Continuous Improvement Leader

3M is hiring a Continuous Improvement Leader. It pays $165k-$201k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on 3M.

Level's read on this job

Level rates this role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
The posting mentions continuous improvement, erp and supply chain among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a lead role.
3M has 774 other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Continuous Improvement Leader driving operational and financial performance across production, supply chain, and enterprise processes at 3M.

continuous-improvementerpsupply-chainprocess-optimizationstrategic-planning

Job Description:

Continuous Improvement Leader

Collaborate with Innovative 3Mers Around the World

Choosing where to start and grow your career has a major impact on your professional and personal life, so it’s equally important you know that the company that you choose to work at, and its leaders, will support and guide you. With a wide variety of people, global locations, technologies and products, 3M is a place where you can collaborate with other curious, creative 3Mers.

This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government or military experience to a 3M career.

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role

As a Continuous Improvement Leader, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative people around the world. Here, you will make an impact by:

Works with site leadership team to set short-term strategic direction and operating plans for assigned area of responsibility and defines guidelines/methods.
Responsible for development site CI strategy for Continuous improvement. Will have direct responsibility and work with site leader for strategic planning and establishing improvement objectives.
Complex problem solving requiring in-depth interpretation, analysis and improvement approaches. Improvement expertise/experience should encompass production, materials, transactional, warehouse, supply chain, Materials Resource Planning (MRP), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Portfolio and/or information flows. Ability to link process, execution and master data failure modes with projects to drive operational improvements that drive financial performance.
Responsible for site/organization level goals, objectives, strategy and performance.
Driving financial improvement across the site/organization
Collaborates with front-line employees, support teams, department/function, supervisors/managers and operations leaders to determine goals, direction, and approaches for improvement.
Responsible for working with site/ organization leadership team to determine approach and strategy for achieving operational and financial objectives.
Teaching, mentoring and developing others (e.g. peers, supervisors, managers) in their ability to establish Continuous
Improvement as a primary mechanism to improving financial and operational performance in their work centers, departments or areas.
Use CI Dashboard to manage, maintain and communicate CI impact/performance to leadership at all levels.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start)
Five (5) years of experience in plant and/or operations leadership in a private, public, government or military environment
Three (3) years of experience in developing and leading kaizen events in a private, public, government or military environment

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

Strong communication skills across all levels of the organization
Ability to develop and execute strategic plans
Ten (10) years of experience in plant operations, engineering, and/or maintenance functions
Strength in leading and managing culture change
Advanced data analysis and Microsoft Excel skills
Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt experience or certification
Coaching and teaching skills.
Lean Manufacturing experience.
Demonstrated results using continuous improvement methodologies.

Work location: On-site Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin

Travel: May include up to 10% domestic travel

Relocation Assistance: May be authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Supporting Your Well-being

3M offers many programs to help you live your best life – both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, 3M regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.

Chat with Max

For assistance with searching through our current job openings or for more information about all things 3M, visit Max, our virtual recruiting

Applicable to US Applicants Only:The expected compensation range for this position is $164,612 - $201,193, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience. In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/.

Good Faith Posting Date Range 09/14/2026 To 10/14/2026 Or until filled

All US-based 3M full time employees will need to sign an employee agreement as a condition of employment with 3M. This agreement lays out key terms on using 3M Confidential Information and Trade Secrets. It also has provisions discussing conflicts of interest and how inventions are assigned. Employees that are Job Grade 7 or equivalent and above may also have obligations to not compete against 3M or solicit its employees or customers, both during their employment, and for a period after they leave 3M.

Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @3M.

Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.

Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.

Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/

3M does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.

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How we rate this

Continuous Improvement Leader at 3M rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Continuous Improvement Leader is an open job at 3M.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The listed salary is $165k-$201k a year.
The role is based in US, Wisconsin, Prairie Du Chien.
The job was posted on September 14, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by 3M. Apply on 3M

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Continuous ImprovementERPSupply ChainProcess OptimizationStrategic Planning

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where continuous improvement was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where erp was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where supply chain was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where process optimization was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where strategic planning was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Continuous Improvement, ERP, Supply Chain, Process Optimization, and Strategic Planning. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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