Continuous Improvement & Training Program Coordinator - AeroFarms

Hands-on ownership of operational excellence, workforce capability, and sustainable standard workDEPARTMENT

Engineering / Continuous ImprovementLOCATION

Danville, VirginiaREPORTS TO

VP of Engineering, Maintenance and Continuous ImprovementCLASSIFICATION

Full-time, ExemptROLE TYPE

Hands-on program manager / individual contributorTRAVEL

Limited; as business needs requireDIRECT REPORTS

None initiallyEFFECTIVE DATE

To be determined

Position Summary

The Continuous Improvement & Training Program Coordinator builds the systems that help the Danville site perform safely, consistently, and efficiently. The role leads structured improvement work, develops site capability in problem solving, and establishes a disciplined training-management system that supports onboarding, qualification, cross-training, and sustained adherence to standard work.

This is a highly visible, hands-on role. The manager works on the floor with operations, maintenance, engineering, sanitation, food safety, supply chain, and people leaders to identify losses, convert improvements into practical standards, and verify that employees can perform work safely and correctly. Success depends on influence, facilitation, analytical rigor, and follow-through rather than formal authority.ACCOUNTABILITY MODEL This role owns the CI and training systems. Functional leaders remain accountable for technical content, assigning qualified trainers, employee qualification, and day-to-day adherence within their departments.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Training System Development and Management

• Design and administer a site-wide training framework covering new-hire onboarding, role qualification, refresher training, cross-training, process changes, and retraining after significant deviations or incidents.
• Create and maintain role-based training matrices that identify required curricula, qualification status, renewal frequency, proficiency gaps, and coverage risks for each department and shift.
• Establish document and record controls for training materials, including revision approval, effective dates, obsolete-version removal, attendance, assessments, qualification sign-off, and retraining triggers.
• Partner with subject-matter experts to convert SOPs, work instructions, one-point lessons, troubleshooting guides, and safety requirements into clear, practical learning content.
• Develop and coach a network of qualified trainers and assessors; standardize train-the-trainer expectations and periodically verify trainer effectiveness.
• Implement blended learning methods such as structured on-the-job training, demonstrations, job aids, short classroom modules, knowledge checks, and observed performance assessments.
• Report training compliance, overdue qualifications, cross-training coverage, time-to-competency, and training effectiveness to site leadership; escalate material capability risks.
• Coordinate training readiness for equipment installations, process changes, product launches, and corrective actions before operational handoff.

2. Continuous Improvement System Leadership

• Develop and maintain the site continuous improvement operating system, including opportunity intake, prioritization, project charters, action tracking, benefit validation, and sustainment reviews.
• Facilitate structured problem solving using methods such as Kaizen, A3, PDCA, 5 Why, fishbone analysis, Pareto analysis, process mapping, standard work, visual management, and mistake-proofing.
• Lead cross-functional improvement events and targeted projects addressing safety, quality, yield, labor productivity, throughput, downtime, changeover, sanitation effectiveness, material flow, and cost.
• Coach supervisors, technicians, engineers, and operators in daily problem solving and practical Lean behaviors; build local ownership rather than creating dependence on the CI function.
• Ensure follow through with plant leadership and supervision to ensure consistent execution to all processes and standards.
• Ensure improvements are embedded in controlled documents, training, visual standards, leader routines, and verification checks so gains are sustained.

3. Performance Management and Analytics

• Build trusted performance views using OEE, availability, performance, quality, yield, labor, downtime, waste, training, and other operational data.
• Validate data definitions and establish a consistent loss tree so teams focus on the largest controllable constraints.
• Support daily and weekly operating reviews with concise analysis, root-cause follow-up, countermeasure status, and verified benefits.
• Translate analysis into floor-level action and communicate results in clear financial, operational, and workforce-capability terms.

4. Project Execution and Change Adoption

• Manage selected improvement initiatives from problem definition through implementation, validation, training, and sustainment.
• Develop stakeholder plans, facilitate decisions, clarify ownership, and remove barriers across departments and shifts.
• Coordinate trials and pilots with appropriate safety, food-safety, quality, maintenance, and operational controls.
• Confirm that process changes have an accountable owner, approved standard, trained users, measurable success criteria, and a post-implementation audit plan.

Decision Rights and Working Relationships

• May establish: site CI and training governance, standard templates, reporting cadence, project stage gates, qualification methods, and minimum documentation requirements, subject to applicable company policies.
• May pause or escalate: a rollout or qualification when training, documentation, validation, or change-control requirements have not been met.
• Partners closely with: Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Food Safety/Quality, EHS, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and Finance.
• Does not replace: functional ownership of SOP accuracy, technical approval, daily supervision, employee accountability, or legally required authorization by designated competent persons.

Required Qualifications

• Three or more years of experience in continuous improvement, manufacturing operations, engineering, quality, maintenance, training, or a related operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional improvement projects and facilitating structured root-cause problem solving.
• Experience building, administering, or materially improving an employee training, qualification, or competency-management process.
• Working knowledge of Lean principles, standard work, process mapping, visual management, and change management.
• Strong analytical capability with Excel and operational reporting tools; able to validate data and translate findings into action.
• Strong facilitation, instructional, writing, coaching, and presentation skills across frontline through executive audiences.
• Ability to work in an active food-production environment and spend substantial time on the manufacturing floor across shifts as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, industrial technology, organizational development, education, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or comparable evidence of applied improvement capability.
• Experience in food, beverage, agriculture, pharmaceutical, medical-device, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience with learning management systems, electronic training records, document control, or skills-matrix platforms.
• Familiarity with OEE, maintenance and reliability, automation, sanitation, food safety, labor standards, and capital-project operational readiness.
• Training or certification in adult learning, instructional design, Training Within Industry (TWI), Prosci/change management, or project management.

Core Competencies

CompetencyWhat strong performance looks likeSystems builderCreates practical governance, routines, and tools that can be maintained by the organization.Floor-first problem solverObserves work where it happens and combines employee knowledge with disciplined analysis.Facilitator and coachDevelops others' capability and moves groups toward clear decisions and ownership.Instructional mindsetBreaks complex work into teachable standards and verifies performance, not attendance alone.Data disciplineUses consistent definitions, tests assumptions, and distinguishes correlation from verified cause.Change leadershipAnticipates adoption barriers and integrates communication, training, supervision, and reinforcement.Bias for closureMaintains action discipline and verifies that improvements and qualifications remain effective.Operational credibilityBalances safety, quality, people, delivery, cost, and technical realities.

Measures of Success

• Training control: Required training and qualification completion; overdue rate; record accuracy; revision-to-retraining cycle time.
• Workforce capability: Time-to-competency; qualified coverage by role and shift; cross-training depth; assessment pass and rework rates.
• Training effectiveness: Observed adherence, post-training performance, reduction in repeat errors, and effectiveness checks after process changes.
• Improvement delivery: Projects completed against plan; verified annualized benefits; improvement lead time; proportion of gains sustained at 30/60/90 days.
• Operational impact: Improvements in prioritized safety, quality, yield, labor, OEE, downtime, changeover, waste, or cost measures.
• Capability building: Number and effectiveness of qualified trainers, active problem solvers, and leaders routinely using standard CI methods.

MEASUREMENT PRINCIPLE Performance should be evaluated on verified operational and capability outcomes. Training attendance and project activity are inputs-not sufficient evidence of effectiveness by themselves.

Initial 12-Month Priorities

TimingPriority outcomes0-90 daysAssess the current training and CI systems; map critical roles and risks; establish governance; stabilize overdue and high-risk qualifications; confirm the top operational loss opportunities.3-6 monthsLaunch controlled training matrices and trainer qualification; standardize CI intake and project tracking; complete initial high-value improvement projects; create leadership reporting.6-12 monthsExpand role qualification and cross-training coverage; integrate training with change control and project handoff; build internal CI facilitators; verify sustained benefits and training effectiveness.

Physical and Work Environment

The role operates in office and active production settings. It may require standing and walking for extended periods; use of required personal protective equipment; work around automated equipment, refrigeration, wet-process or sanitation areas, and variable temperatures; and occasional schedule flexibility to observe or train employees on day, night, or weekend shifts. Reasonable accommodations will be made in accordance with applicable law.

Equal Employment Opportunity

AeroFarms is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, consistent with applicable law. This job description summarizes the primary responsibilities of the position and is not intended to contain a comprehensive listing of all duties. Responsibilities may change as business needs evolve.

Summary of Benefits:

Base salary range is $70,000-$90,000 annually, annual company/performance bonus, eligible for equity, matching 401k with no vesting period, vacation/sick time/PTO, group health plan including medical, dental, vision etc.

In accordance with organizational protocol, employees will at times be required to fill absences in the operation process that are equal to or lower than their positional hierarchy. Additionally, if an employee is absent, the role of the absent employee is to be completed by their immediate superior.

Internal candidates seeking a promotion must have completed a minimum of six months in their current role and/or have less than four attendance points, with no corrective actions before becoming eligible for consideration.