Continuous Improvement & Procurement Manager

About Us

Creative Metal Products (CMP), founded in 1995, is a privately held, growth-oriented company known for delivering innovative, high-quality fabricated products. We specialize in light- to medium-thickness metal components, assemblies, and finished products serving industries such as electronics, lighting/energy, industrial equipment, electrical enclosures, material handling, medical, safety, and military. At CMP, we pride ourselves on our commitment to craftsmanship, safety, and continuous improvement, making us Your American Fabrication Partner.

We are seeking a Continuous Improvement & Procurement Manager to lead continuous improvement initiatives and strategic purchasing across our organization. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader with strong expertise in lean manufacturing, process optimization, and procurement strategy. This role requires a balance of analytical thinking, operational leadership, and execution ability to drive efficiency, improve margins, and support CMP’s growth-oriented business plan.

Primary Responsibilities:

Lean Operations

- Analyze parts and part families, and processes to identify improvement opportunities and workflows from planning through sustainment.

- Use data to understand key cost and margin drivers by customer, part and work center, and help develop strategies that reduce labor and materials costs while improving profitability.

- Develop and maintain metrics and dashboards to track KPI's such as on-time delivery, lead time reduction, work que reduction, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

- Assist in implementing a real-time job costing data collection system and processes related to labor, materials and scrap.

- Train, coach and apply lean tools such as scoreboards, 5S, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and cellular manufacturing.

- Contribute to sustaining standardized business process and continuous improvement projects, including ISO 9001 implementation and UL Certification at sister company Tube Fab & Color.

Strategic Procurement

- Support and help execute the company's procurement strategy focusing on material availability, cost efficiency, and effective coordination between procurement inventory and procurement teams.

- Coordinate and help execute physical inventory at both facilities twice per year.

Secondary Responsibilities:

- Identify, recommend, and implement new processes, technologies, and systems to improve efficiency, quality and communication across business operations.

- Take ownership of improvement ideas by helping turn recommendations into measurable actions and results.

- Provide back-up support to purchasing and inventory functions as needed.

Required Experience:

- Experience in procurement, and inventory management, or supply chain operations within a manufacturing environment.

- Demonstrated ability to track and improve plant level key performance indicators.

- 5-7 years of experience in lean manufacturing or in a similar role in process improvement, operations leadership, process optimizations, or lean management.

- Exposure to purchasing management. Experience leading direct Procurement functions. (preferred)

Education & Certifications:

- Bachelors Degree in Engineering, Business Management, Operations or related field.

- Lean Six-Sigma Green Belt or equivalent experience. Black belt. (substantial plus)

- Experience with data driven tools such as Power BI or Microsoft CoPilot. (substantial plus)

- MBA or advanced degree preferred but not required.

Reporting Structure:

- Reports directly to the Director of Engineering & Operations Strategy with collaboration across the leadership team, including the President & CEO.

- Purchasing: Direct reports include two team members in procurement and inventory.

- Lean: This is a hands-on working position with no direct reports but access to cross-functional resources to support improvement initiatives across the organization.

Why Join CMP?

As a Continuous Improvement & Procurement Manager at CMP, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our operations by combining lean principles with strategic procurement. This is a high-impact position where you will directly influence profitability, efficiency, and long-term growth. Join a forward-thinking company that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement, and help us continue to set the standard as Your American Fabrication Partner.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

- 401(k)

- 401(k) matching

- Dental insurance

- Employee discount

- Flexible schedule

- Health insurance

- Health savings account

- Life insurance

- Paid time off

- Parental leave

- Tuition reimbursement

- Vision insurance

Experience:

- Lean manufacturing: 5 years (Required)

- Procurement management: 3 years (Required)

License/Certification:

- Six Sigma Green Belt (Preferred)

- Six Sigma Black Belt (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

- Neenah, WI 54956 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

- Neenah, WI 54956: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person