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International Paper · United States

# Project Manager of Lean Excellence

United States Manager or lead $137,400 - $185,000 Operations 

Listed on International Paper’s official careers site. Posted August 31, 2026. Check that it is still open and apply there.
[Apply on International Paper’s careers site →](https://iazbqy.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/job/2001906)

[OpenNash Jobs](https://jobs.opennash.com/) / [International Paper](https://jobs.opennash.com/companies/international-paper/) / Project Manager of Lean Excellence

## Job description

### Position Title

Project Manager of Lean Excellence Pay Rate: $137,400 - $185,000 Multiple factors, including Individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range.

### Category/Shift

Salaried Full-Time Physical Location: Remote or 6400 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN The Job You Will Perform: The Project Manager of Lean Excellence will propagate scalable operational improvement across the Containerboard business through lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and disciplined execution. The Lean Leader will serve as a hands-on change agent, partnering with mill teams to deploy lean tools and methodologies, lead Kaizen events, and embed standard work and problem-solving capabilities into daily operations.

The ideal candidate will have significant and relevant direct manufacturing experience using and leading continuous improvement tools, systems, and methodologies. The candidate must be a proven shop floor leader who is comfortable influencing others, coaching teams, and delivering measurable gains in safety, quality, delivery and cost.

### Key Responsibilities
- Implement lean tools such as 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, Visual Management, SMED and Value Stream Mapping
- Drive waste elimination, process flow optimization, and variation reduction
- Facilitate structured problem solving using A3, DMAIC, 5-Why, RCFA, and similar methodologies
- Deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost
- Process Optimization & Execution
- Use data to identify gaps in performance versus best practices and work with the mill team to execute an improvement plan
- Document best practices and share improvements to leverage results
- Understand and apply financial drivers and key performance indicators

### Culture & Capability Building
- Assist with implementing and managing systems that will sustain improvement efforts
- Lead and coach CI events / kaizen through hands-on participation
- Assist with developing and effectively delivering training materials in multiple formats to ensure team members throughout the organization are trained in CI concepts and philosophy
- Evaluate and drive opportunities for appropriate CI and lean tool applications
- Provide support, assistance, and communication to the mill leadership teams regarding CI initiatives This position will require 75-90% travel The Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge You Will Bring: Bachelor's degree preferred in business, engineering, operations management, or related field Minimum
- 5 years of manufacturing experience with proven change leadership skills
- Demonstrated success utilizing and deploying lean tools
- Strong analytical, facilitation, coaching and change leadership skills
- Ability to influence without formal authority across multiple functions
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office

## At a glance
- Posted by the employer: Aug 31, 2026
- First seen by OpenNash: Jul 10, 2026
- Last checked: Oct 17, 2026
- Listed for: 99 days
- Location: United States
- Pay: $137,400 - $185,000[Apply on International Paper’s careers site →](https://iazbqy.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/job/2001906)

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