Lead Lean Manufacturing Engineer

Company Overview

Stuart Rush is a private business formed from the legacy electric chain hoist plants of Columbus McKinnon Corporation, with the first Lodestar® hoist made in the 1950s. With long-standing operations in Damascus, VA and Lexington, TN, the company builds on a legacy of quality in chain and hoist manufacturing. Stuart Rush values its employees as the foundation of its success and is committed to fostering a strong, supportive, and resilient workplace. The company is dedicated to delivering reliable products and earning customer trust through consistent performance while building a strong future for its people and customers.

Job Summary/Overview

Drive site-wide lean transformation initiatives by converting tactical opportunities and strategic goals into actionable improvement initiatives that eliminate waste, improve flow, meet customer needs, and achieve KPI-defined performance expectations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Drive lean transformation initiatives site-wide, translating tactical opportunities and strategic goals into actionable improvement projects to eliminate waste, improve flow, meet customer needs, and obtain the expected performance as defined through KPI goals.
• Lead and facilitate Kaizen events and rapid improvement workshops across production and support functions, from chartering through follow-up and sustainment.
• Apply lean tools (value stream mapping, 5S, SMED, standard work, visual management, error-proofing, root cause solving, and others as applicable) to a high-mix, low-volume production environment where flexibility and quick changeovers are imperative.
• Partner with operations, quality, engineering, and materials teams to identify waste, bottlenecks, and variation, and to design and implement countermeasures.
• Coach production supervisors, operators, and engineers on lean principles and problem-solving methodology (e.g., 5 Why, A3, PDCA, DMAIC) to build organizational problem solving and improvement capability.
• Track and report improvement metrics and lean performance measures and tie them to business impact.
• Develop, maintain, and improve visual management systems, tiered accountability boards, and standard work documentation.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3+ years of demonstrated lean/continuous improvement implementation, including leading or significantly contributing to a lean transformation (not just applying isolated tools).
• Proven experience planning, facilitating, and sustaining Kaizen events.
• Facilitation and influence skills — comfortable driving change through people who don't report to them.
• Strong sense of urgency couple with a bias for action.
• Strong working knowledge of core lean tools: 5S, VSM, SMED, one piece flow, waste elimination, standard work, kanban, and root cause analysis.
• Proficiency with Microsoft software applications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Serving as the functional lead for lean manufacturing activity within a manufacturing facility.
• Experience in a high-mix, low-volume production environment, with an understanding of the tradeoffs between flexibility and standardization.
• Experience with manufacturing processing of complex configured and/or engineered assemblies and metal cutting machining.

Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates.

Job will be located at the Damascus, VA facility

Benefits

At Stuart Rush, we value our employees and are committed to offering a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, paid time off, and a market-leading 401(k) plan.