Continuous Improvement Engineer

About Carolina Foods

Carolina Foods LLC produces high-quality Duchess branded and private-label bakery goods for retail customers nationwide. Based in Pineville in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, our single-site bakery brings product development and manufacturing together, giving team members a direct connection to the products, people, and decisions that drive our business.

Our people are central to our success. We value team members who take pride in their work, share ideas, and build strong partnerships. Our commitment to safety, food safety and quality, operational excellence, and continuous improvement guides how we work and grow.

Your Role as a Continuous Improvement Engineer

The Continuous Improvement (CI) Engineer leads hands-on improvements on the plant floor to reduce losses, improve production performance, and build reliable processes. This role focuses on the performance and quality components of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), ingredient and packaging waste, labor utilization, and changeover efficiency.

Working with Production, Maintenance, Reliability, Sanitation, and Quality, the CI Engineer identifies the largest losses, leads root cause analysis, and implements improvements that hold over time. The role also serves as the plant's technical liaison for automated baking line startup and commissioning, translating improvements into standard work, training, and daily operating routines.

Key Responsibilities:

Loss Elimination and Performance Improvement

• Analyze OEE, downtime, scrap, and production data by line and shift to identify, prioritize, and address the largest performance losses.
• Lead projects that reduce ingredient, material, and packaging waste; improve labor utilization; and increase throughput and available capacity.
• Troubleshoot manufacturing issues, lead root cause analysis, and implement corrective and preventive actions. Verify sustained results and reduce recurring equipment-related losses.
• Facilitate rapid changeover events using Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) methods, with clear baselines, improvement targets, action plans, and follow-up.

Equipment, Automation, and Reliability

• Lead startup and commissioning activities for highly automated baking lines as the plant's technical liaison with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), controls integrators, and Maintenance.
• Participate in factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT), equipment debugging, punch-list closure, and ramp-up to rated speed and required product quality.
• Lead Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) activities for new and existing equipment with Maintenance and Reliability; establish routines that improve equipment care and reduce repeat breakdowns.
• Diagnose mechanical and automation issues using programmable logic controller (PLC) and human-machine interface (HMI) alarms, input/output and sensor status, and machine sequences; partner with Maintenance and controls specialists on repairs and countermeasures.
• Support material-handling flow design for new or expanded lines, from raw materials and packaging delivery through finished goods transfer to shipping.

Standard Work, Training, and Operating Discipline

• Develop, maintain, and audit standard operating procedures (SOPs) for new automated equipment and improved processes; confirm procedures are practical for the teams using them.
• Lead SOP training for Production, Sanitation, and Maintenance employees, verify understanding, and coach teams to identify and solve problems.
• Support the site's Management Operating Structure (MOS), including daily and weekly performance reviews, department metrics, action tracking, and timely follow-through.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Model safety, food safety, product quality, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and housekeeping expectations. Follow equipment safeguards and applicable safe-work procedures during troubleshooting and startup.
• Promptly report hazards and food safety or quality concerns, support audits, and close assigned corrective actions on time. Never compromise employee safety, food safety, or quality to improve speed or cost.
• Partner respectfully across departments and shifts, encourage employee improvement ideas, and provide hands-on support during startups and other critical operating periods.
• Perform other related duties as assigned to support continuous improvement and business needs.

What Matters Most

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, food science, operations management, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Three to five years of hands-on manufacturing experience applying continuous improvement or Lean methods, with demonstrated, measurable results.
• Hands-on experience starting up and commissioning automated production equipment, including FAT/SAT, debugging, and ramp-up to rated performance.
• Demonstrated root cause analysis and problem-solving skills, with working knowledge of GMPs and food safety requirements.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including facilitating meetings and training employees; proficiency with Microsoft Office and production data analysis.
• Sound independent judgment, strong organization, and the ability to manage several projects and competing priorities in a results-driven environment.
• Flexibility to work nonstandard shifts, weekends, and holidays, particularly during equipment startups and critical project milestones.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in food, baking, or other process manufacturing.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification or higher, and hands-on experience with TPM, SMED, and OEE improvement.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and working knowledge of PLC/HMI systems sufficient to diagnose faults; PLC programming is not required.
• Familiarity with manufacturing execution systems (MES), OEE platforms such as Redzone, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) data.
• OSHA 30-hour or comparable safety training.

Skills for Success:

• Hands-on ownership: Works at the line with employees and follows through.
• Analytical judgment: Uses reliable data to identify losses, prioritize work, and verify that completed projects deliver measurable improvement.
• Problem-solving discipline: Resolves root causes and verifies lasting results.
• Collaboration and influence: Builds trust across functions and shifts and leads improvement without direct supervisory authority.
• Coaching and standardization: Explains technical concepts clearly and turns successful changes into repeatable, trained, and audited practices.

Measures of Success:

• First-year goals will use agreed baselines and track the following outcomes:
• Measurable OEE improvement and reduced ingredient, packaging, and labor losses on assigned lines.
• Shorter changeovers against targets established for each SMED effort.
• Documented SOPs and completed training for new automated equipment before handoff to Production.
• Established TPM routines and fewer recurring equipment breakdowns.
• Timely closure of root cause analyses and corrective actions, with verified, sustained results.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• This onsite, plant-floor-based role works in a high-volume industrial bakery and at a computer for analysis, documentation, and project coordination.
• Work involves standing and walking through production areas, observing equipment and processes, and accessing equipment areas for troubleshooting and startup support.
• Conditions may include heat, noise, moving equipment, and material-handling traffic. Required personal protective equipment and food safety and hygiene practices must be followed.
• Work may include nonstandard shifts, weekends, and holidays, especially during startups. Travel is expected to be minimal.

Essential functions may be performed with reasonable accommodation.

Come Join Us!

Help turn plant-floor challenges into lasting improvements. At Carolina Foods, your technical skills, curiosity, and teamwork can strengthen bakery performance and help our teams succeed. If you enjoy solving problems, launching automated equipment, and making improvements last, we invite you to apply and grow with us.