Continuous Improvement Manager

Welcome to Cascades!

Cascades is seeking a collaborative, results-driven Continuous Improvement Manager to lead and embed a culture of operational excellence at our Calgary, Alberta packaging manufacturing facility. This role partners closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Safety, and Supply Chain to identify, prioritize, and execute continuous improvement initiatives that improve safety, quality, service, and cost performance in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. This is a full-time salaried leadership role.

What’s in it for you

Taking care of our people is in our nature - so you’ll enjoy:

• A competitive annual base salary between $100,000 and $124,000
• Profit sharing and an employee share purchase plan
• A full range of benefits: group insurance, telemedicine, and an employer-supported retirement plan
• An annual allowance to spend on goods and services of your choice
• A yearly wellness program and employee assistance program
• A collaborative, respectful, and people-centered workplace
• Salary is based on experience, and qualifications that alignment with requirement

Your Role

As Continuous Improvement Manager , you’ll take on real challenges that bring out your full potential.
Your scope includes

• Continuous Improvement Leadership 

  • Lead the development and execution of site-level continuous improvement strategy aligned with Cascades’ operational excellence framework. 

  • Champion Lean manufacturing principles, including problem-solving methodologies (A3, root cause analysis, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping). 

  • Facilitate Kaizen events and improvement workshops to drive measurable gains in safety, productivity, quality, service, and cost. 

  • Partner with site leadership to prioritize CI initiatives based on business impact and operational needs. 

  Operational Excellence & Performance Improvement 

  • Analyze operational performance data to identify trends, losses, constraints, and improvement opportunities. 

  • Drive standard operating procedure development, process stability, and waste elimination across manufacturing, warehousing, and support functions. 

  • Support capacity optimization, asset utilization improvements, and cost reduction initiatives. 

  • Establish, track, and report KPIs to measure CI progress and sustain results. 

  Change Management & Capability Building 

  • Coach and mentor leaders and frontline teams on continuous improvement tools, behaviors, and mindset. 

  • Build internal CI capability through training, effective facilitation, and hands-on project support. 

  • Encourage employee engagement by creating opportunities for team members to contribute ideas and lead improvements. 

  • Support change management efforts to ensure improvements are adopted, sustained, and standardized. 

  Safety, Quality & Compliance 

  • Integrate safety-first thinking into all continuous improvement initiatives. 

  • Partner with Safety and Quality teams to eliminate risks, reduce defects, and improve process reliability. 

  • Ensure CI activities align with H&S regulatory requirements, environmental standards, and Cascades’ policies. 

What you bring

You're a natural fit for Continuous Improvement Manager if you have:

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, Industrial Systems, Business, or a related field; equivalent experience considered. 
• 5+ years of continuous improvement or operational excellence experience in a manufacturing environment (packaging, paper, or converting preferred)
• LEAN Certification highly desirable - Proven experience leading Lean initiatives and cross-functional improvement projects. 

Technical Skills 

• Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing and CI methodologies (Kaizen, A3, 5 Why, DMAIC, Value Stream Mapping). 

• Ability to analyze and interpret operational data to support fact-based decision-making. 

• Experience working within ERP and manufacturing systems (SAP preferred). 

• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, including strong Excel and data presentation skills. 

Leadership & Soft Skills 

• Influential leader with the ability to engage and partner across all levels of the organization. 

• Strong facilitation, coaching, and change management skills. 

• Results-oriented mindset with a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on execution. 

• Clear, confident communicator with the ability to translate complex concepts into practical actions. 

If you bring the same care to who you are as to what you do, we’d love to meet you!

Apply now and join our team as Continuous Improvement Manager in Calgary.

Cascades values diversity and inclusion and considers all applications equitably. This posting is for an active vacancy within our organization.