Location: Cleveland,TN, USA
Requisition ID: 64913
ABOUT WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading kitchen and laundry appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home and inspiring generations with our brands. The company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2023, the company reported approximately $19 billion in annual sales, 59,000 employees, and 55 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.
The team you will be a part of
The Business Process team develops, implements and sustains cross-functional process improvement projects and business-wide improvement initiatives including training, mentoring, and consulting with Black Belts, Champions, and Green Belts. Identifies, suggests and implements best practices to facilitate best solutions and methods that will optimize processes in all areas of the business.
This role in summary
As the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) Manager, Operations Excellence, you will lead the development and implementation of WCM methodologies across multiple sites to drive operational improvements. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver significant improvements in safety, quality, cost, and productivity, ensuring best practices are embedded and sustained throughout the organization.
Your responsibilities will include
* Lead the deployment and continuous improvement of WCM methodologies across manufacturing and operational processes, with direct responsibility for at least two of the following WCM pillars: Safety, Focused Improvement, Autonomous Maintenance, Professional Maintenance, Quality Control, People Development, Environment, and Energy. (Note: A rotation program is in place to assign different pillars to team members every one to two years for self-development.)
* Facilitate WCM audits, ensuring alignment with global standards, and supporting plants in achieving certification milestones through internal reviews and on-site support during official audits, including collaboration with external auditors.
* Develop, execute, and update strategic improvement projects and standards for the WCM pillars you are leading, ensuring operational efficiency, effectiveness, and the continuous improvement of best practices.
* Address WCM requests coming from the Plants through the WCM Ticket System, ensuring timely and effective resolution of queries and issues.
* Coach and mentor plant leadership teams on WCM principles, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
* Collaborate with multiple departments (e.g., Quality, Manufacturing Strategy, EHS) to ensure alignment on WCM initiatives.
* Analyze plant performance data to identify areas of opportunity and create actionable plans for improvement.
* Lead cross-functional workshops to solve operational challenges and implement Lean tools and techniques.
* Manage Best Practice sharing across multiple plants, ensuring that successful methodologies and processes are standardized and shared across the organization.
Minimum requirements
* Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, or a related field.
* At least 5 years of experience in manufacturing or operational excellence roles with a strong background in WCM, Lean, or Six Sigma methodologies.
* Proficiency in English, both written and verbal.
Preferred skills and experiences
* Master's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or Business.
* Certifications in Lean, Six Sigma, or World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodologies.
* Proficiency in multiple languages, especially Spanish, is a plus.
* Familiarity with data analytics tools and systems.
* Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
Additional information
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Whirlpool's Ways of Working
Our goal is to provide an environment that helps you bring your best to Whirlpool every day. We apply 'always on' flexibility to all work days. You will have the autonomy to manage personal, family, and outside-of-work commitments as needed. Employees in this role work in person Monday through Thursday with the option to work from anywhere on Friday.
We offer other flexibility and industry-leading time-off benefits that will help you balance what's important at work and at home, including:
* Flexible Friday - Option to work extra hours Monday through Thursday to finish up work early on Friday.
* Two-Week Work from Anywhere - Minimum of one-week increments for a total of two weeks per year.
* Sabbatical - Four weeks paid leave after every five years of service.
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Connect with us and learn more about Whirlpool Corporation
See what it's like to work at Whirlpool by visiting Whirlpool Careers. Additional information about the company can be found on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
At Whirlpool Corporation, we value and celebrate diversity. Whirlpool Corporation is committed to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable law.