Senior Manufacturing Excellence Specialist

Foods you love. Brands you trust. And a career that empowers you to grow. At Nestlé USA, we’re all working towards the same goal – to delight and deliver for our consumers. With a rich portfolio of beloved brands, including DiGiorno, Toll House, and Coffee Mate, in 97% of U.S. households, we have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to be there for every moment in our consumers’ lives. Joining Nestlé means becoming part of an inclusive workplace that inspires innovation, encourages strategic thinking and creativity, and celebrates your achievements. No matter where you work within the organization, you are empowered to challenge the status quo, embrace risk‑taking, and pioneer new ideas. Our supportive and collaborative environment encourages bold ambitions and continuous learning so that everyone can grow and thrive.

Position Summary

The Factory Senior ME Specialist actively supports the implementation of the Local Leadership Team (LLT) improvement strategy. The role acts as the center of expertise for TPM and Industrial Performance. This role is a member of the local leadership team and acts as an accelerator for execution of the autonomy development plan throughout the factory. This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Support definition, alignment, and implementation of the Local Leadership Team Execution Plan, co‑developing LLT improvement strategy that considers loss analysis and external benchmarks.
• Provide alignment from the LLT/key stakeholders around the Execution Plan and support cascade across the Business Unit (Production Department communication strategy).
• Partner with LLT to define Execution Plans that deliver expected results, including NCE rollout plans, other factory key enablers (Digital, Capex), key improvement projects, and competency‑building activities.
• Ensure proper governance/routines at LLT levels to track execution progression and improvement sustainability; spend time on the factory floor to evaluate maturity progression and identify key opportunities.
• Provide guidance and feedback to LLT and align on corrective actions to adjust execution plans; act as point of contact in the absence of the team manager.
• Develop critical competencies within key members of the LLT and build the LLT’s ability to identify opportunities to transform workplace, people, and behaviors through floor visits.
• Partner with HR/Training & Learning to establish and evaluate robustness of function/pillar capability plans; train and coach LLT on needed system competencies and escalate for external support as needed.
• Develop and manage critical competence within members of the ME team and Focused Improvement Technicians; develop a pipeline of potential ME specialists from internal talent.

Required Experience & Education

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing.
• 1‑3 years working with factory management & leadership teams, with success in supporting & developing cross‑functional teams.
• 1‑3 years with an active role on the implementation of Goal Alignment/TPM.
• Understanding of cultural change management, process improvement, and business connections.
• Experience working with line labor standards, budget preparation/review, and line capability/speed studies.
• Training effectiveness & facilitation experience.
• 1‑3 years working & developing improvement projects, loss analysis, and strong experience in leading/applying problem‑solving tools.

Required Skills

• Working knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies (TPM).
• Problem‑solving capabilities.
• Strong analytical skills (Power BI, Excel).
• Basic understanding of change management.
• Competence on Continuous Improvement Guide (CIG).
• Understanding of manufacturing processes.
• Project management competence.
• Understanding of basic finance & value creation.

Pay

Salary range: $100,917.63 to $140,622.90 per year. Bonus eligibility: Yes. The pay range is a good‑faith estimate at the time of posting; final compensation may vary based on knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range.

Benefits

Nestlé offers a performance‑based incentives and a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401(k) with company match, healthcare coverage, and a broad range of other benefits. Incentives and/or benefit packages may vary depending on the position. More details are available at Nestlé US Benefits.