Director of Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement/Operations Director

Location: Lakewood, NJ (Onsite)

Reports To: Vice President of Operations

Salary: $150,000 annually

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Company Overview

Astor Chocolate is a 4th generation privately held, family-owned company and has been a leading purveyor of chocolate for over 90 years with our core strengths being innovation, creativity, and dedication to creating premium products. The company services multiple industries ranging from Hospitality, Travel Retail, Food Service, ASI, and Gourmet specialty retailers. Astor, with our energetic team atmosphere, believes the success of our growth is our strong commitment to developing our employees' potential. We are committed to building the company with talented and motivated individuals who will uphold our mission of being a market leader by innovating and servicing our customers with extreme dedication.

Position Summary

Astor Chocolate is seeking an experienced Continuous Improvement/Operations Director to lead operational improvement initiatives across our manufacturing facility. This role is responsible for identifying and implementing process improvements that reduce costs, increase efficiency, and optimize manufacturing operations while maintaining the highest standards of food safety, product quality, and workplace safety.

Working closely with cross-functional teams: including Production, Quality, Safety, Procurement, Warehouse, and Maintenance, you will evaluate end-to-end manufacturing processes, identify opportunities for improvement, and lead projects that deliver measurable operational and financial results.

This is a highly visible role that requires both strategic thinking and hands-on execution. The ideal candidate is an influential leader who can drive change through collaboration and build consensus across all levels of the organization.

Essential Functions

• Analyze manufacturing operations from receiving through shipping to identify opportunities for cost reduction, waste elimination, and process optimization.
• Develop and implement projects that improve productivity, efficiency, quality, and operational performance while maintaining compliance with food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Evaluate production workflows, material flow, labor utilization, equipment performance, inventory management, and facility layout to maximize operational efficiency.
• Create process maps, value stream maps, and future-state workflows to support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner with Production, Quality, Safety, Procurement, Warehouse, and Maintenance teams to identify improvement opportunities and implement sustainable solutions.
• Lead cross-functional projects from concept through execution, including planning, implementation, measurement, and continuous monitoring.
• Identify opportunities to improve packaging operations, manual assembly processes, manufacturing line design, and plant footprint optimization.
• Support equipment installation and manufacturing process improvements as needed.
• Develop metrics and reporting tools to measure project success, including cost savings, productivity gains, waste reduction, and operational improvements.
• Educate, coach, and influence teams on continuous improvement principles while fostering a culture of operational excellence.
• Present recommendations, project updates, and business leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Operations Management, Finance, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in Continuous Improvement, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Excellence, or a related role within a food manufacturing environment.
• Experience working in an FDA-regulated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated success leading continuous improvement initiatives that resulted in measurable cost savings, productivity improvements, or operational efficiencies.
• Experience evaluating manufacturing processes and implementing sustainable operational improvements.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent project management and organizational abilities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience working with ERP systems and utilizing data to support operational decision-making.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Experience with packaging engineering or packaging optimization.
• Experience supporting manufacturing equipment installation.
• Manufacturing line design and facility layout optimization experience.
• Inventory management optimization experience.
• Experience improving manual assembly processes.
• Knowledge of ASTM testing standards and packaging validation protocols.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer a competitive compensation package including:

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off (PTO) & Paid Holidays
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Professional Development Opportunities

Keywords: Operational Excellence Engineer | Manufacturing Process Engineer | Operational Excellence Manager | Manufacturing Excellence Engineer |