Continuous Improvement Leader (CI)

Job Description:

Continuous Improvement Leader

Collaborate with Innovative 3Mers Around the World

Choosing where to start and grow your career has a major impact on your professional and personal life, so it’s equally important you know that the company that you choose to work at, and its leaders, will support and guide you. With a wide variety of people, global locations, technologies and products, 3M is a place where you can collaborate with other curious, creative 3Mers.

This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government or military experience to a 3M career.

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role

As a Continuous Improvement Leader, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative people around the world. Here, you will make an impact by:

• Works with site leadership team to set short-term strategic direction and operating plans for assigned area of responsibility and defines guidelines/methods.

• Responsible for development site CI strategy for Continuous improvement. Will have direct responsibility and work with site leader for strategic planning and establishing improvement objectives.

• Complex problem solving requiring in-depth interpretation, analysis and improvement approaches. Improvement expertise/experience should encompass production, materials, transactional, warehouse, supply chain, Materials Resource Planning (MRP), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Portfolio and/or information flows. Ability to link process, execution and master data failure modes with projects to drive operational improvements that drive financial performance.

• Responsible for site/organization level goals, objectives, strategy and performance.

• Driving ‘financial improvement across the site/organization

• Collaborates with front- line employees, support teams, department/function, supervisors/managers and operations leaders to determine goals, direction, and approaches for improvement.

• Responsible for working with site/ organization leadership team to determine approach and strategy for achieving operational and financial objectives.

• Teaching, mentoring and developing others (e.g. peers, supervisors, managers) in their ability to establish Continuous

• Improvement as a primary mechanism to improving financial and operational performance in their work centers, departments or areas.

• Use CI Dashboard to manage, maintain and communicate CI impact/performance to leadership at all levels.

Your Skills and Expertise 

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start)

• Five (5) years of experience in plant and/or operations leadership in a private, public, government or military environment

• Three (3) years of experience in developing and leading kaizen events in a private, public, government or military environment

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Strong communication skills across all levels of the organization

• Ability to develop and execute strategic plans

• Ten (ten) years of experience in plant operations, engineering, and/or maintenance functions

• Strength in leading and managing culture change

• Advanced data analysis and Microsoft Excel skills

• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt experience or certification

• Coaching and teaching skills.

• Lean Manufacturing experience.

• Demonstrated results using continuous improvement methodologies.

Work location: On-site Knoxville, Iowa

Travel: May include up to 10% domestic travel

Relocation Assistance: May be authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Supporting Your Well-being

3M offers many programs to help you live your best life – both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, 3M regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.

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Applicable to US Applicants Only:The expected compensation range for this position is $164,612 - $201,193, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience. In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/.
Good Faith Posting Date Range 07/24/2026 To 08/23/2026 Or until filled
All US-based 3M full time employees will need to sign an employee agreement as a condition of employment with 3M. This agreement lays out key terms on using 3M Confidential Information and Trade Secrets. It also has provisions discussing conflicts of interest and how inventions are assigned. Employees that are Job Grade 7 or equivalent and above may also have obligations to not compete against 3M or solicit its employees or customers, both during their employment, and for a period after they leave 3M.
Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @3M.
Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.
Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.
Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/
3M does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.

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