A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there’s more to being in business than just making a profit. That’s the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet.  What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it’s never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It’s about how you can grab everything that’s within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It’s about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we’ll all be a little better off. It’s that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated 

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN’S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

Mars Wrigley is looking for a Continuous Improvement Specialist for our West Chicago, IL site. 

The Continuous Improvement (CI) Specialist is responsible for leading loss elimination within an MSE team and is critical to supporting all MSE pillars, specifically FMOS and AM. The CI Specialist is expected to develop the operating teams’ technical understanding and mastery of process control, area operation and to support all Daily Management Systems (DMS) owners. CI Specialists are an integral part of the FMOS CP2/DDS meetings and owns integrity of data systems and leads process definition to identify Centerline targets and document standards. They also develop control strategies to enable operators to respond to out of control situations, analyze line data to identify and prioritize loss elimination opportunities, lead root cause problem solving efforts on key chronic losses for their area of responsibility, and coach teams on Centerline DMS execution and problem solving skills. CI Specialists must effectively facilitate team meetings; communicate issues within an area and across shifts, and follow-up on actions.  CI Specialists should be considered subject matter experts on the functional – technical aspects of their equipment and AM Pillar DMS’s.

What would be your key responsibilities? 

• Actively participates in daily FMOS meetings. Provides performance data for selected machines and communicates action plans and completed work effectively.
• Understand MSE pillars, specific focus on AM and FMOS with ability to coach in these areas.
• Perform AM DMS Health Checks.  Take action on identified Line Health Check gaps.
• Facilitates and owns the Line Loss Analysis.  Gather, interpret and report data on problem issues.  Maintain trend analysis.
• Expert for the AM DMS’s (Centerline - CL, Clean Inspect Lubricate - CIL, Abnormality Handling - AH, and 5S) and Changeover Daily Management Systems for the line organization.
• Leads process to identify Centerline targets and document standards.
• Develops control strategies and decision rules to enable operators to respond to out of control situations and improve line efficiencies.
• Leads root cause problem solving efforts on losses for the line/department. Uses appropriate problem-solving tools (basic and advanced) as needed.
• Collaborates with line associates and technical group on improvement recommendations.
• Provides regular, ongoing communication with line associates and line managers on status of identified losses and improvement activities.
• Works with Production Leader and team to ensure that all Line and Departmental metrics are achieved.
• Drive safety, quality and efficiency measures through proactive problem-solving resolution, follow-up and follow through.
• Train and develop associates, building team capability in areas of expertise.
• Leads and launches MSE/Process improvement teams.

What are we looking for?

• Associates Degree in Engineering, Supply, Business, or technical field of study with at least two (2) years experience in a TPM manufacturing environment OR four (4) years experience in manufacturing at Mars with MSE pillar participation or AM/Autonomous Work Team experience required.
• Bachelors Degree in Engineering, Supply, Business, or technical field of study preferred.
• Demonstrated excellent mechanical/technical aptitude.
• Outstanding analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Clear ability to relate to and motivate people.
• Certified Trainer: Demonstrated capability to effectively train associates.
• Provides clear effective coaching and feedback: process & performance.
• Proficient in MS Office and SAP.

What can you expect from Mars? 

• The opportunity to learn, develop and take charge of your own career. 
• An industry competitive compensation and benefits package.
• The opportunity to work cross functionally, add value and impact a better world for generations to come.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.