CI Manager

SunOpta Overview:

SunOpta (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY) is an innovative and sustainable manufacturer fueling the future of food. With roots tracing back over 50 years, SunOpta drives growth for today's leading brands by serving as a trusted innovation partner and value-added manufacturer, crafting organic, plant-based beverages, fruit snacks, nutritional beverages, broths and tea products sold through retail, club, foodservice and e-commerce channels. Alongside the company's commitment to top brands, retailers and coffee shops, SunOpta also proudly produces its own brands, including SOWN, Dream, and West Life. For more information, visit SunOpta and LinkedIn.

Job Summary:

This position is responsible for leading, planning, standardizing, and directing business process improvement and waste elimination activities to ensure business continuity and operational excellence within the Plant and assigned functional areas. This position is also responsible to identify, train and deploy resources to apply state-of-the-art approaches and tools to achieve performance excellence and process improvements.

Essential Functions of the Job:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive Continuous Improvement (CI) strategy in partnership with facility leadership, prioritizing high-impact projects that drive efficiency, reduce costs, and align with the organization's overall business goals.
• Act as a trusted advisor to facility directors and senior leadership, providing expert guidance, data-driven insights, and actionable recommendations to support strategic decision-making and operational excellence.
• Ensure that CI initiatives are directly aligned with operational priorities and broader business objectives by setting measurable goals, defining key performance indicators (KPIs), and tracking progress to demonstrate value.
• Lead, develop, and support the CI team, allocating resources strategically to maximize efficiency and ensuring the team focuses on projects that deliver the greatest impact while meeting organizational needs.
• Drive the execution of complex cross-functional CI projects by coordinating diverse teams, managing project timelines and risks, and delivering sustainable, measurable business outcomes that enhance quality, productivity, and cost performance.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement by training & mentoring employees in the identification of opportunities, implement rigorous problem-solving methodologies, and address root causes systematically to ensure long-term solutions.
• Partner with CI managers across facilities to share knowledge, align on best practices, and standardize tools and methodologies, ensuring consistency, improved efficiency, and elevated performance organization-wide.
• Wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) when required.
• All other duties, as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• None.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field.
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, achieved through a program that required the successful completion of a project for certification.
• 10+ years related experience in a CI Manager role or related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination or education and experience.
• Must have a working knowledge or MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and be proficient with MS Excel.
• Outstanding verbal, written, and communications skills including facilitation and public-speaking experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Lean/Six Sigma Green, Black or Master Black Belt or equivalent training and/or certification.
• Project Management experience in a manufacturing/cross-functional environment.
• Bilingual in Spanish.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Outstanding verbal, written, multi-tasking and presentation skills.
• Ability to create momentum and foster organizational change.
• Expertise in prioritizing projects based on business outcomes, ROI, and organizational strategy.
• Demonstrated mastery of Lean Six Sigma tools to deliver measurable business outcomes and drive continuous improvement.
• Proven expertise in leadership, mentoring, and stakeholder management to drive alignment and achieve organizational goals.
• Possess a disciplined approach to project execution with a track record of positive hard and behavioral results.
• Self-motivated/driven and able to create enthusiasm for improvement initiatives.
• Must have a working knowledge of MS Word and MS PowerPoint software and be proficient with MS Excel software.

Additional Considerations:

• Travel: Approximately 20% to various SunOpta locations for meetings and other job-related functions.
• Location: This position will be our SunOpta Plant in Modesto, CA
• Work Environment: Approximately 50% of this role is performed in an office environment; 50% is in an agricultural and/or manufacturing/production environment.
• Relocation or international remote working arrangements (outside of the US) will not be considered.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.