Operational Excellence Specialist

Operational Excellence Specialist Location: US-MS-Oakland Job ID: 2026-9147 Type: Regular Full-Time # of Openings: 1 Overview The factory Operational Excellence (OpEx) Specialist is responsible for analyzing and improving factory processes within our Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) journey to improve equipment reliability, reduce downtime, reduce food loss, and enhance the overall operational efficiency (OEE) in our food manufacturing facility. This position will lead and develop others within the factory loss analysis program, problem solving process and OEE reporting. This role will be required to perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned, which may evolve based on organizational needs. Responsibilities Factory Loss Analysis Leadership With support of the Operational Excellence Manager, collect data, analyze data, identify specific losses and prioritize losses within the factory’s OEE, downtime, raw material loss, labor loss, etc. Provide effective visual sharing and guidance of losses to the factory leaders and team members to action against. Ensure the appropriate loss analysis is provided on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. Problem Solving Leadership Lead and develop others in the usage of our root cause analysis tools (STPD, BDA, etc.) to drive continuous improvement. Ensure the health and wellness of our problem‑solving tools meet the standards for analysis and corrective actions and preventative actions. Implement verification steps on solutions for sustainability and if possible, reapplication to other similar equipment or situations. OEE Reporting Ownership Own the OEE reporting program from data collection, loss analysis, loss categorization and monitoring to ensure reporting is done effectively and correctly. Provide OEE reporting internally to the factory leadership and team members that will use the loss identification within the continuous improvement activities. Lead and develop others in the understanding of the OEE loss categories with the availability, performance and quality components. Qualifications Education Associate of Science degree in a STEM field (Engineering, Food Science, Technology, Math, etc.) required. Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM field or active enrollment in a 4‑year STEM degree program preferred. Preference will be given to those with a degree in engineering or to those actively enrolled in an engineering program. Other experience in lieu of degree will be considered. Minimum 2 to 4 years of manufacturing experience in a leadership role, preferable in the food industry. Knowledge & Skills Knowledge of TPM methodology, specifically focus improvement (FI) pillar methodologies or a continuous improvement program. Demonstrated proficiencies in leadership skills; ability to motivate, develop and inspire others. Excellent leadership, communication, problem‑solving skills, and change management. Strong analytical abilities and administration background in systems used in data gathering, loss analysis, etc. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with others, specifically with all factory personnel levels. Proven track record of driving results in a factory environment. Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. #J-18808-Ljbffr Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.