specific requirements.
• Drive warranty reduction across the platform.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to embed TQM principles into daily operations and product lifecycle stages.
• Drive proactive quality planning, including risk management, FMEA, and APQP methodologies.
• Monitor and report key quality KPIs: PPM, customer complaints, audit findings, and regulatory compliance metrics.
• Lead management reviews and quality audits to evaluate QMS effectiveness and drive corrective action where needed.
• Implement essential tools such as PFMEA, PPAP, DFMEA, Audits, etc. where required

Team and Organizational Development

• Build and lead a high-performing, global team of CI, BPM, and quality professionals.
• Influence and mentor site and regional leaders to foster a proactive, improvement-driven, and quality-first mindset.
• Align and standardize best practices across regions, plants, and business segments by leveraging BPM tools and global process ownership.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field (Master’s or MBA preferred).
• 15+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing with a focus on continuous improvement, BPM, and quality leadership.
• Proven success in global roles with multi-site responsibilities in an industrial or heavy manufacturing environment.
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt preferred.
• Familiarity with ISO standards, TQM frameworks, and DfX principles is highly desirable.
• ERP Knowledge, i.e... SAP or Microsoft

Skills & Competencies

• Deep knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, BPM, TQM, and Quality Systems.
• Strong leadership and change management capabilities.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale transformation and quality assurance initiatives.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proficient in using quality and process improvement tools (e.g., Minitab, SPC, FMEA, Value Stream Mapping, BPMN software).
• Expertise in process mapping, cross-functional workflow design, and continuous monitoring using key quality indicators.
• Strong financial acumen

#LI-KF1

Barry-Wehmiller is an equal opportunity employer. M/F/D/V This organization uses E-Verify.Applicants may be subject to pre-employment screening which may include drug screening, reference checks, employment verifications, background screening and/or skills assessments.

Company:

Paper Converting Machine Company