Jobs and Careers

Sr Manager, World Class Manufacturing Central Team Lead

United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 19 May 2026

About the role

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