Manager of Lean Excellence

June 4, 2026

Other Jobs To Apply

Position Title: Manager of Lean Excellence Pay Rate: $152,300 - $205,000Multiple factors, including Individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range. Category/Shift: Salaried Full-Time Physical Location: Remote or6400 Poplar AvenueMemphis, TN The Job You Will Perform: <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li>Lead initiatives that improve efficiency, scalability, and operational consistency across the organization</li><li>Align strategy and tactics with the Corporate Lean Team and site-level operations leadership</li><li>Report to members of the business leadership team on status of lean road maps and adoption within each facility</li><li>Use data to identify gaps in performance versus best practices and work with the mill team to execute an improvement plan</li><li>Document best practices and share improvements to leverage results</li><li>Understand and apply financial drivers and key performance indicators</li><li>Implement lean tools such as 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, Visual Management, SMED and Value Stream Mapping</li><li>Drive waste elimination, process flow optimization, and variation reduction</li><li>Facilitate structured problem solving using A3, DMAIC, 5-Why, RCFA, and similar methodologies</li><li>Deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost</li><li>Implement and manage systems, including daily management, that will sustain improvement efforts</li><li>Lead and coach kaizen events through hands-on participation</li><li>Develop training materials and effectively deliver those materials in multiple formats to ensure team members throughout the organization are trained in CI / lean concepts and philosophy</li><li>Evaluate and drive opportunities for appropriate CI and lean tool applications</li><li>Provide overall support, assistance, direction and communication to the mill leadership teams regarding CI initiatives</li></ul> The Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge You Will Bring: <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li>Bachelor's degree preferred in business, engineering, operations management, or related field</li><li>Significant operational and change management experience in a manufacturing environment</li><li>Demonstrated success implementing lean manufacturing initiatives</li><li>Strong analytical, facilitation, coaching, and change leadership skills</li><li>Ability to influence without formal authority across multiple functions</li><li>Proficiency with Microsoft Office</li><li>This position will require 50-75% travel</li></ul> The Benefits You Will Enjoy: <div> International Paper offers a benefits package that includes health, welfare and retirement plans including Medical, Dental, Life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Short-term and Long-term Disability, 401(k), Company-funded retirement contributions, Paid Time Off, Education & Development (including Tuition Reimbursement), Student Loan Repayment Assistance, and Voluntary Benefits including insurance for home, auto, vision and pets </div> 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: <div> International Paper promotes employee well-being by providing safe, caring and inclusive workplaces. We have team members all around the world with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. These are our strengths. We are committed to creating a culture where all individuals are respected, valued, engaged and have an opportunity to do their best work every day. We invite you to bring your uniqueness, creativity, talents, experiences, and safety mindset to be a part of our increasingly inclusive and diverse culture. <div style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"> </div>The Company You Will Join: International Paper (NYSE: IP) is the global leader in sustainable packaging solutions. With company headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) headquarters in London, UK, we employ more than 65,000 team members and serve customers around the world with operations in more than 30 countries. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Net sales for 2024 were $18.6 billion. In 2025, International Paper acquired DS Smith creating an industry leader focused on the attractive and growing North American and EMEA regions. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com. </div> <div> </div> <div> International Paper is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. International Paper complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact reasonable.accommodations@ipaper.com or (877) 973-3919. </div>

Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...

Item added to your cart

DISCLAIMER