The Continuous Improvement Engineer is responsible for optimizing manufacturing processes, supporting daily production operations, and leading a team of shop-floor employees. This role combines hands-on engineering expertise with frontline leadership to ensure safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets are met. The Production Engineer collaborates with cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement and support long-term operational excellence.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. It is expected that each of the duties listed below will be performed to the highest standards of quality, while striving for maximum customer satisfaction, and continually look for ways to improve the methods, practices and procedures within the area. Further, a positive work atmosphere must, also, be promoted through professional and effective conduct and communications with customers, clients, suppliers, and employees.

Operations & Process Engineering

· Develop, improve, and standardize manufacturing processes, work instructions, and production methods.

· Analyze production data to identify root causes of downtime, scrap, and quality defects; implement corrective actions.

· Support new product introductions, equipment installations, and layout changes.

· Lead or participate in process capability studies, time studies, and PFMEA activities.

· Optimize tooling, fixturing, and equipment to increase throughput and reduce variation.

Production Supervision & Leadership

· Provide daily direction, coaching, and performance feedback to assigned production team members.

· Plan and allocate labor to meet production schedules and customer demand.

· Ensure team compliance with safety procedures, quality standards, and company policies.

· Support employee training, onboarding, and skill development.

· Address personnel issues and escalate concerns appropriately.

Safety & Quality

· Champion a culture of safety; conduct safety audits, hazard assessments, and near-miss investigations.

· Collaborate with Quality to resolve non-conformances and implement error-proofing solutions.

· Ensure equipment is properly maintained and safe for use; coordinate maintenance activities as needed.

Continuous Improvement

· Lead kaizen activities focused on reducing waste, improving efficiency, and enhancing flow.

· Apply Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies to drive measurable improvements.

· Support cost-reduction initiatives through process changes, automation, and material improvements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

· Coordinate with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and HR to support operational goals.

· Participate in daily production meetings and present data-driven updates on team performance.

· Assist with capital project justification and payback analysis.

proper operating procedures, as well as the proper use of prescribed safety equipment pertinent to the department and immediately reporting all accidents/incidents to supervisor and Human Resources.

· Support and enforce the Company’s equal employment opportunity and affirmative action policy and actions, immediately reporting violations to supervisor or the Human Resources representative.

· Ensure that personal conduct and work area is free from any form of harassment (sexual, racial, religious, etc.), immediately reporting violations to supervisor or the Human Resources representative.

· Support Company’s quality and environmental programs and ensure said requirements specified for positions within the department are met; meeting quality/environment requirements specified by production drawings, bills of materials, control plans, policies, work instructions, and procedures.

· Ensure that self and all employees actively participate in and complete appropriate training (on-the-job, classroom, or otherwise) and that all training provided is evaluated and that proper documentation is provided for accurate maintenance of the employee’s training record (i.e. Training Completed/Evaluation Form).

· Maintain frequent, regular two-way communication with employees to provide information on the state of the business and their performance, establishing an environment of trust.

· Meet with employees regularly to discuss their performance, with formal written performance reviews completed at least annually using the employee’s job description as a basis for appraisal.

· Meets with supervisor at least once per year to review job performance using this job description as a basis for appraisal.

· Maintains complete security and confidentiality of all Company records and employee data.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

· Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or related Engineering field required.

· 2–5+ years of experience in manufacturing or process engineering preferred.

· Prior leadership or supervisory experience strongly preferred (team lead, supervisor, or project leader).

· Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles.

· Proficient with CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, AutoCAD) and manufacturing documentation.

· Experience with root cause analysis tools (5-Why, Fishbone, DMAIC).

· Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems.