Operational Excellence Engineer

The Operational Excellence Engineer leads and coordinates consistent deployment of key Operational Improvement initiatives in the plant. This role is accountable to drive process improvements and waste reduction throughout the operations. This Engineer reports to the Operational Excellence Manager.

Primary Responsibilities

• Collaborates with cross-functional teams in problem-solving and continuous improvement activities (e.g., Kaizen events, 5S, SMEDs, Root Cause Analysis, DMAIC, Value stream mapping workshops, Gemba walks etc.) to produce sustainable solutions
• Guides teams through execution of plans after consensus building
• Improves efficiency by removing waste in process
• Creates technical drawings for workflow improvement jogs/fixtures, schematics, and layouts using SolidWorks/CAD or similar software
• Extracts data from ERP software
• Organizes and creates meaningful visualizations identifying opportunities and trends
• Works with managers to target areas for improvement and development of Operational Excellence plan and overall framework (quantified opportunities, prioritization, etc.)
• Performs as 5S Leader by implementing regular audits and follows up to ensure sustainability
• Provides training/coaching to plant personnel using various continuous improvement tools and initiatives
• Leads high impact projects where coaching is not sufficient due to scope and complexity of problem
• Leads post-implementation audits to ensure improvements are fully implemented, sustained and driven towards the planned benefits

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from ABET accredited school with two (2) years of continuous improvement experience
• OR Bachelor’s degree in related area with five (5) years of continuous experience

• Experience in successfully implementing lean/quality improvement initiatives in industrial manufacturing setting

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

• Ability to translate data-driven insights into actionable recommendations
• Demonstrated competence project execution using Lean/Six Sigma tools
• Strong knowledge of Kaizen, Kanban, Problem Solving, 5S, Error Proofing, SMED, Team Development, Value Stream Mapping, TPM, and other tools related to continuous improvement

• Proficiency with statistical analyses (using Minitab or advanced Excel) and data visualization (Power BI or similar).
• Creative ability and proficient drafting skills in CAD software
• Proven problem solving skills
• Strong coaching/teaching ability
• Understand team dynamics and able to maximize effectiveness of teams
• Strong communication skills with ability to manage and coach to ensure effective Operational Excellence process is implemented and sustained

Computer Equipment and Software Requirements

• MS Office applications (Access, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher
• Minitab and Power BI