Continuous Improvement Specialist - Operational Excellence at Elanco in Fort Dodge, Iowa

Job Description:

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. We’re driven by our vision of ‘Food and Companionship Enriching Life’ and our approach to sustainability – the Elanco Healthy Purpose™ – to advance the health of animals, people, the planet and our enterprise.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

Your Role: Continuous Improvement Specialist, Operational Excellence

This role leads and participates in cross-functional teams, focusing on continuous improvement projects on the shop floor aligned with company priorities. Responsibilities include identifying, implementing, and tracking process improvement projects. This role actively champions a culture of lean continuous improvement on the shop floor and throughout the organization.

Your Responsibilities:

• Establish a culture of continuous improvement within the organization by implementing Lean Six Sigma methodologies and other best practices.




• Drive operational excellence initiatives to optimize workflows, eliminate waste, and enhance overall productivity.




• Identify improvement opportunities and implement solutions using kaizen, 5S standard work, waste elimination, process improvement projects, training to improve shop floor execution.




• Champion implementation and adoption of digital tools and platforms to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve decision-making capabilities.




• Participate in site projects as necessary.

What You Need to Succeed (minimum qualifications):

• Bachelor’s degree, shop floor supervisory experience or lean implementation experience preferred with minimum 2-3 years of experience in continuous improvement or operations




• Influential change agent who will engage all organizational levels and lead sustained improvement.




• Competent in project planning, execution, post implementation support




• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are necessary to successfully ask the right critical questions and present, coordinate and implement his/her plans and procedures.




• Shop floor focused problem solving and operation driven solutions




• Ability to work on multiple projects in various stages simultaneously

What Will Give You the Competitive Edge (preferred qualifications):

• Lean green belt certification preferred.

Additional Information:

• Flexible schedule to accommodate workload. May require off-shift work hours as job demands.

Elanco Benefits and Perks: 

We offer a comprehensive benefits package focusing on financial, physical, and mental well-being while encouraging our employees to pursue our purpose! Some highlights include: 

• Multiple relocation packages for eligible positions




• Two weeklong shutdowns (mid-summer and year-end) in the US (in addition to PTO) 




• 8-week parental leave 




• 9 Employee Resource Groups 




• Annual bonus offering 




• Up to 6% 401K matching 

Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status