Regional Performance Excellence Leader

Location: Totowa, NJ or Blair, NE (role can be based at either site)

About the role

In this hands-on, highly visible role, you will strengthen operational performance across multiple manufacturing sites in The Americas. You support and coach site leadership teams in deploying Corbion’s DRIVE operating system (Do it Right, Improve Value Every day), translating strategy into daily operational discipline on the shop floor. The role requires approximately 70% travel, including frequent visits to supported manufacturing sites such as Totowa, NJ; Blair, NE; Montgomery, AL; and Querétaro, Mexico, following a defined travel rhythm of one full week per one or two months at each site.

Responsibilities

• Support and coach multiple manufacturing sites in deploying and sustaining the DRIVE operating system, based on TRACC methodology.
• Help sites establish and mature governance between Run & Improve, including daily management routines, effective shift handovers, production, and site management meetings.
• Drive effective visual performance management by translating global Performance Excellence (PE) standards into practical, site-specific applications.
• Act as a facilitator and coach for problem-solving, helping sites identify when structured root-cause analysis or loss-and-waste analysis is required and coordinating resources.
• Build continuous improvement capability by coaching site management teams, local CI/PE managers, and operators, and by delivering or supporting training and workshops.
• Support sites in preparing and executing annual plans, improvement roadmaps, and Cost-to-Value (C2V) initiatives.
• Promote operator-led improvement, ownership, and engagement on the shop floor, removing barriers that prevent teams from improving their own performance.
• Balance short-term operational priorities with long-term capability building, ensuring improvements are sustainable over time.
• Act as a key connector between sites and central Performance Excellence teams, ensuring alignment on standards, best practices, and learning.
• Travel frequently to sites and work closely with local leadership teams to support change, adoption, and cultural transformation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment, with exposure to complex production sites.
• Practical experience with Lean, TPM, Continuous Improvement, or Performance Excellence concepts (e.g., Lean/Six Sigma; Green Belt level or equivalent).
• Demonstrated experience supporting or leading change and culture transformation.
• Strong coaching and facilitation skills, with the ability to influence site managers and leadership teams without formal authority.
• Ability to operate at both strategic and shop-floor levels: comfortable on the production floor but focused on process, governance, and people rather than technical detail.
• Collaborative, open, and resilient personality, able to challenge leaders constructively and build trust across levels and functions.
• Willingness and flexibility to travel extensively (up to ~70%), including frequent international travel.
• Strong communication skills in English; Spanish language skills are preferred.
• Based in the USA at one of Corbion’s factories in Totowa, NJ or Blair, NE.

Benefits

• Bonus potential
• Paid time off, including company holidays
• 401K with company match
• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage for employees and eligible dependents
• Flexible spending accounts
• Education assistance
• Short- and long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Lifestyle and wellness benefits

Pay

The anticipated compensation range for this position is $130,000 to $160,000 for the NJ market. The final pay offered will depend on factors such as experience, education, and industry background.

About Corbion

Corbion is a sustainable ingredients company dedicated to preserving food and food production, health, and the planet. We specialize in lactic acid, lactic acid derivatives, food preservation solutions, functional blends, and algae ingredients, leveraging deep application and product knowledge to propel nature’s ingenuity through science. With over a century of experience, we work alongside customers to deliver cutting-edge technologies for diverse markets, including food, animal nutrition, home & personal care, pharmaceuticals, electronics, medical devices, and bioplastics. In 2025, Corbion generated annual sales of €1,267.4 million with a workforce of 2,408 FTEs.