Operational Excellence Lead

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double-digit growth every year. We produce and market award-winning bourbons and whiskeys, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, Traveller, and Sazerac Rye, as well as popular spirits brands like Fireball, Svedka, Wheatley, BuzzBallz, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery is recognized as the “world’s most award-winning distillery.”

About the role

Join our Operational Excellence team and help drive measurable improvements across Sazerac’s manufacturing network. As an Operational Excellence Lead, you will partner with plant operations and cross-functional teams to improve productivity, reduce costs, and strengthen performance across Safety, Quality, Service, Cost, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). This role combines data-driven problem-solving, continuous improvement methodologies, and hands-on project execution to develop scalable solutions and standardize best practices across operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, TPM, and structured problem-solving methodologies to improve manufacturing performance.
• Identify productivity and cost-saving opportunities across line efficiency, throughput, waste, yield, labor, changeovers, materials, energy, and utilities.
• Analyze operational data, identify performance gaps, develop business cases, and track project results and benefits against established targets.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and Engineering teams to identify root causes, develop solutions, and implement sustainable improvements.
• Support standardized work practices, performance management systems, visual management, operational audits, and sharing of best practices across sites.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 4+ years of relevant experience in operational excellence, continuous improvement, manufacturing, engineering, operations, or a related field.
• Knowledge of Lean manufacturing principles with Lean Six Sigma certification or relevant project management experience.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, project leadership, change management, communication, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to use data to drive decisions and influence others.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or supporting continuous improvement and cost-reduction initiatives within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, Kaizen, or other structured continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience coaching cross-functional teams and standardizing operational best practices across manufacturing lines or sites.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to travel up to manufacturing sites as needed.
• Ability to move throughout manufacturing facilities and between worksites as needed.

Benefits

Sazerac offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401K, and paid time off. These benefits may vary depending on location and work type.

Pay

The annual salary range for this role is $105,955 - $158,933. Final compensation will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal pay equity considerations.