Sr Manager, World Class Manufacturing Central Team Lead

Requisition ID: 69974

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading home appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. As the only major U.S.-based manufacturer of kitchen and laundry appliances, the company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2024, the company reported approximately $17 billion in annual sales - close to 90% of which were in the Americas - 44,000 employees, and 40 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

The team you will be a part of

The Business Process team develops, implements and sustains cross-functional process improvement projects and business-wide improvement initiatives including training, mentoring, and consulting with Black Belts, Champions, and Green Belts. Identifies, suggests and implements best practices to facilitate best solutions and methods that will optimize processes in all areas of the business.

This Role In Summary

Whirlpool is seeking a World Class Manufacturing (WCM) Senior Manager to lead the WCM Central Team for the North American Region (NAR). This role will require you to sit at one of our manufacturing plants, our NAR Headquarters or Global Headquarters.

In this role, you will be accountable for driving manufacturing business performance, strategic WCM transformation, and governance across the region, supporting 14 manufacturing plants (U.S. & Mexico) and additional businesses (e.g., WCL, InSinkErator).

You will act as the regional owner of the WCM system, ensuring alignment between strategy, execution, digital enablement, and people development, while serving as a trusted partner to Operations VPs, Plant Directors, and functional leaders.

This role reports to the Strategy & Planning Regional Director and has direct leadership responsibility for the WCM Central Team.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Lead the WCM Central Team for the North American Region, providing strategic direction, prioritization, and governance across all WCM pillars and plants.
• Drive manufacturing business performance by translating WCM strategy into measurable KPI improvement (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Productivity) across the NAR network.
• Design, deploy, and evolve the WCM operating model, including standards, pillar frameworks, assessment methodologies, and route-map governance.
• Oversee Operational Assessments, Audits, and Gap Closure, ensuring consistent execution, clear prioritization of top opportunities, and disciplined follow-up.
• Enable effective project execution and savings delivery through integration of Cost Deployment, Kaizen activities, and digital project management tools.
• Lead regional capability building programs, including Manufacturing Skills WCM Modules, Problem Solving, Kaizen leadership, and Front Line Leader development at scale.
• Own the WCM digital ecosystem, including AppSheet solutions, dashboards, AI Assistants, and data governance to support decision-making and execution.
• Establish and manage the regional benchmark and best-practice system, ensuring scalable learning and cross-plant knowledge transfer.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain leadership to embed WCM into core business processes and strategic initiatives (including WCL and Insinkerator expansion).
• Ensure financial discipline and resource optimization, including budget management, audit costs, external partnerships, and ROI tracking of WCM initiatives.
  
  

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7+ years of experience in WCM, Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence
• 7+ years of experience in Manufacturing Operations
• Proven experience leading cross-plant or regional initiatives
  
  

Preferred Skills And Experiences

• Engineering, Business, or Operations-related degree
• Prior experience leading a central or regional CI/WCM team
• Deep expertise in WCM pillars, audits, and cost deployment
• Strong digital mindset (AppSheet, analytics, AI enablement)
• Six Sigma Black Belt
• Fluent English; Spanish strongly preferred
• Ability to travel up to 50% (U.S. & Mexico)
  
  

Additional Information

Whirlpool’s Ways of Working

Benefits

Our goal is to provide an environment that helps you bring your best to Whirlpool every day. While employees in this role work in-person Monday through Friday. We offer flexibility and industry-leading time-off benefits that will help you balance what’s important at work and at home, including:

• Always On Flexibility - You will have the autonomy to manage personal, family, and outside-of-work commitments as needed.
• Two-Week Work from Anywhere - Minimum of one-week increments for a total of two weeks per year.
• Sabbatical - Four weeks paid leave after every five years of service.
  
  

Connect with us and learn more about Whirlpool Corporation

See what it's like to work at Whirlpool by visiting Whirlpool Careers. Additional information about the company can be found on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Whirlpool Corporation is committed to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable law.