Continuous Improvement Engineer

Continuous Improvement Engineer

The Continuous Improvement Engineer is responsible for identifying, analyzing, and implementing opportunities that improve the safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, and overall performance of manufacturing operations.

This position will serve as a hands-on change agent within the organization, working directly with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Finance, IT, and executive leadership to understand problems, develop data-driven solutions, standardize improved processes, and ensure improvements are sustained.

The ideal candidate is adept in multiple various arenas: analytical, technically capable, highly communicative, detail-oriented, and self-accountable. They should be comfortable moving between the production floor, data analysis, technical documentation, training, and executive-level discussions.

This is an opportunity for someone who is hungry to create meaningful organizational change and wants to have a measurable impact on how a manufacturing organization operates.

Key Responsibilities

• Continuous Improvement & Process Engineering
• Identify, evaluate, prioritize, and lead continuous improvement opportunities throughout manufacturing operations.
• Conduct time studies, work measurement, process flow evaluations, and value-stream mapping to identify waste, bottlenecks, capacity constraints, and opportunities for improvement.
• Analyze current-state processes and develop future-state processes that improve efficiency, quality, safety, and throughput.
• Lead or support Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving activities.
• Develop and implement process improvements using data, observation, engineering principles, and cross-functional input.
• Establish measurable baselines and performance targets before implementing improvements.
• Monitor results following implementation to verify that improvements are achieving the intended outcome.
• Develop standard work and process controls to sustain improvements.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate unnecessary steps, reduce variation, improve material flow, and simplify processes.
• Support capital equipment evaluations, process design, equipment implementation, and manufacturing process changes.
• Data Analysis & Business Intelligence
• Develop and maintain Power BI dashboards, reports, KPIs, and visual management tools that provide actionable operational information.
• Extract, clean, analyze, and interpret data from ERP and other manufacturing systems.
• Use Microsoft Excel extensively for data analysis, modeling, reporting, process analysis, and decision support.
• Develop automated or semi-automated reporting tools where appropriate.
• Translate operational data into meaningful information that can be understood by operators, supervisors, managers, and executives.
• Identify trends, abnormalities, performance gaps, and opportunities through quantitative analysis.
• Establish data-driven performance measurements for CI projects and manufacturing processes.
• ERP / Manufacturing Systems
• Work extensively with ERP and manufacturing information systems to understand how operational data is generated, recorded, and utilized.
• Analyze ERP data to identify process, production, inventory, quality, maintenance, and operational improvement opportunities.
• Partner with IT and functional stakeholders to improve the accuracy, usability, and effectiveness of manufacturing system data.
• Assist with development, implementation, and standardization of ERP processes and workflows.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes and improve data visibility.
• Technical Documentation
• Create and maintain high-quality technical documentation, including:
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Work Instructions (WIs)
• Process documentation
• Process maps
• Training materials
• Technical reports
• Project documentation
• Process specifications
• Visual management materials
• Translate complex technical processes into documentation that can be clearly understood and followed by employees at all levels of the organization.
• Establish documentation standards that promote consistency, clarity, accuracy, and traceability.
• Ensure process documentation reflects the actual process and is updated following approved changes.
• Training & Change Management
• Develop and conduct training associated with new or improved processes, systems, equipment, and standard work.
• Facilitate training for production employees, supervisors, managers, and other stakeholders.
• Communicate the why, what, and how behind process changes to build understanding and adoption.
• Work directly with employees at all levels to understand operational challenges and develop practical solutions.
• Help establish a culture where employees actively identify and participate in improvement opportunities.
• Project Leadership & Stakeholder Management
• Lead cross-functional improvement projects from problem identification through implementation and sustainment.
• Develop project objectives, scope, timelines, deliverables, measurements, and action plans.
• Coordinate activities among Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, IT, Finance, and other stakeholders.
• Present project findings, recommendations, progress, and results to management and executive leadership.
• Facilitate meetings with stakeholders at all organizational levels in a professional and productive manner.
• Effectively challenge existing processes and assumptions when supported by data and engineering analysis.
• Maintain accountability for assigned projects, action items, deadlines, and deliverables.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or another relevant STEM discipline.
• 5 years of professional experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience with continuous improvement, process engineering, manufacturing engineering, operations engineering, or a related discipline.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Power BI, including development of dashboards and data visualizations.
• Experience working with ERP or manufacturing management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to perform:
• Time studies
• Process flow analysis
• Value-stream mapping
• Process observation and evaluation
• Root-cause analysis
• Data analysis
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional technical writing and documentation skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with hourly employees, supervisors, managers, engineers, executives, and external stakeholders.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accuracy while managing multiple projects.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and maintain personal accountability for assignments and commitments.
• Ability to conduct professional training sessions and technical presentations.
• Ability to work effectively in both an office/data-analysis environment and on the manufacturing floor.

Preferred Qualifications

• The following qualifications are highly desirable:
• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma certification.
• Experience with process design or manufacturing process development.
• Experience with Visual Basic / VBA.
• Programming or scripting experience.
• Experience developing Excel-based automation tools.
• Experience integrating or manipulating data from ERP, MES, CMMS, or other manufacturing systems.
• Experience with SQL, databases, APIs, or other data technologies.
• Experience with Power BI data modeling, Power Query, and/or DAX.
• Experience leading Kaizen events or structured improvement projects.
• Experience with capital equipment selection, installation, commissioning, or process validation.
• Experience developing Standard Work, SOPs, and Work Instructions.
• Experience with Lean tools such as:
• 5S / 6S
• Value-Stream Mapping
• Standard Work
• Visual Management
• Kaizen
• Root-Cause Analysis
• 5-Why
• Fishbone/Ishikawa
• SMED
• OEE
• Kanban
• Process Flow Analysis

Core Competencies

• Analytical Thinking
• Ability to break complex operational problems into measurable components, analyze data, identify root causes, and