Senior Operational Excellence Engineer

Position Summary

Electroswitch is seeking an experienced Senior Operational Excellence Engineer to lead process optimization, continuous improvement, and operational efficiency initiatives across our manufacturing operations.

This corporate-level position supports five business units and works closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain leadership to implement Lean manufacturing principles, standardize best practices, reduce costs, and improve operational performance.

The successful candidate will play a key role in developing and sustaining Electroswitch's Operational Excellence strategy, with a focus on Safety, Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and Productivity (SQDIP).

We are looking for a hands-on, results-driven professional who can identify improvement opportunities, lead cross-functional initiatives, coach teams, and deliver measurable, sustainable improvements in manufacturing performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead continuous improvement projects across multiple business units, focusing on safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, and cost reduction.

• Identify and eliminate manufacturing waste, bottlenecks, excess inventory, downtime, and process variation through value stream mapping and process analysis.

• Implement Lean manufacturing methodologies, including 5S, Kaizen, standardized work, visual management, flow manufacturing, pull systems, and production leveling.

• Facilitate Kaizen events, Gemba walks, root cause analysis, 5-Why investigations, and structured problem-solving activities.

• Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to improve equipment reliability, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), throughput, changeover times, production yields, and operational efficiency.

• Collaborate with Materials, Planning, and Supply Chain teams to improve material availability, inventory replenishment, and production flow.

• Establish and maintain operational performance metrics, SQDIP boards, visual management systems, daily accountability processes, and continuous improvement tracking.

• Support capacity planning, line balancing, labor productivity improvements, and operational readiness initiatives.

• Coach and train employees and leadership teams on Lean principles, continuous improvement tools, and standardized work practices.

• Develop project charters, implementation plans, milestones, and financial benefit estimates for operational improvement initiatives.

• Partner with Finance and other departments to validate cost savings, productivity improvements, and return on improvement initiatives.

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, accountability, and employee engagement across all business units.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related field.

• 10+ years of experience in Operational Excellence, Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, manufacturing engineering, or manufacturing operations.

• Demonstrated success leading manufacturing improvement initiatives with measurable results in productivity, quality, cost reduction, or operational efficiency.

• Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing tools, including value stream mapping, Kaizen, 5S, standardized work, visual management, and flow manufacturing.

• Experience with root cause analysis, corrective action, process optimization, and data-driven problem-solving.

• Strong project management, analytical, communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to influence cross-functional teams, manage multiple initiatives, and work effectively with manufacturing leadership.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, ERP/MRP systems, and operational reporting.

• Ability to travel between company facilities as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

• Experience implementing Operational Excellence or continuous improvement programs across multiple manufacturing sites or business units.

• Experience with Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), capacity analysis, line balancing, takt time, cycle-time reduction, and changeover optimization.

• Knowledge of statistical process control and manufacturing performance analysis.

• Experience in manufacturing cost reduction, inventory optimization, labor productivity, and manufacturing cost accounting.

• Experience coaching teams and driving organizational change in a manufacturing environment.

Key Performance Indicators

Success in this role will be measured through improvements in:

• Verified cost savings and productivity gains.

• Equipment effectiveness, operational availability, throughput, and capacity utilization.

• Manufacturing quality, first-pass yield, scrap, rework, and defect reduction.

• On-time delivery, schedule attainment, and manufacturing lead times.

• Inventory management, work-in-process reduction, and inventory turns.

• Adoption and sustainability of Lean manufacturing practices.