Continuous Improvement Specialist

Job description

**Continuous Improvement Specialist** Schumacher & Co., America’s leading name for home and interior design – for fabric, wallcovering, and rugs – is seeking a motivated, analytical, and hands-on **Continuous Improvement Specialist** to support process improvement initiatives across our manufacturing and distribution operations. This role will focus on improving how **materials, inventory, orders, people, and information move through the operation**—from receiving and inventory through manufacturing, fulfillment, shipping, and ultimately to the customer. The Continuous Improvement Specialist will partner closely with operational leaders and cross-functional teams to identify inefficiencies, analyze performance, implement solutions, and ensure improvements are sustained. This is an excellent opportunity for a professional with **2–4 years of experience** in Continuous Improvement, Lean, manufacturing, quality, process improvement, distribution, or a related field who is ready to take greater ownership of improvement projects and continue developing their CI expertise. **What You’ll Do** **Continuous Improvement & Process Optimization** - Analyze operational processes to identify bottlenecks, waste, duplication, and inefficiencies - Support and lead Continuous Improvement projects from identification through implementation - Develop and implement standard work, best practices, and improved operating procedures - Use Lean, Kaizen, 5S, root-cause analysis, and other Continuous Improvement methodologies - Create process maps, workflows, and standard work instructions - Identify opportunities to improve productivity, quality, accuracy, safety, service levels, and operating costs - Measure project results and ensure improvements are sustained - Evaluate processes to support business growth, increased volume, and changing operational needs **Distribution & Warehouse Operations** - Identify opportunities to improve receiving, put-away, replenishment, picking, packing, staging, and shipping - Support improvements to warehouse layouts, storage locations, material flow, and space utilization - Help improve order fulfillment speed and accuracy - Analyze labor utilization, productivity, travel time, touches, and material handling - Support initiatives to improve dock-to-stock time and overall shipment flow - Assist with facility-capacity and workflow planning **Manufacturing Operations** - Partner with Manufacturing leadership to improve material and workflow through production - Identify operational constraints and bottlenecks - Improve handoffs between Manufacturing, Inventory, Receiving, and Distribution - Support efforts to reduce downtime, rework, scrap, errors, and material shortages - Improve coordination between production schedules and downstream operations - Help develop processes that support new products, increased SKU volume, and changing customer demand **Inventory & Quality** - Support initiatives to improve inventory and location accuracy - Analyze inventory discrepancies and assist with root-cause investigations - Improve labeling, scanning, inventory transactions, and cycle-count processes - Identify opportunities to reduce damaged, excess, obsolete, or slow-moving inventory - Partner with Operations and Quality teams to reduce errors, defects, rework, and waste - Develop sustainable inventory-control and accountability processes **Technology & Systems** - Identify opportunities to improve ERP, WMS, and other operational system processes - Partner with Operations and IT on system and workflow improvements - Support opportunities involving barcode scanning, RF technology, automation, and other operational tools - Analyze system transactions and data to identify process gaps - Participate in system testing, implementations, upgrades, and process validation **Data & Performance** - Analyze operational data to identify trends and improvement opportunities - Support the development of dashboards, KPIs, and operational reporting - Establish baseline performance and measure results following process changes - Translate operational data into actionable improvement recommendations - Track project performance and document measurable business impact Key metrics may include: - Productivity and throughput - Order accuracy - On-time shipment - Dock-to-stock time - Inventory accuracy - Labor utilization - Order cycle time - Manufacturing throughput - Quality and rework rates - Warehouse utilization - Safety performance - Cost savings and cost avoidance **Cross-Functional Collaboration** - Partner with Manufacturing, Distribution, Receiving, Inventory, Quality, Purchasing, Customer Service, Finance, IT, and other business partners - Facilitate process-improvement discussions and working sessions - Communicate project objectives, progress, recommendations, and results - Support implementation of new processes and operating standards - Engage employees in identifying and solving operational problems - Help build accountability and adoption around Continuous Improvement initiatives **Safety** - Identify process-related safety risks and opportunities for improvement - Support improvements to material handling, traffic flow, workstation design, and operational practices - Incorporate safety considerations into process and facility improvements - Support company safety, quality, OSHA, and compliance requirements **What We’re Looking For** - **2–4 years of experience** in Continuous Improvement, process improvement, manufacturing, distribution, quality, Lean, operations, or a related field - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills - Experience using data to evaluate operational performance - Ability to conduct root-cause analysis and develop practical solutions - Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills - Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities - Comfortable working directly within manufacturing and distribution environments - Ability to move between strategic analysis and hands-on process observation - Strong organizational and follow-through skills Experience with **Lean, Kaizen, 5S, Six Sigma, process mapping, standard work, value-stream mapping, or similar Continuous Improvement methodologies** is preferred. **Compensation & Development** We offer a **competitive compensation package** based on experience, skills, and qualifications. This position is also eligible for **performance-based incentives** tied to measurable results and achievement of established Continuous Improvement objectives. Performance may be evaluated based on: - Verified cost savings and cost avoidance - Productivity and throughput improvements - Quality improvements and waste reduction - Safety improvements - Completion and sustainment of CI projects - Standard work implementation and adoption - Employee engagement in Continuous Improvement initiatives **Growth Opportunity** The Continuous Improvement Specialist position is designed to provide a clear professional development path. As the Specialist demonstrates sustained results, successfully manages increasingly complex projects, and expands their operational knowledge and responsibilities, there will be opportunities for increased responsibility and continued growth within Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence. **The Impact** The Continuous Improvement Specialist will help strengthen the entire operational flow: **Supplier → Receiving → Inventory → Manufacturing → Finished Goods → Distribution → Customer** The goal is simple: **identify where the process breaks down, understand why, implement a better solution, measure the impact, and ensure the improvement lasts.** If you enjoy solving operational problems, working with people and data, and seeing measurable results from your improvements, we’d love to hear from you. **ABOUT FSCO:** Schumacher & Co is a 136-year‐old interior design company that creates and distributes fabric, wallcovering and furniture to skilled businesses around the world. Our family‐owned company is synonymous with style, taste and innovation. Our collections are comprehensive, with an extraordinary range united by respect for classicism, an eye for the cutting edge, and an unparalleled level of quality. But don’t be fooled! While we celebrate our storied heritage, we operate like a 136-year‐old startup. Our talented team is innovative and dynamic, and our culture is progressive and fun. In order continue our success; we are always looking for talented people that fit. - Culture: In our company, you are judged by your ideas and results, not by your experience or title. So, we encourage you to be thoughtful, casual, and to speak your mind. - Development: We strive every day to develop you and your colleagues for what we believe is a challenging and supportive business environment. - Teamwork: We believe that success and efficiency can only be a product of collaboration. At FSCO, working together is the rule, not the exception. - Innovation: We have achieved success and longevity through innovation. And we encourage experimentation and rule breaking. Mistakes? Those are things we embrace, talk about and learn from. - Life balance: Focused, productive time is more important than long hours. We believe in having enough time to be happy both in the office and out of it. Schumacher & Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity, inclusion, and equality in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, physical and mental disability, genetic or any other status prohibited by applicable national, federal, state or local law.